Border Collie Pup

tarnish · June 2008

Well I have been asking to get a dog ever since my old german shepherd died. Now it was more of my dad's dog. He had her before I was even born. She died about 3 years ago. Anyways I was talking to my mom about a puppy last night and I felt I was annoying her with it so I stopped. Today she was reading the paper aloud and there was somone selling two border collie puppies. A border collie is the only dog I found my mom to consider. There was one male and one black and white female which is perfect because my mom likes black and white and she would only let me get a female. The puppy is just over $100. She called the person asking when we can stop by. The kicker is, its only to look. I would like to know what I should be asking the owner about the parents and about the puppy so I can sound intelligent and know what I am looking for. If anyone has questions I should ask please post

EpikLove · June 2008

Parents - Ask for pictures and stuff, and see if they have the parents on premises.

Ask for vaccinations, papers (if any).. and umm.. -thinks- -sigh- Can't think of anything else. Maybe ask its eating habits, its brand of food? Also look at the puppy and see if she's playful and not lifeless

poison · June 2008

Border collies are so faithful dogs i love mine

good luck with whatever happens

tarnish · June 2008

Thank you Isis.

Poison, I read a book about border collies and they seemed very sweet. I read about them in books. Looks like they are very smart and can be easy to train. I hope I am able to get one.

DoodleBugHolding · June 2008

Ask what their routines are if they are crate trained and stuff xD If they are attached to any certain toys or blankets or anything that would make them feel comfortable if you decided to get it. Favorite food/ Type of Food/ How Much it eats. Neutered or Not. Does it have papers and such. Stuff like that ^_^ Good luck Tarn!

tarnish · June 2008

Thanks Doodle *glomps* If I get one it probably wont be that puppy..It may just encourage my mom to let me get one. All fingers crossed though!

EpikLove · June 2008

Your welcome

I'll post more if I can think of any. x3 From my dog book x3 - Avoid the shy and bossy pups. See how the pups interact with each other

KiteKatsumi9 · June 2008

My mom says to hold the puppy like a baby, on its back in your arms, and if it won't look you in the eyes, don't get it. Good luck

Also ask about family history..health problems and such.

tarnish · June 2008

I heard about the holding it on its back part..but I heard not to get it if it looks you in the eye. If it doesn't look you in the eye its more submissive. I am not sure. Thanks everyone

Silver Husky · June 2008

I used to have a Border Collie named Pepsi. He was blind but he was so sweet and loving. My grandpa used to breed Border Collies too. I was allowed to go and play with the pups whenever I wanted.

They're really smart, they can learn up to 120 commands. They'll follow there natural instincts and try to herd stuff, my grandpa's 8 week old puppies would try to herd his horses. >_> Oh and they like water, at lest all the ones I've been around. =3 Pepsi would play fetch in ponds before he went blind. Rowdy(one of my grandpa's border collies) likes to go "swimming" in horse trouft(sp?) And Tipper(our bc/lab cross we had) would lay in the kiddie pool we got them in the middle of winter when there was huge chunks of ice in it and two feet of snow on the ground. >_>

Ruffian · June 2008

Kite_Katsumi wrote:

My mom says to hold the puppy like a baby, on its back in your arms, and if it won't look you in the eyes, don't get it. Good luck Also ask about family history..health problems and such.

Also, if he/she stays really still, he/she is known to have a good nature

His breeder told us this and they did it and we did... I did that when I looked at my Scottish Terrier (when he was a puppy) and he was as still as a baby, and he turned out with a very good nature. His sister, wasn't as still and tried to jump out. (She was a little more rambunctious than he was). Anyways, good luck on finding your new puppeh!

Kazuko · June 2008

xD Ask about any health problems. Ask to see the parents, or at least the mother, if they're on premises. Ask to look around to see the puppy's living conditions. Ask about papers, eating habits, any weird habits you should know about. Ask about vaccinations, their ages, if they're spayed/neutered. xD

NickelbackLuver · June 2008

Good luck Tarn =D I think everyone mentioned everything xD

tarnish · June 2008

Thanks everyone! Now I read something about they don't do well with other pets but they can get along with cats if they are introduced young. So hopefully she won't have a problem with my two kitties. Thanks for everything! My mom got a call back from the breeder and the parents will be there for us to see. We will probably go and see her on Saturday. My mom keeps reminding me that she is not promising that I can get a dog. I am not going to try and bug her about it and hopefully..*crosses fingers* I will have a topic with puppy pictures.

ParanoidThoughts8 · June 2008

i love german shepherds! i have one right now (hes 75% or so german shepherd) theyre very smart... and as for border collie. i love them as well! my uncle has one named mischa and she will retrieve an object, and then lay down with one leg in front of her, and the other tucked under her chest its adorable :P and i hear theyre easy to train..and housebreak and such ask about vaccination info, get shot records(if any) make sure theres no in-breeding and make sure that person OWNS or has access to info on both parents(they should own one of two paretns, preferably mother)

SummerMoon · June 2008

ooh fun.

I would say make sure you get all the info you can on the parents. If it was me I would go back as far as 3 generations. (if they are all papered that is) checking for health problems/inbreeding. Check the puppy and make sure that she seems in good health. Obviously you can't tell if she has any internal diseases, unless it's one that you can tell on the outside, but other than that her nose shouldn't be dry, she shouldn't have anything around her eyes, check her gums and make sure they are a good color pink. Oh and be sure to check for any infestations (fleas, ticks, mites...etc.) :D Have fun and good luck!

tarnish · June 2008

Oh yeah I am defanitly checking the teeth. My cat has a generic problem with her gums and she had to have 8 teeth extracted about 2 weeks ago. It was not cheap. She is looking healthier and she needs a follow-up exam.

All this info is really helpful everyone.

IRawrSkittles · June 2008

We asked all this stuff when we got our dog: Are the parents aggressive? What exactly are the temperments of the parents? Is the pup aggressive towards children? Has it been inside/outside most of the time? Any vaccinations? Any medical conditions? Any special type of dog food? Is it food aggressive? Any type of training? xD

Boz · June 2008

I don't know if anyone said this (didn't want to read all the replies XD) but if you got a border collie, you have to give them something to do, or they'll find something to do and you won't like it. They are soo high strung and have never-ending energy. I read about border collies a few years back when I really wanted one. If I did ever get a border collie/aussie type dog I'd either do agility or flyball with them just to give them something to do. Also I hear if you had young kids, they sometimes try to herd them. XDD It actually can be dangerous though. x3 Anyway... When I get a puppy there's a few things I'm looking for... I want to know what the breeder knows. I ask them questions I already know the right answers too. Just to test them and see how knowledgeable they are about the breed/dogs etc. I'd also ask about the parents, if any of the puppies have been sick, have they had their shots etc. Then as for the puppy, look for one that comes to you, make sure the eyes are clear and not full of discharge. Also check to see if they puppies are dirty. Shiny, clean coat? or is the coat greasy and dirty? (You want a shiny clean coat xD) Overall are they bright and alert and healthy looking? that's my little tid bit x3 EDIT: I like what DarknessLies wrote. Those are good questions to ask too!

KiteKatsumi9 · June 2008

Boz wrote:

I don't know if anyone said this (didn't want to read all the replies XD) but if you got a border collie, you have to give them something to do, or they'll find something to do and you won't like it. They are soo high strung and have never-ending energy. I read about border collies a few years back when I really wanted one. If I did ever get a border collie/aussie type dog I'd either do agility or flyball with them just to give them something to do. Also I hear if you had young kids, they sometimes try to herd them. XDD It actually can be dangerous though. x3

That's exactly why my mom decided against getting a Border Collie a few years back. We considered getting a Border Collie instead of Pocco and Sysco...but the combination of a Border Collie's high energy/potentially distructive boredom-habits and our love for our old Papillon made us decide to get Pocco and Sysco instead. There wouldn't be enough for a Border Collie to do around here, especially in the school year when only mom (who doesn't have time to play with dogs) is home. Pocco and Sysco are content to sleep until mom lets them outside, then sleep when they get inside, waiting for me to get home so I can go outside and rough house with em

Rough housing is hard with little dogs...>> I'm always afraid I'll hurt them. But I haven't get

Usually I end up laying on the ground on my back acting like they're winning the "fight" while they jump on top of me and pull my sleeves and lick my face X3 but a Border Collie would probably get bored very fast at this house, for those reasons.

Drucilla · June 2008

Please don't go into this with the misconception that Border Collies are well behaved dogs. Those you see on the TV have had YEARS of intense training. Border Collies are great dogs, but like someone already said, thay are HYPER. Make sure that it gets at least 2 decent walks (once old enough) a day, plus plenty of training to wear them out. Believe me, I have 4 Borders and they are a handful. I'm not saying they don't make great pets bacause they do. Personally, if I knew 8 years ago what I knew now, I would NOT have had a Border Collie for my first dog. What a nightmare!! But whatever you decide, good luck, and I think most if not all the qestions have been posted on what to ask. Good luck

tarnish · June 2008

I have read that they are very energetic and tend to want to herd things and other animals. The youngest in our house is 10 yr. old and we also have 2 cats. I have read they get along with cats if they are introduced at a young age. I am also hoping the high needs of a border collie will get me up and moving. I already work out for 45 min on weekdays and I barely get out of the house. I wouold be more than willing to get outside with a dog and maybe get into jogging with it. I am defanitely not going in on this uninformed. My dads friend got a basenji because it doesn't bark and barely sheds. He didnt do his homework and if he did he would have seen that they are extremly dominate dogs and like to challenge people. He never took the time to train her or give her walks. She was a ball of energy and very ill behaved. When someone came in his house the door was left open a crack and she got out and was hit by a car. She died. If I do get a dog I am going to be taking care of it. I don't want to be dominated by my own dog. xD Thank you so much for all the info! I will be sure to ask those questions. I can't wait until Saturday

Harley · June 2008

They are very energetic and hyper, but if you run and play with them every day (assuming you don't have any animals to herd) they are fine. I have a mixed Border Collie and he can get quite annoying if he doesn't get all of his excess energy out. Border Collies are also EXCESSIVE barkers. If they see something interesting or want something, they don't hold back on telling you. Besides that, they are the smartest dogs I have ever encountered. I've trained many different breeds, but BCs are the fastest learners in obedience and agility. They love to please their owners, and generally listen to everything you tell them to do. If you do get a BC pup though, teach it early on not to try to 'herd' people. You should also be able to house break it within a week, my boy was in less than 3 days.

Harley · June 2008

I also have 2 cats aswell, one who is 18 and a 2 year old. Along with that there are also a bunch of rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, chickens, and a chinchilla, and also other dogs. My BC gets along with all of them perfectly, since he grew up around them. Any puppy should be fine around your cats though, since they were there before the pup was, so he is in their territory and won't fight for it.

tarnish · June 2008

Well I actually just came back from seeing the puppy. Her brother was gone when we got there. She is the last one that needs a home. She was one in a litter of 5. It took about 45 min to get there and it was some farm owned by an amish person. She was in a barn with some hay. The owner said she strayed to the back when the people came to see the litter. She seemed nervous to come out of the stall. I held her and found out she had her first shots and some shot to prevent worms. My mom liked her because she was calm. It was fun to see her and she was really sweet. She didn't wiggle when I held her. My mom put down a non-refundable $25 down for him to hold her until monday night. She wants to talk to our vet and see his views on the breed and talk about the puppy and such. If we do get her, I wont be able to pick her up until thursday when my sister comes back from camp.

lablover1993 · June 2008

agreed with everyone above about health parents ect.. and also hold the pup up by the nap of the neck and if it yelps its not a good pup at least thats what breeders/other people have told me

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Border Collie Pup

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