I have two black and white female Border Collies, one is 2 and the other is 9 months. Both are beautiful dogs and I do not have the time or the room that they need. I live on 1 acre, but both of these dogs need to be on a farm where they have tons of room to run and roam. Is there anyone in Southern Maryland that lives on a Farm that would love to give my two Border Collies a home? Please let me know, thank you.
Home for two Border Collies
- Thread starter justin
- Start date
mv_princess
mv = margaritaville
How can an acre not be enough room? How much room do two dogs need?
kwillia
n/a
By nature... they need lots...
Why do so many Border Collies end up in rescue?
There are generally three reasons that Border Collies end up in rescue and they are all related to herding instinct. In order to understand these reasons, you must be familiar with the instinctive qualities of herding present in these dogs.
1) Roughly a quarter of Border Collies entering rescue (though this varies with the region) are those that have not displayed strong enough herding instincts to make themselves efficient herding dogs on working farms. Rather than trying to work against the natural abilities (or inabilities) of the dog, the working family gives the dog over to rescue so that it can be placed in a more appropriate, pet home.
2) A larger proportion of the dogs are given up because they have bitten someone, almost inevitably a child. The herding instinct, if strong, is overwhelmingly incompatible with a household containing children - particularly when the child and adult owners have not been trained or educated in how to deal with the peculiarities of the herding instinct. Border Collies can make good family pets, but only for those dogs that do not have the intense herding instincts and for the families prepared to deal with the ramifications of this behavior.
To a Border Collie, a child is basically a sheep without much wool - a sheep in wolf's (kids) clothing if you will. A child running across the backyard or out the front door is, to the dog, a sheep that has decided to break from the fold. Seeing the child "making a break for it", the Border Collie's natural instinct kicks in and it streaks out in front of the child to cut off its escape. If the child is unprepared for this, the experience of a dog cutting him off and staring or barking at him with seemingly evil intentions, is quite a traumatic event. A normal child's reaction to this is to become frightened, possibly let out a scream, and run further and faster to escape the dog.
Since this child (sheep) is being uncooperative, the dog must escalate his attempts to round up the errant stock by barking and nipping at the heels of the child. A child's normal reaction to this is to become even more frightened, run faster, and scream louder. This cycle escalates until the dog must resort to its last means of control - gripping (biting), normally used to grab an excessively stubborn/brave sheep or cow. The two natural instincts of the child and the dog are entirely incompatible. The child is doing what comes natural to him - reacting in fear to a threat and attempting to flee. And the dog is doing what comes naturally to him - trying to round up an escaping animal by ever-increasing uses of force.
3) By far the largest percentage of dogs are turned in because they are "hyper" and far too difficult to handle. Most people are either not willing, prepared, or able to put in the large time commitment it takes to adequately exercise a Border Collie. Border Collies have been bred to herd sheep and that requires a lot of physical stamina and endurance. Herding sheep is an all-day activity and often entails miles of endless running and sprinting across uneven patches of farmland. Obviously, not everyone has the luxury (or burden) of owning sheep, so another outlet must be found for this energy.
A Border Collie Warning
mv_princess
mv = margaritaville
Interesting.
Makes me wonder why they have two then. Why not just stick with one? Why get another puppy to give it up...
kwillia
n/a
Who knows... maybe they thought getting a companion would help release some energy/frustration...:shrug: The bottom line is this breed is a beautiful, wonderful breed that really belongs with owners who completely understand the nature of the breed.
mv_princess
mv = margaritaville
Agreed, as do most dogs.
That is interesting. My German Shepperd does sorta the same thing, except they called it "prey mode". I have to yell at whoever to just stop if she goes after them. Once they stop she's a big baby and wants to be petted.
cattitude
My Sweetest Boy
My brother & s-i-l have two of them. Great dogs but they require a lot of attention, EXERCISE and training.
JULZ
BFJ
Cowgirl
Well-Known Member
The Mid Atlantic Border Collie Rescue might be able to help. :shrug:
KVF323
New Member
MrEvo
New Member
i cant believe how well this thread is going!I was expecting alot of
and
Give it time for the other person to reply.
cattitude
My Sweetest Boy
It's actually "prey drive" and all herding breeds exhibit that. It is important that they are properly trained that it's not acceptable to use at certain times.
Cowgirl
Well-Known Member
Border collies have the stare though!
T
toppick08
Guest
Aussies,.......border collie tossers..(no offense).....
JULZ
BFJ
i cant believe how well this thread is going!
Just give it time.
cattitude
My Sweetest Boy
OMG! They are obsessive of the craziest things. One just stares at light "rays" from sun, etc. and she used to obsess over dripping water.
