Two border collies here. Full siblings, same litter. Female is super high drive, should be in a working home. Male is super soft, super sweet, and will lay at my feet all day (while the female lays on the back of the couch like a cat, watching the world go by and barking at every dog, human, squirrel, and bird that dares show up in her line of sight).
I’m in school right now on top of my full time job, and sometimes we go on daily long walks and sometimes I just can’t. They get a bit rowdier in the house, but not destructive.
The only thing my female has ever destroyed is a toenail clipper. And leather - she will eat leather. And stuffies. Nothing she loves more than getting a new stuffie, creating a small hole, and then systematically destuffing it. Surgeon-Lex.
Male has destroyed nothing (although occasionally he aids in the stuffie surgery). He gets crated because otherwise he climbs on the table to stare out the window and wait for me, and scratches the table and/or knocks stuff off of it and breaks it. It’s not intentional, but he likes his crate and barrels into it so he’s happy.
Female is the self-proclaimed master of the house and about six months ago she informed me that she no longer goes in a crate and she is on crate-strike. She says her den is the bathtub and she can live there thank you. So she gets babygated in the entrance. I could totally leave her free but the neighbours probably wouldn’t enjoy her guarding the world from her window seat on the back of the couch.
Male doesn’t bother horses at all. Barely notices them. Doesn’t bother the sheep when we farm sit either.
Female will mostly not bother the stock because she’s been told not to repeatedly, but occasionally requires an e-collar reminder because while she’s VERY sensitive, she’s also VERY strong willed and VERY sure she knows way more than the humans involved and therefore she should totally go work those horses or those rams. She does prove herself to be VERY useful in helping peel sheep off of gates, etc, and has learned that we will let her “work” the ewes while we grain as long as “working” means lying in front of them with two other dogs and holding them back from the grain tubs until I’m done pouring grain. Her “that’ll do” is well installed.
Funny story: I had the dogs at a friend’s home/vet clinic and was doing some bookwork. Female was bugging friend’s boyfriend’s horse. Said horse doesn’t like dogs. I zapped her once and told her off. It lasted a while but when Friend went outside dog decided she had an audience, yay! She crept towards the fence. Friend tried to call her off using her Heeler’s command. “Away”. Dog went “Oh yay! I’m on it!” and started a rather lovely counter-clockwise outrun to “Bring. Us. That. HORSE.” Friend hollers because dog is now in full outrun to get the horse. I went to door and hollered “That’ll do!” Dog hits brakes and skulks back grumbling about stupid humans ruining all her fun after getting her hopes up.
Honestly they’re great dogs and for the last while I do NOT get them out enough. Granted, they’re going to be six in september so not pups anymore and we were pretty active when they were.
I truly feel that the people who find them destructive aren’t aware of or prepared for their energy levels. I knew that in town, people have had issues with BCs…so from the time the female was a pup she was never put in a situation where she could learn destructive habits. If she wasn’t supervised she was crated and when she was supervised, undesirable behaviours (chewing the table leg, etc) was discouraged and a desirable behaviour/ acceptable chew toy was offered as a substitute (Um…this might be why we de-stuff stuffies)
Just my twenty cents. I love my BCs and wouldn’t have anything else :yes:
