What Are The Key Characteristics That Make Border Collie Special
Border Collies share most of their characteristics with other shepherd breeds but they do have a few notable differences. Like the German Shepherds, for example, Border Collies are exceptionally intelligent and energetic animals.
However, unlike their German counterparts, Border Collies are much less stubborn and focused. Instead, Border Collies tend to be even more social and trusting, making them easier to train and better with children.
So, while a breed like German Shepherds excels as police or military dogs because professional training can draw the most out of their focus and physicality, Border Collies are much more easy-going which is great for a family pet.
Whats more, Border Collies are slightly smaller and less muscular than other shepherd breeds, which also works in favor of them working as family pets.
But, to makes matters easier and simpler, lets break all this into several distinct points.
What Large Dog Breeds Are Good With Cats
Many large breeds can be taught to live with, and even love their cats. Most notably, Standard Poodles, Golden Retrievers, and Labradors tend toward friendly personalities that make them agreeable to sharing space with cats. However, I will stress again that the introduction will make a huge difference.
Cats Tend To Get Used To Border Collies
If it is true that at the beginning, the grazing behavior can tire an uncomfortable the cat. There are also many cases where the cats usually carry it very well after this process and even have fun. Since they notice a kind of game when the Border Collie starts this behavior.
This is why it is also very important to establish the Cat Safe Zone since you can withdraw when you feel that it has been enough playing time.;
This continues to be a safe and fun practice for the cat. Taking into account that the Border Collie may not tire quickly and cause the remaining time to become a bad experience for the cat.
This is the key to building healthy dynamics at home with both pets, as they definitely dont have to be rivals.
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Want To Train Your Border Collie With Peace Of Mind
If you havent trained your Border Collie properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your shepherd has, whether its barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.
The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.
With Brain Training For Dogs youll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog wont listen, youll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and most importantly, thats given proven results. Not to mention the fact, youll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.
So instead of worrying about whether theyre going to be well-behaved or not, youll only have to worry about how much fun youll have with them!
And in most cases its still going to be:
- Cheaper than hiring a professional.
- Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
- And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you, if they decide to bite someone.
Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your Border Collie completely and never worry whether theyll be naughty or not. Instead, youll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them, will always be there, EVEN IF YOURE NOT.;
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Are Australian Shepherds Good With Kids
Yes Australian Shepherds are great with kids. But if you have a group of kids at say a birthday party running around watch your Aussie as he or she will be likely to try to herd them up.
Although it is hilarious to watch for the most part just be careful of tripping. They may bark but are mostly harmless as long as they dont get mauled by the kids.
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Possible Challenges With A Border Collie
If you have not gathered it yet, border collies seek attention like they seek food. Naturally, with that come both physical and mental challenges.
Giving your collie some regular exercises becomes a must. Right from training them in agility courses to regular walks to playing games.
If you fail to provide the above-mentioned pointers to your buddies, they might grow agitated and end up causing some destruction in the house. The same could happen with the relationship between the two pets.
That being said, the only way to make sure it does not come to that is flooding your loyal companion with your time and affection. Besides, a little bit of stimulation might just uplift your spirits and make your average day wonderful too!
Behavior Traits Of A Beagle
Border collies are avid herders and may attempt to herd cats. Although they don’t typically mean to harm other animals, nipping and other herding behavior can injure cats. With proper training, however, you can prevent herding behavior and get your border collie and cats to treat one another as equals.
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Male Vs Female Border Collie Trainability
Start training your Border Collie puppy the day you bring him/her home. Even at eight weeks old, they are capable of soaking up everything you can teach them. Keep in mind that they are working dogs at heart, and without a high level of exercise, Border Collies can grow bored and mischievous.
Obedience training that starts early and continues throughout their life will keep them happy and provide needed mental stimulation. Exceptionally responsive to positive reinforcement training, these dogs are quick to housetrain and learn commands. Since they love to chase and herd other animals, they should be well trained before you let them off the lead in the countryside.
Collies are smart and intelligent; their intelligence and tractable nature make them easy to train. They are superb at obedience tasks and household instructions.
Would A Collie Bite A Cat
Although collie chasing and herding behavior can sometimes seem aggressive, its important to remember that collies have a strong chase instinct, but lack any kind of hunting instinct or prey drive.
Collies are not aggressive dogs, and even though your cat would definitely prefer not to be chased, collies are herding dogs and not hunting dogs. Collies are not interested in actually catching a cat, they just love the chase and are not likely to ever bite or attack them.
In fact, if you have a cat that has seen it all before and doesnt react to your collie by running away, youll notice your collie has absolutely no interest in them after a while and just goes back to whatever they were doing.
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Dog Breeds That May Not Get Along With Cats
Below are listed dog breeds that generally may not do well with cats because of their high prey drive. If these dogs were raised with cats and trained to respect them, they still should not be left unsupervised with cats for safety sake.
Some dogs know they must respect cats in the owner’s presence, but once the owner turns around the dog may take advantage of its primal instincts. Also, sometimes dogs may kill cats because of some unusual circumstance such as a cat falling off of a tree or suffering a seizure.
Create A Quaint Sleeping Environment For Your Border Collie
The types of sleep collies get depend on the sleeping environment. Having it set on a quaint, cozy, and secure spot will positively impact his sleep.
Border collies love sleeping outside the house. Regarding this, their kennel should have a sturdy wooden floor elevated off the ground.
It also needs to be draft-free and insulated. You have to share the house with your border collie during the winter or provide a heated bed dog in his kennel.
Should you choose to keep him indoors, you will have to ensure he is in a spot with sufficient heat.
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Can Border Collie Dogs Get Along With Cats
- There are canine people and there are pet cat individuals – however what regarding those people who like both? Can we have a feline and also a dog in our household, or are they genuinely temporal adversaries?Rest assured, dogs and felines can become the best of good friends, or at least learn to peacefully exist side-by-side. If you already have a cat in the house as well as are aiming to add a pet dog, picking the right breed will certainly go a long way towards a harmonious connection.Particular breed groups are more likely to get along with felines than others. As an example, the Toy Group includes breeds that are caring as well as sociable. They were bred to be companions and also lap warmers.Members of the Sporting Group get along and outbound. These happy-go-lucky dogs are pleased to make close friends with anyone they meet, including felines.On the other hand, the spirited Terriers were developed to search and eliminate vermin. A fast-moving cat might trigger those lively predacious reactions. And the sighthounds of the Hound Group are hardwired for a chase. No cat will certainly appreciate being the target of that sort of interest.Ultimately, members of the Herding Group have a strong need to herd anything that moves, including their owner and kids. Some pet cats may find this bothersome to tolerate.Remember that these are generalizations. A lot of dog breeds can live calmly with a feline if they are trained well and mingled as puppies.
Does The Border Collie Get Along With A Playful Cat
This is one of the main factors to consider. If your cat is playful and mischievous, we can assume that the Border Collie will be good to him.;
They have extreme energy and desire to play, look for those who accompany them in the way they are, and want to share with them.
Border Collies need constant challenges to consume their physical and mental energy daily. If the cat helps you do this, both will be a good compliment at home, since the cat will help consume the excessive energy of dogs of this breed.
In this case, they can be good friends and spend stimulating moments together.;
However, if the cat is rather withdrawn, does not like to play, or refuses to be chased by the Border Collie, the environment may become tense. And the cat chooses to hide as it will feel afraid of the dog.
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Male Vs Female Border Collie Temperament
The Border Collies personality is characteristically alert, energetic, hardworking, and intelligent. They learn quickly so quickly that its sometimes difficult to keep them challenged. These dogs are smart, intense workaholics who live for order and value being given a job above all else.
This breed likes to be busy. In fact, they must be busy, or they become bored, leading to annoying behavior, such as barking, digging, or chasing cars. Any dog, no matter how nice, can develop obnoxious levels of barking, digging, counter surfing, and other undesirable behaviors if he is bored, untrained, or unsupervised. With a Border Collie, multiply the destructive potential by a factor of ten.
You could keep a Border Collie in an apartment as long as you are extremely physically active, doing something your dog can also do, such as training for marathons or cycling races. If youre not that active, this dog in an apartment is a truly bad idea.
Dont underestimate that intelligence, either. This is among the smartest of all dog breeds and one whose owners need to pay attention lest they find themselves outsmarted.
Expecting Border Collies to spend their days in the backyard and their evenings keeping you company while you watch TV is a sure way to create a barking, bored, destructive dog instead of the calm, well-behaved, loyal companion you thought you were bringing into your home.
Lets see male vs. female Border Collie differences in temperament.
Border Collies Are A Very Intelligent Dog Breed
Like most other shepherd breeds, Border Collies are exceptionally intelligent. They are perfectly capable of learning and understanding many different complex tasks and tricks which is great for work and for fun!
Does this mean that they are easy to train, however?
As we know from other breeds, a dog being intelligent and being easy to train is not exactly the same thing. There are many super intelligent dog breeds that are also very stubborn and self-driven, making them quite difficult to train.
The German Shepherd is a perfect example of that they are so intelligent that you can teach them lots of fascinating tasks but they are also quite difficult to train.
Border Collies are not like that. This breed is not only intelligent, but its also very susceptive to training! This is great for families who are just looking for an intelligent dog to have fun with.
Now, Border Collies lack the hyper focus that makes German Shepherds such expert working dogs but that hardly matters when you want a fun family dog, does it?
Does high intelligence have its drawbacks, however?
Thats a good question. For better or for worse, highly intelligent dog breeds like the Border Collie also need lots of mental stimulation.
What does this mean?
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The Border Collie Breed
This is a shepherd breed that was developed for herding cattle. They are high-drive dogs with lots of enthusiasm for life. They love to learn new skills and are happiest and healthiest when they feel they have a job.
Border Collies love children and are loyal family dogs. Even a Collie puppy will respond well to proper training, making them easy to integrate with other family members.
Collies are kind, easy to keep clean, and loveable dogs who leave a lasting mark on any dog owner who gets one.The Collie breed was created to herd other animals, and this behavior rooted in instinct can sometimes lead to strife within the home. A Border Collie might only jump at sudden movements, or they might give chase to things that run by.
It is important to remember that Collies are generally not trying to hurt something they chase. Their instincts only tell them not to let the thing passing them run off. Even if the thing running by is not a sheep or a cow, their herding brain will tell them to stop it.
This can pose some trouble when moving a Collie puppy or an old Collie into a house with other pets living there. However, the Border Collie breed is generally easy to train, and this is usually a temporary problem.
Do Dogs Prefer Male Owners
THE GIST. Dogs approach men more often than women in a pilot study about human-canine interactions. Dogs owned by men, especially neurotic men, approach their owners more often than dogs of female owners, according to new research. That doesnt mean, however, that they necessarily prefer men over women.
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Collies And Cats Guide
Thinking about adding a collie to your home with cats? Or thinking about adding a feline friend to your collies home? Collies have unique personalities in the canine world and there are a few things to consider before making the introductions.
In general, collies arent great with cats. Their strong chasing and herding instincts mean they often see your furry feline friend as an irresistible opportunity for a chase, however dont let that put you off. Collies are gentle and cooperative dogs, and with a little training collies can be great with cats.
Adding any new pet to your home will always effect the dynamic of the home for your existing pets, so its important to introduce your collie to any new cats carefully and vice versa.
Why You Should Trust Me
I didnt have my first herding dog, Kayla until I was nearly thirty. I married into the house that she ruled over. A few years after she passed, we brought Shellie home, who handily took over managing the household. Lastly, we brought Bernie home last year. Lucky for all of us, Shellie is still in charge.;
I live for these dogs. Their happiness, health, and comfort sit alone atop the priority list. Is that normal? Probably not. But, I do extensive research about herding dogs, even when I am not writing a blog post. If that time and effort can help other dog parents along the way, thats a bonus.;
What about my dogs interacting with cats? Shellie, now nine years old, has never chased, looked directly at, nor acknowledged the existence of any cat.
Bernie, a few months shy of two years, is always on a leash. He has tried to chase the neighbors cat nonetheless. But, he also tries to chase bicycles, cars, leaves, squirrels, blowing snow, and anything that ever moves or makes a noise of any kind.
Shellie could probably share our space with a cat that respected her space. Bernie? Wed probably need to give Bern a little more time to sort out the world before introducing a cat to our family.
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Should I Get A Male Or Female Border Collie
If you are thinking of bringing a Border Collie into your home and are still wondering if a male or female would best suit you, bear in mind that a dogs behavior is influenced significantly by genetics and the kind of environment he/she is raised in.
Regardless of gender, every dog needs to be properly socialized with people, other dogs, cats, and others in their environment to minimize aggressive behavior.
All Border Collies are beautiful dogs and can easily become a part of your family. The male vs. female question is a very personal one. Think carefully before making your decision.
If youre ready to provide loving leadership to your dog, train them consistently and fairly, and give him/her plenty of exercise and an outlet for their considerable intelligence, then yes, the Border Collie can be right for you. A good Border Collie can be the companion of a lifetime, but only if a dog is paired with a clever owner who can keep him/her busy with dog sports or who will teach him/her to do chores around the house or farm.
If you are having second thoughts about this breed, go visit the nearest animal shelter. Maybe you can find a dog who will become the best dog you ever had there.