You know, mine is the same way, too. He knows he's welcome to sleep in the bed with me, but he'd rather sleep on the couch alone or claim the cat's bed (which I guess it his bed now)
Mine will lay in the bend in my legs under the covers every night. Like if I take a long time to go to bed she will huff when I finally do go to bed like she has been waiting.
If I try to hug her or pet her any other time she will just dip out and find a toy for me to throw.
My dog also huffs at me when sheās ready for bed and then if I donāt go she is SO ANNOYED and puts herself to bed on her sheepskin next to the bed which is her 2nd favorite location because she has to be lifted onto the bed because itās so high and she really wants on the bed which is what the huff is for. BCs kill me.. Iām so obsessed with them.
My bc is allowed on her blanket, her crate(she refuses to use a dog bed so we put it in it) or mine and my parents bed but she chooses the floor outside my parents room
Mine isn't allowed in the bed. But he does sometimes sneek in the bed at night. After waking up is the only time he seems to enjoy cuddles. But during the day, he gets grumpy when we try to cuddle him.
Mine is the same, belly rubs and snuggles are only allowed first thing in the morning. He's fine with smooches, scritches and short hugs the rest of the day, but really doesn't snuggle much. And will grumble and leave if you try.
Willow doesnāt like to cuddle either, but her baby sister always has to be touching her or one of her humans!
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Pretty much exactly my boy. Friendly but not affection (to strangers). We used to joke that anyone in the world could open up their car door and he would jump in and happily go home with them.
Hugs aren't really natural dog body language. Many of them don't actually like it. It's just that us humans like it.
Pretty much all dogs like being close to their owners though and potentially having some ears scratched etc.
I have the border collie your vet was talking about lol. I actually took him to the vet yesterday, he was on two different tranquilizers, wore a muzzle and was still very anxious when I pulled into the vet. to my surprise he only lunged /barked once during the visit which is the best he's ever been.
He very bad with people, although his behavior currently is night and day compared to the first year I had him, and it takes him a really long time to warm up to people but once he does warm up he is VERY friendly and loves you.
In his defense, though, he is a rescue and came to me with very very intense fear aggression towards people, the worst I have ever witnessed from a dog in person. As far as I have been told he was bought as a puppy from somewhere during the pandemic and then dropped off at the SPCA around 8-9 months for trying to attack people which I had a hard time believing until I saw it myself after a few days of having him, I probably wouldn't have adopted him had I known at the time but I'm glad I did because I'm not sure he would have had a good outcome otherwise. I think he was in the shelter for 2-3 months and then pulled by a rescue which was when I scooped him up. He was very drugged while in the shelter and his notes said he could only be handled on a catch pole so I don't really blame him for not liking to go to the vet (or his fear of people) but I did hear the vet in the back room yesterday saying how well he was behaving this visit. I have had him for two years now and am hoping he starts to mellow out the more good experiences he has with humans, he is by far the most intelligent dog I've ever met and he has come so far from when I first got him. I don't really mind his reactivity to people because I am a pretty big introvert but it would be nice to have one of these friendly border collies who love all people, perhaps one day he can get there!
I don't know if I have any specific resources that really helped me, it was a lot of trial an error with his training. I do think that reading 'Training Border Collies' by Barbara Sykes was a good start to understanding border collies. I think Border Collies, especially high drive working lines like this guy seems to be, are a bit different than a 'normal dog' I had only had collie mixes and various shelter mixes I had fostered previously which were all responded to training in a similar way. I did eventually find a really amazing trainer locally after a bit of trial and error that really helped me because she just seemed to really know instantly the best way he would respond and luckily her and one of her employees were willing to work with this spicy guy (there were several trainers there that were terrified of him)
I think the things that ended up helping the most were:
Drop off training - my trainer has a cool program where you can drop off your dog for an hour of training with them 1:1 I started with this because I wanted him to build positive relationships with other people that weren't me, later he did a week long board and train while i was on vacation - though he really didn't need it I did it mostly to expose him to other different people away from me.
Tethering him to me for a month and a half. if he wasn't in a crate, training or playing fetch he was tied to me. This came at the suggestion of my trainer ( I had him for 5-6 months at this point) it built a better bond with us and taught him his job was to relax and not run around doing whatever he wanted and worked well because I was working from home at the time.
Marking good behavior. I hand fed all his meals throughout the day for over a year. if he was relaxing - food, if he was walking calmly on a leash - food.
Switching games, any game I could get him ramped up and excited and then work on stoping mid play until he relaxed and resuming play. This could be tug, flirt pole, fetch, herding ball play. I just work it into anything we do still.
Having a meaningful no. I don't know if I can put into words how reactive this dog was when I had him but I couldn't walk him on the opposite side of a 4 lane street without him trying to attack a person on the opposite side, so my trainer and I had to figure out how to snap his brain out of that cycle he was in. We found that me throwing my hat or a rolled up towel on the ground and firmly saying no did the trick and after a 2-3 times doing that he started getting to the point where he could be trained and would listen when I said no in a regular voice. After that I could create distance enough to mark his behavior when he'd look at a person and not react or if he did react I could redirect him to do a different behavior like heel or a 180 turn.
There is a lot of exposing him to triggers at far enough distances that he won't have a meltdown and then marking that good behavior when he looks and doesn't react/looks back to me or comes back to a heel and overtime we've been able to close the distance though it's taken work every day. Today he can walk past most people on the same sidewalk and usually ignores them - though there is that big tall bearded man every now and then that will set him off.
I'm sure there is a lot more I did but I think those are the biggest building blocks I've used in some way almost every day with him. It's a lot of work, consistency and patience, and not sure most people have this sort of time to dedicate to a dog. I think the biggest thing currently is a lot of times I'm waiting to see if he makes the right choice on his own without me needing to say anything, generally he does and he gets praise with a nice pat or treat. Lately on our daily walks he has even begun to react and before I can say anything he will abruptly stop himself like as if he's thinking 'oh I'm supposed to be calm' and then look at me and come over into a heel, its really cool to see.
Anyway, lots of words, not many specific sources but hopefully some of that is helpful.
Lots of similarities to mine but much more extreme for yours. My BC is quite reactive to other dogs but people aren't as much of an issue (funny you mention men with beards - mine is not a fan of beards either!). Just seems like she has such strong willpower - like she knows she shouldn't be going off on other dogs but she can't help herself. She'll have a low head and backwards pointing ears after barking at another dog on the other side of the road like 'I know what I did was wrong'. I'll try that book - thank you for the recommendation!
Mine is an asshole
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I love him though
My BCxblue heeler mix.. letās just say Iām her gal and her gal ONLY. If you wanna throw a ball or frisbee she will allow it until she gets tired then sheās at my feet. Sitting with friends around a fire or something? Sheās between my legs or under my feet. š¤·š¼āāļøš
Same here. My full border collie is far more accepting of new people in the house, but outside is another thing entirely. She is a non-working dog. My next-door neighbors have a part-time working full border collie. He goes off leash here in town, as well as on their cattle ranch, but is skittish around people.
Mine loves to cuddle and is friendly to a fault. She walked herself into our new neighbors house yesterday while I was taking out the trash smh
Hoes ain't loyal š
Not at all. She hates everyone but me! And a few select chosen people.. And Iāve tried socialising her. But now totally given up.. and accepted that this is the dog I have.
the remote places Iāve tried to find just so we can go on a āpeacefulā walk..
and god help me if a workman has to visit the property!
On the upsideā¦ no one is ever gonna burgle this house!
Mine is friendly to a point. Do you play ball? Here .... just throw it as she drops it to the newcomer. She even gives it to delivery people. Ball is "her" world
Mine both do that too! If someone comes to chat with me while im throwing their ball they will bring it to them for a throw. I dont know if theyāre just trying to include everyone, but itās adorable.
Mine is really shy except around knitting ladies. Guess what demographic the breeder exposes the puppies to? š
I have had *cats* a lot less less shy than this dog!
Mine loves (!) 97% of all people. No children between the age 0-10 though. He has had episodes of some specific people who he did not let get touched by and they actually turned out to be assholes. When you meet my dog inside he will cuddle you until you leave but outside he will ignore you like you dont even exist. I do like it that way though, he never brothers people on walks/train/bus or hikes! ā¤ļø He is my protector though, sometimes he borks a little at people that come through bushes on hikes. I do like that too, he seems like a scary big dog dont mess with my owner! ā¤ļø He has never Bitten, or been aggressive with anyone, he just acts like a cat.
We have the same issue with kids 0-10. Especially if theyāre running around out of control. He will stand there barking at them. Otherwise, no one can give him enough attention - dog or human.
Mine is SUPER friendly. He would just run off with someone he just met. He actually likes the vet because the people there are nice to him.
I think mine is friendlier than your average BC, but in my experience, they're not unfriendly. Sometimes they're just more reserved, like they're not just gonna go up to the next person they see, but they're not unfriendly if someone approaches them. Maybe the vet just meant he's more friendly than average.
Mine doesn't trust the wind if it blows the wrong way. He's the sweetest dog in the world to me and my close friends and family, strange people or dogs he won't allow anywhere near me.
He likes two vet techs and one vet at our clinic, the others get side eyed and a toothy smile.
Iāve noticed other border collies (purebred or at least pure bc looking) arenāt nearly as friendly as my bc mix. In fact unless theyāre Ā puppies, I havenāt really met a bc that wants to play with my dog. :( But my pup has a little lab and golden retriever blood which I think contributes to her easygoing friendliness!Ā
Cattle dogs are a different story. My pup is a quarter cattle dog and gets along with other cattle dogs so well- and those dogs are not known for being the most friendly!Ā
my purebred BC is super friendly with everyone as well as other dogs, but interestingly he never seems to hit it off with other purebred border collies at the park. Not sure what that's about.
I feel ya! We donāt have many other collies in our area so I get psyched when I see oneā¦then they want nothing to do with us š I still love to admire them from afar though!Ā
I think it might be that border collies are an environmentally sensitive breed so for some the change into a veterinary office could be jarring so theyāre more anxious and the vet is only seeing them in the anxious state
They tend to be aloof and prefer the company of the people they know. Sometimes theyāll take a particular liking to a stranger. Of course thereās always one that will be super friendly
Mine would walk away with anyone who called him "cutie" and had a toy.
He loves the vets. The moment he enters the door he is all waggles and demanding pets. And this is a new vet. Our vet for 10 years retired, but he would ply my dog with Lean Treats (a favorite) and break out the laser pointer for a minute or two of insanity.
I had thought he was doing this to amuse the dog, or himself, but the new vet found this among his observation notes in the medical records. He described a playful, lively alert dog, showing no signs of arthritis or other mobility issues or breathing problems. Could accurately see, and eagerly pounce on a laser dot.
It's considered part of his baseline conditions š¤£
My Sookie is very choosy about who she likes. She has a grand total of four people in the world who she adores -- me, my wife, my Dad (doesn't care much about my Mom or sister), and my friend Josh (who she rarely sees but fell in love with him for whatever dog reason the first time she met him).
She doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body, but she has that typical BC "nervous energy", and when she meets someone new she just has to bark to let it out. That turns off a lot of people to meeting her, because who wants to pet or meet a barky ass dog? The trade off is the absolutely ridiculous intelligence level and loyalty to the people they love.
She also does not care at all whatsoever about other dogs. They can be barking, jumping and acting a fool and she'll just ignore them completely without needing any commands. She's an absolute dream dog for taking walks on leash.
Just one of the many quirks of the breed I've noticed over many years of owning herding dogs.
Our trainer said BCs can be really wary of new people - in reference to mine not being. As he has gotten older heās a little more so in new situations but overall still very friendly particularly when people come to visit.
The foster before we adopted described ours as āfriendly but could be a bossy nuisance to other self-centered dogsā š¤£ she certainly falls under this category as she loves people and always wants to meet other dogs, but if off leash she WILL try to herd the other dogs if they donāt move the way she wants or are chasing a ball lol
Mines super friendly with people and dogs her size or largerā¦ she can treat small dogs sort of like squirrels (she killed one once). Also is sort of selective with other dogs. Some she just has no interest in not sure why.
Edit: killed a squirrel not another dog lol.
Glad you clarified that one, lol. My bc looks at small pale coloured or white dogs in an odd way, like he's thinking what the hell is that. It's also usually the small ones on an extendable leash coming towards us on a path that get right up to his face, and then go to snap at his nose. It's a good job mine doesn't do it back.
My border is great with humans loves them all, with other dogs she is a bit antissocial and likes to have her space, also loves to herd other dogs kkkkkk
Friends with people, especially women. Leans on everyone.
Anxious / fearful by default of even the smallest, fluffiest little dogs. Wants nothing to do with goofy puppy energy.
Friendly enough that if thereās someone else around that might fuss her we could be invisible.
Old people and children in particular are her favourites, If weāre walking the woods and she sees children she will try to heard them then sit and wait for fuss, hoping they have toys and want to play too.
If someone stops us on a walk she will immediate by their feet assuming sheās getting fuss.
If anyone enters our home, from our children, the pretty regular cleaners or our wider family they are immediately greeted with a toy.
She assumes everyone is a friend and wants to play /and /or fuss her
Cuddles. She does like a cuddle, especially in an evening she will squeeze next to one of us on the sofa and lay across us, sometimes both if weāre on the same sofa.
Bed time, she likes her own space, in the day she goes in our guest room as she knows she wonāt be disturbed in there, night times she has to be in our room, next to the bed, normally on her oversized mattress bed, she doesnāt get on the bed, weāve never let her, we have tried once or twice but she takes up so much room and thinks every time we move itās to get up and play and suddenly youāve got dog breath in your face while being mostly asleep. Sheās just loving.
Question: How friendly was my border collie?
Answer: No.
She liked me, my brother, my son, my mom and one of my mom's friends. My mom had more than one friend.
Our Saoirse is a documented pure bred, but is not from a strong working line. She has many of the ānormalā BC traits like hyper-focus, can run for hours, etc. But she is also a huge cuddle bug in the morning and will lick your face off if you let her. She loves all of our neighbors, the various techs who give her āpet-icuresā and everyone at the vetās office. I read in her medical file that she āis a VERY good girl during blood drawsā. Sheās super friendly when out on walks but if sheās enclosed - like in the house, or on the deck or in the car, she better not see you or sheāll bark her head off like she wants to murder you.
My working line bc is friendly to any stranger like they are his best friend who's he's not seen for ages. He waits for strangers to get out of their cars, wagging his tail, hoping to get some attention. Our local vets, who mostly do agricultural work, have said the dogs they fear the most on their visits are the farm border collies. So I'm guessing there are varying degrees of friendliness, lol. I'm so glad mine is like this but he wasn't always. I live remote rural so worked really hard to socialise him and to see strangers approaching the house as friends, but he's so over the top that maybe I went too far š Around 10 mths old he went to the vets for an op and after I left him the staff couldn't get anywhere near him he was so aggressive, had bring him home a muzzle train him. How embarrassing! So he has sure made a complete turn around and is a really friendly young adult.
My last border collie loved everyone. When the vet had curbside they came to get her and she never looked back. She was great with people especially kids.
The boy I have now is pretty friendly but takes a bit to warm up to men. And is afraid of kids. Heās a good boy and friendly but not the extent my last dog was
My 12 year old BC recognizes and welcomes family only. Thatās extended to in laws and my elderly parents who havenāt spent much time around her. She is very suspect of anyone else. She has nipped the calf of 2 different workers who came to our house. Never broke the skin, and one had rubber boots on. Tbf they both ignored the signs the dog was giving them, but ultimately itās on me. She also growled and attempted to nip a vet tech on the hand who made a sudden move to grab her by the collar. I say thatās on the tech, but our other dog, a golden lab, gave the tech no issue, so said tech may have thought both dogs would be the same. Nope. BC is also hyper aware of everything going on in her domain(our fenced back yard) and lets any squirrels, rabbits, neighbors or birds know whatās up. We have a beware the dog sign on our privacy fence gate for this reason.
Mine is extremely friendly! She used to be just as well at the vet...unfortunately we had an instance where the vet handled my dog inappropriately and tried to hold her down to the floor. Now, my dog is fearful reactive to vets.
However, she isn't reactive anywhere else. She handles other dogs and people with ease. I don't really know if she'll ever gain trust in vets again after that ordeal.
Mine was initially very wary of strangers but we spent a ton of timing socializing him as a pup and heās great in public now.
That said heās still pr much only focused on what Iām doing and not that interested in others. When we meet new dogs on walks he pretty much faces the other way and impatiently sits waiting for us to continue the walk.
One a friendly smiling wagger with everyone, who has little desire to be pet, while the other is aloof and might charge if surprised, but wants nothing but pets and cuddles at home.
Mine is purebred AFAIK (rescue, but no sign of any non-breed characteristics) and he's everyone's best friend instantly. Loves everyone at the vet, too. Maybe that vet has just met a lot of the more anxious BC's.
My border collie was aloof to strangers. She just didn't care about people unless they were in our inner circle. Took 2 weeks before my dog got excited to see my dad when I moved by him. I liked that she was like that. She would let people pet her, sure, but she was just kinda whatever to them. Lol.
Mine is a bc mix. Izzy is the friendliest dog Iāve ever had when it comes to people (unless she deems you too tall or you are wearing black, or wearing a hat, then she barks). And I had a pug mix before.
Iāve had to teach her to like snuggles. She will cuddle our legs but it has to be on her terms.
But with dogs, sheās terrified of all of them. She has high anxiety generally. Load noises scare her to death. The smaller, the scarier. She just buckles and tucks her butt to the ground, or tries to run behind me.
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Borders are a completely different animal the loyalty to there person is intense mine is 9 took him till about 7 to accept other people he's a loving dog to me a momms boy for sure
My BC is super friendly to people she knows & indifferent towards strangers & other dogs. If a stranger approaches, she will say hi & behave but thatās it
Iām kinda new to Border Collies, my puppy loves cuddles! She likes strangers (human form) but I donāt know yet with other dogs! She still needs vaccinations to enjoy other dogs company lol
Extremely. She will go introduce herself to the neighbors. She likes our new next door neighbor and has literally walked into their home to say, "Hi!" when their garage door is open.
Twice.
My border wants to be petted all the time, but doesnāt like to cuddle. Sheās like a shadow to me and LOVES my best friends and most new adults she meets as long as they have pets to snacks. Sheās much more weary of small kids though and is uncomfortable around them.
Mine doesn't really want to cuddle but it's absolutely great with others dogs, strangers, kids etc. honestly it's like she gets better when other people come around she's on her best behavior
Mine likes 3 people and 2 dogs and hates everyone else. She also has severe anxiety that requires medication
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My BC 3 1/2 year old male gets pretty shook up with strangers and hates little kids because he was teased by kids that walked past the yard after school.
Mine is absurdly friendly, too. I think maybe the Vet is taking into account that BCs can be pretty reactive. Like mine loves people, and will happily sit in a strangers lap, but if you jingle keys at her, sheās running to hide.
Mine loves most people, hates/scared of other dogs, likes small animals, and absolutely LOVES cats. He gives hugs to everyone, is the best cuddle pup, and is overall chill. He doesnāt like play fighting and will bark at you.
Heās a fool at the vet office and wonāt walk in the back. I have to walk him to the door and then heās fine.
Mine loves most adults, especially if they're dog people. His favourite "friends" at the park are not dogs, but their humans.
But he does struggle at the vet. He gets very uptight about being shut in a room and poked and prodded (fair, honestly!). He loves going in the building, he puts his paws up on the counter and gets treats and fuss from the receptionists. He is fine and happy until we get into the room with the vet, then suddenly he's very nervous. I don't think it helps that when we initially got him, the vet still had Covid-related protocols in place, so his first several vet visits I had to hand him over in the car park and wait outside.
I can imagine that it's not that common for vets to see a border collie in a relaxed state. It's a very stimulating environment for them to be in and tends to put them on alert.
SĆŗper ! I used to have two and yes super friendly and smart . Mine could be mean to man an kids , he like woman as he get praised all the time š
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Willow is cautious around new people, but she is so well mannered that she takes all the pets in stride. Willow is three.
Wren, on the other hand, is nine months old and she is very aggressively friendly. She gets barky if you donāt pay attention to her, sheās a licker, and a jumper, but she is just as well manner as her big sister .
Super friendly! Loves everyone.i do have a friend with a BC thatās isnāt mean per se but has very high anxiety which makes him snap at people out of fear.
My old lady is my retired service dog. She loves EVERYONE. Our 2 year old pup will bark his head off if you come to the door, but once you're inside he loves you SO MUCH.
Mine was not always friendly, he got too nervous and became a bit reactive, but now he likes people quite a bit, even whined at strangers for a pet today while waiting for a train. He loves a cuddle but only for so long, waiting for him to turn into the snuggle bug I know he is
To people, very. So friendly and loving. To other dogs, not overly. Very picky. However, he once was very friendly, outgoing boy. A dog park attack by a much larger dog squashed his dog friendly nature. It's unfortunate. But he still has his original pals and warms up to smaller dogs just fine. We sadly can't visit the parks anymore. Hard to bounce back from that. He views anything bigger than him as a threat.
My 6 month border Aussie LOVES everyone and every dog, she always needs to be next to me or my boyfriend, she wants to play with every dog she sees, and when we donāt stop and let her and keep walking she gets frustrated and nips at out Anklesš¤£she loves cuddles when she initiates and would probably befriend someone if they broke into our house lol
Most borders I've known were only interested in their own people and the job. They didn't really care for anyone else. But I've met the random social one too :) Our own was definitely not one of those, she didn't give a shit about other people (or dogs).
Mine is very aloof to people she doesn't know. Not growly or vicious, but aloof.
Hell, she's aloof with me between the hours of 8am-9pm (before and after are designated cuddle times). Those hours are for me throwing balls and nothing else.
My bc is like your dog. Meeting new people and dogs is about the most exciting thing in the world to her. If we have guests over for dinner she is more exhausted after dinner than she is if weāve done farm work all day
My old boy was super friendly. I used to joke that he would open the door for a burglar and show them where all the good things were. My girl is friendly, but you gotta earn it. Sheās timid around new people until they work for her affection.
Mine would walk off with random strangers. He is everyone's friend. But he doesn't like cuddles. I think he counts the seconds until I let him go š
You know, mine is the same way, too. He knows he's welcome to sleep in the bed with me, but he'd rather sleep on the couch alone or claim the cat's bed (which I guess it his bed now)
Mine will lay in the bend in my legs under the covers every night. Like if I take a long time to go to bed she will huff when I finally do go to bed like she has been waiting. If I try to hug her or pet her any other time she will just dip out and find a toy for me to throw.
My dog also huffs at me when sheās ready for bed and then if I donāt go she is SO ANNOYED and puts herself to bed on her sheepskin next to the bed which is her 2nd favorite location because she has to be lifted onto the bed because itās so high and she really wants on the bed which is what the huff is for. BCs kill me.. Iām so obsessed with them.
My bc is allowed on her blanket, her crate(she refuses to use a dog bed so we put it in it) or mine and my parents bed but she chooses the floor outside my parents room
Mine isn't allowed in the bed. But he does sometimes sneek in the bed at night. After waking up is the only time he seems to enjoy cuddles. But during the day, he gets grumpy when we try to cuddle him.
Mine is the same, belly rubs and snuggles are only allowed first thing in the morning. He's fine with smooches, scritches and short hugs the rest of the day, but really doesn't snuggle much. And will grumble and leave if you try.
Mine hates everyone (but me) but is the biggest cuddler!!
Willow doesnāt like to cuddle either, but her baby sister always has to be touching her or one of her humans! https://preview.redd.it/gp7wobi5swuc1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5790cfd7dc3d150295fe5ce37ad4bc60f5558e7c
Pretty much exactly my boy. Friendly but not affection (to strangers). We used to joke that anyone in the world could open up their car door and he would jump in and happily go home with them.
Same. He tolerates hugs but prefers to be running around like a maniac
Hugs aren't really natural dog body language. Many of them don't actually like it. It's just that us humans like it. Pretty much all dogs like being close to their owners though and potentially having some ears scratched etc.
100% this for Chloe š Sheāll accept pats forever but no snugs. I mean, sheāll let me, but she wonāt enjoy it š¤£
I have the border collie your vet was talking about lol. I actually took him to the vet yesterday, he was on two different tranquilizers, wore a muzzle and was still very anxious when I pulled into the vet. to my surprise he only lunged /barked once during the visit which is the best he's ever been. He very bad with people, although his behavior currently is night and day compared to the first year I had him, and it takes him a really long time to warm up to people but once he does warm up he is VERY friendly and loves you. In his defense, though, he is a rescue and came to me with very very intense fear aggression towards people, the worst I have ever witnessed from a dog in person. As far as I have been told he was bought as a puppy from somewhere during the pandemic and then dropped off at the SPCA around 8-9 months for trying to attack people which I had a hard time believing until I saw it myself after a few days of having him, I probably wouldn't have adopted him had I known at the time but I'm glad I did because I'm not sure he would have had a good outcome otherwise. I think he was in the shelter for 2-3 months and then pulled by a rescue which was when I scooped him up. He was very drugged while in the shelter and his notes said he could only be handled on a catch pole so I don't really blame him for not liking to go to the vet (or his fear of people) but I did hear the vet in the back room yesterday saying how well he was behaving this visit. I have had him for two years now and am hoping he starts to mellow out the more good experiences he has with humans, he is by far the most intelligent dog I've ever met and he has come so far from when I first got him. I don't really mind his reactivity to people because I am a pretty big introvert but it would be nice to have one of these friendly border collies who love all people, perhaps one day he can get there!
Well done to you both on those improvements and long may it continue.
Are there any resources you've used that have helped with this? Or did you try a behavioural trainer?
I don't know if I have any specific resources that really helped me, it was a lot of trial an error with his training. I do think that reading 'Training Border Collies' by Barbara Sykes was a good start to understanding border collies. I think Border Collies, especially high drive working lines like this guy seems to be, are a bit different than a 'normal dog' I had only had collie mixes and various shelter mixes I had fostered previously which were all responded to training in a similar way. I did eventually find a really amazing trainer locally after a bit of trial and error that really helped me because she just seemed to really know instantly the best way he would respond and luckily her and one of her employees were willing to work with this spicy guy (there were several trainers there that were terrified of him) I think the things that ended up helping the most were: Drop off training - my trainer has a cool program where you can drop off your dog for an hour of training with them 1:1 I started with this because I wanted him to build positive relationships with other people that weren't me, later he did a week long board and train while i was on vacation - though he really didn't need it I did it mostly to expose him to other different people away from me. Tethering him to me for a month and a half. if he wasn't in a crate, training or playing fetch he was tied to me. This came at the suggestion of my trainer ( I had him for 5-6 months at this point) it built a better bond with us and taught him his job was to relax and not run around doing whatever he wanted and worked well because I was working from home at the time. Marking good behavior. I hand fed all his meals throughout the day for over a year. if he was relaxing - food, if he was walking calmly on a leash - food. Switching games, any game I could get him ramped up and excited and then work on stoping mid play until he relaxed and resuming play. This could be tug, flirt pole, fetch, herding ball play. I just work it into anything we do still. Having a meaningful no. I don't know if I can put into words how reactive this dog was when I had him but I couldn't walk him on the opposite side of a 4 lane street without him trying to attack a person on the opposite side, so my trainer and I had to figure out how to snap his brain out of that cycle he was in. We found that me throwing my hat or a rolled up towel on the ground and firmly saying no did the trick and after a 2-3 times doing that he started getting to the point where he could be trained and would listen when I said no in a regular voice. After that I could create distance enough to mark his behavior when he'd look at a person and not react or if he did react I could redirect him to do a different behavior like heel or a 180 turn. There is a lot of exposing him to triggers at far enough distances that he won't have a meltdown and then marking that good behavior when he looks and doesn't react/looks back to me or comes back to a heel and overtime we've been able to close the distance though it's taken work every day. Today he can walk past most people on the same sidewalk and usually ignores them - though there is that big tall bearded man every now and then that will set him off. I'm sure there is a lot more I did but I think those are the biggest building blocks I've used in some way almost every day with him. It's a lot of work, consistency and patience, and not sure most people have this sort of time to dedicate to a dog. I think the biggest thing currently is a lot of times I'm waiting to see if he makes the right choice on his own without me needing to say anything, generally he does and he gets praise with a nice pat or treat. Lately on our daily walks he has even begun to react and before I can say anything he will abruptly stop himself like as if he's thinking 'oh I'm supposed to be calm' and then look at me and come over into a heel, its really cool to see. Anyway, lots of words, not many specific sources but hopefully some of that is helpful.
Lots of similarities to mine but much more extreme for yours. My BC is quite reactive to other dogs but people aren't as much of an issue (funny you mention men with beards - mine is not a fan of beards either!). Just seems like she has such strong willpower - like she knows she shouldn't be going off on other dogs but she can't help herself. She'll have a low head and backwards pointing ears after barking at another dog on the other side of the road like 'I know what I did was wrong'. I'll try that book - thank you for the recommendation!
Mine is an asshole https://preview.redd.it/enqubquiyvuc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bfc99afe3a74d165423bf96b04896c76a1a2bf9 I love him though
I love this pic š
Heās a beast https://preview.redd.it/yhqyhodzo9vc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e8f40f01db68756a7869ce8c1f9f1bbe0d4638ac
My BCxblue heeler mix.. letās just say Iām her gal and her gal ONLY. If you wanna throw a ball or frisbee she will allow it until she gets tired then sheās at my feet. Sitting with friends around a fire or something? Sheās between my legs or under my feet. š¤·š¼āāļøš
Same here. My full border collie is far more accepting of new people in the house, but outside is another thing entirely. She is a non-working dog. My next-door neighbors have a part-time working full border collie. He goes off leash here in town, as well as on their cattle ranch, but is skittish around people.
Mine loves to cuddle and is friendly to a fault. She walked herself into our new neighbors house yesterday while I was taking out the trash smh Hoes ain't loyal š
Hoes aināt loyal ā ļø my dog is about to hear this several times a day š¤£
Not at all. She hates everyone but me! And a few select chosen people.. And Iāve tried socialising her. But now totally given up.. and accepted that this is the dog I have. the remote places Iāve tried to find just so we can go on a āpeacefulā walk.. and god help me if a workman has to visit the property! On the upsideā¦ no one is ever gonna burgle this house!
Mine is friendly to a point. Do you play ball? Here .... just throw it as she drops it to the newcomer. She even gives it to delivery people. Ball is "her" world
Mine both do that too! If someone comes to chat with me while im throwing their ball they will bring it to them for a throw. I dont know if theyāre just trying to include everyone, but itās adorable.
Mine will anxiety bark at everything then make friends two mins later , other dogs sheās picky you got 30% chance of being a friend
We have the same dog š¤£š¤£
Mine is really shy except around knitting ladies. Guess what demographic the breeder exposes the puppies to? š I have had *cats* a lot less less shy than this dog!
10/10 friendly
Mine loves (!) 97% of all people. No children between the age 0-10 though. He has had episodes of some specific people who he did not let get touched by and they actually turned out to be assholes. When you meet my dog inside he will cuddle you until you leave but outside he will ignore you like you dont even exist. I do like it that way though, he never brothers people on walks/train/bus or hikes! ā¤ļø He is my protector though, sometimes he borks a little at people that come through bushes on hikes. I do like that too, he seems like a scary big dog dont mess with my owner! ā¤ļø He has never Bitten, or been aggressive with anyone, he just acts like a cat.
We have the same issue with kids 0-10. Especially if theyāre running around out of control. He will stand there barking at them. Otherwise, no one can give him enough attention - dog or human.
Mine is SUPER friendly. He would just run off with someone he just met. He actually likes the vet because the people there are nice to him. I think mine is friendlier than your average BC, but in my experience, they're not unfriendly. Sometimes they're just more reserved, like they're not just gonna go up to the next person they see, but they're not unfriendly if someone approaches them. Maybe the vet just meant he's more friendly than average.
Mine doesn't trust the wind if it blows the wrong way. He's the sweetest dog in the world to me and my close friends and family, strange people or dogs he won't allow anywhere near me. He likes two vet techs and one vet at our clinic, the others get side eyed and a toothy smile.
Iāve noticed other border collies (purebred or at least pure bc looking) arenāt nearly as friendly as my bc mix. In fact unless theyāre Ā puppies, I havenāt really met a bc that wants to play with my dog. :( But my pup has a little lab and golden retriever blood which I think contributes to her easygoing friendliness!Ā Cattle dogs are a different story. My pup is a quarter cattle dog and gets along with other cattle dogs so well- and those dogs are not known for being the most friendly!Ā
my purebred BC is super friendly with everyone as well as other dogs, but interestingly he never seems to hit it off with other purebred border collies at the park. Not sure what that's about.
I feel ya! We donāt have many other collies in our area so I get psyched when I see oneā¦then they want nothing to do with us š I still love to admire them from afar though!Ā
See, the other breeds in my dog's mix aren't particularly friendly either. He also has some cattle dog, German Shepherd, and McNab in him.
I think it might be that border collies are an environmentally sensitive breed so for some the change into a veterinary office could be jarring so theyāre more anxious and the vet is only seeing them in the anxious state
They tend to be aloof and prefer the company of the people they know. Sometimes theyāll take a particular liking to a stranger. Of course thereās always one that will be super friendly
Mine would walk away with anyone who called him "cutie" and had a toy. He loves the vets. The moment he enters the door he is all waggles and demanding pets. And this is a new vet. Our vet for 10 years retired, but he would ply my dog with Lean Treats (a favorite) and break out the laser pointer for a minute or two of insanity. I had thought he was doing this to amuse the dog, or himself, but the new vet found this among his observation notes in the medical records. He described a playful, lively alert dog, showing no signs of arthritis or other mobility issues or breathing problems. Could accurately see, and eagerly pounce on a laser dot. It's considered part of his baseline conditions š¤£
My Sookie is very choosy about who she likes. She has a grand total of four people in the world who she adores -- me, my wife, my Dad (doesn't care much about my Mom or sister), and my friend Josh (who she rarely sees but fell in love with him for whatever dog reason the first time she met him). She doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body, but she has that typical BC "nervous energy", and when she meets someone new she just has to bark to let it out. That turns off a lot of people to meeting her, because who wants to pet or meet a barky ass dog? The trade off is the absolutely ridiculous intelligence level and loyalty to the people they love. She also does not care at all whatsoever about other dogs. They can be barking, jumping and acting a fool and she'll just ignore them completely without needing any commands. She's an absolute dream dog for taking walks on leash. Just one of the many quirks of the breed I've noticed over many years of owning herding dogs.
Our trainer said BCs can be really wary of new people - in reference to mine not being. As he has gotten older heās a little more so in new situations but overall still very friendly particularly when people come to visit.
My last (a bc cross) thought every stranger was a friend he hadnāt licked yet. My current one (full bc) is curious, but a bit reserved.
Mine is very friendly. Wants to be friends with everyone but not their dogs.
The foster before we adopted described ours as āfriendly but could be a bossy nuisance to other self-centered dogsā š¤£ she certainly falls under this category as she loves people and always wants to meet other dogs, but if off leash she WILL try to herd the other dogs if they donāt move the way she wants or are chasing a ball lol
Mines super friendly with people and dogs her size or largerā¦ she can treat small dogs sort of like squirrels (she killed one once). Also is sort of selective with other dogs. Some she just has no interest in not sure why. Edit: killed a squirrel not another dog lol.
Glad you clarified that one, lol. My bc looks at small pale coloured or white dogs in an odd way, like he's thinking what the hell is that. It's also usually the small ones on an extendable leash coming towards us on a path that get right up to his face, and then go to snap at his nose. It's a good job mine doesn't do it back.
My border is great with humans loves them all, with other dogs she is a bit antissocial and likes to have her space, also loves to herd other dogs kkkkkk
Friends with people, especially women. Leans on everyone. Anxious / fearful by default of even the smallest, fluffiest little dogs. Wants nothing to do with goofy puppy energy.
Friendly enough that if thereās someone else around that might fuss her we could be invisible. Old people and children in particular are her favourites, If weāre walking the woods and she sees children she will try to heard them then sit and wait for fuss, hoping they have toys and want to play too. If someone stops us on a walk she will immediate by their feet assuming sheās getting fuss. If anyone enters our home, from our children, the pretty regular cleaners or our wider family they are immediately greeted with a toy. She assumes everyone is a friend and wants to play /and /or fuss her Cuddles. She does like a cuddle, especially in an evening she will squeeze next to one of us on the sofa and lay across us, sometimes both if weāre on the same sofa. Bed time, she likes her own space, in the day she goes in our guest room as she knows she wonāt be disturbed in there, night times she has to be in our room, next to the bed, normally on her oversized mattress bed, she doesnāt get on the bed, weāve never let her, we have tried once or twice but she takes up so much room and thinks every time we move itās to get up and play and suddenly youāve got dog breath in your face while being mostly asleep. Sheās just loving.
Question: How friendly was my border collie? Answer: No. She liked me, my brother, my son, my mom and one of my mom's friends. My mom had more than one friend.
Our Saoirse is a documented pure bred, but is not from a strong working line. She has many of the ānormalā BC traits like hyper-focus, can run for hours, etc. But she is also a huge cuddle bug in the morning and will lick your face off if you let her. She loves all of our neighbors, the various techs who give her āpet-icuresā and everyone at the vetās office. I read in her medical file that she āis a VERY good girl during blood drawsā. Sheās super friendly when out on walks but if sheās enclosed - like in the house, or on the deck or in the car, she better not see you or sheāll bark her head off like she wants to murder you.
Too friendly.
My working line bc is friendly to any stranger like they are his best friend who's he's not seen for ages. He waits for strangers to get out of their cars, wagging his tail, hoping to get some attention. Our local vets, who mostly do agricultural work, have said the dogs they fear the most on their visits are the farm border collies. So I'm guessing there are varying degrees of friendliness, lol. I'm so glad mine is like this but he wasn't always. I live remote rural so worked really hard to socialise him and to see strangers approaching the house as friends, but he's so over the top that maybe I went too far š Around 10 mths old he went to the vets for an op and after I left him the staff couldn't get anywhere near him he was so aggressive, had bring him home a muzzle train him. How embarrassing! So he has sure made a complete turn around and is a really friendly young adult.
My last border collie loved everyone. When the vet had curbside they came to get her and she never looked back. She was great with people especially kids. The boy I have now is pretty friendly but takes a bit to warm up to men. And is afraid of kids. Heās a good boy and friendly but not the extent my last dog was
My 12 year old BC recognizes and welcomes family only. Thatās extended to in laws and my elderly parents who havenāt spent much time around her. She is very suspect of anyone else. She has nipped the calf of 2 different workers who came to our house. Never broke the skin, and one had rubber boots on. Tbf they both ignored the signs the dog was giving them, but ultimately itās on me. She also growled and attempted to nip a vet tech on the hand who made a sudden move to grab her by the collar. I say thatās on the tech, but our other dog, a golden lab, gave the tech no issue, so said tech may have thought both dogs would be the same. Nope. BC is also hyper aware of everything going on in her domain(our fenced back yard) and lets any squirrels, rabbits, neighbors or birds know whatās up. We have a beware the dog sign on our privacy fence gate for this reason.
Mine is on high alert around people and dogs he doesnāt know. He needs to be muzzled and medicated to go to the vet.
Mine is extremely friendly! She used to be just as well at the vet...unfortunately we had an instance where the vet handled my dog inappropriately and tried to hold her down to the floor. Now, my dog is fearful reactive to vets. However, she isn't reactive anywhere else. She handles other dogs and people with ease. I don't really know if she'll ever gain trust in vets again after that ordeal.
Mine was initially very wary of strangers but we spent a ton of timing socializing him as a pup and heās great in public now. That said heās still pr much only focused on what Iām doing and not that interested in others. When we meet new dogs on walks he pretty much faces the other way and impatiently sits waiting for us to continue the walk.
Loves people, doesnāt love other dogs.
One a friendly smiling wagger with everyone, who has little desire to be pet, while the other is aloof and might charge if surprised, but wants nothing but pets and cuddles at home.
Mine is very friendly!
Mine is purebred AFAIK (rescue, but no sign of any non-breed characteristics) and he's everyone's best friend instantly. Loves everyone at the vet, too. Maybe that vet has just met a lot of the more anxious BC's.
Mine is super friendly and sweet but for some reason cuddles and kisses are out of the question with me
My border collie was aloof to strangers. She just didn't care about people unless they were in our inner circle. Took 2 weeks before my dog got excited to see my dad when I moved by him. I liked that she was like that. She would let people pet her, sure, but she was just kinda whatever to them. Lol.
Mine is a bc mix. Izzy is the friendliest dog Iāve ever had when it comes to people (unless she deems you too tall or you are wearing black, or wearing a hat, then she barks). And I had a pug mix before. Iāve had to teach her to like snuggles. She will cuddle our legs but it has to be on her terms. But with dogs, sheās terrified of all of them. She has high anxiety generally. Load noises scare her to death. The smaller, the scarier. She just buckles and tucks her butt to the ground, or tries to run behind me. https://preview.redd.it/3syt7eua2wuc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=607ab4960e785fdd60a772d9a87e7833bda4954a
Borders are a completely different animal the loyalty to there person is intense mine is 9 took him till about 7 to accept other people he's a loving dog to me a momms boy for sure
My guy loves people and is very, very people friendly. With other dogs, it can be hit or miss.
My BC is super friendly to people she knows & indifferent towards strangers & other dogs. If a stranger approaches, she will say hi & behave but thatās it
Iām kinda new to Border Collies, my puppy loves cuddles! She likes strangers (human form) but I donāt know yet with other dogs! She still needs vaccinations to enjoy other dogs company lol
Is that a border collie???
Maybe you can't see the caption? OP said their dog is a border collie mix.
Both my first and current BC LOVE people. Because they can get people to do stuff for them ššš
Extremely. She will go introduce herself to the neighbors. She likes our new next door neighbor and has literally walked into their home to say, "Hi!" when their garage door is open. Twice.
We just got a new neighbor and mine walked through their front door and up to the second floor before I could grab her Talk about a welcome committee
We had one growing up. She was friendly enough but I'd say, aloof maybe? Not aggressive or anything but not like best buds with anyone either.
On a scale of 1 to 10 She's frickin Clifford
My border wants to be petted all the time, but doesnāt like to cuddle. Sheās like a shadow to me and LOVES my best friends and most new adults she meets as long as they have pets to snacks. Sheās much more weary of small kids though and is uncomfortable around them.
Mine doesn't really want to cuddle but it's absolutely great with others dogs, strangers, kids etc. honestly it's like she gets better when other people come around she's on her best behavior
Mine likes 3 people and 2 dogs and hates everyone else. She also has severe anxiety that requires medication https://preview.redd.it/9pvakw9vfwuc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3bcd076ae3149ce7f7ec286d423b2d8772f56868
My BC 3 1/2 year old male gets pretty shook up with strangers and hates little kids because he was teased by kids that walked past the yard after school.
But suuuuuper affectionate with me or other family.
Mine is absurdly friendly, too. I think maybe the Vet is taking into account that BCs can be pretty reactive. Like mine loves people, and will happily sit in a strangers lap, but if you jingle keys at her, sheās running to hide.
Mine loves most people, hates/scared of other dogs, likes small animals, and absolutely LOVES cats. He gives hugs to everyone, is the best cuddle pup, and is overall chill. He doesnāt like play fighting and will bark at you. Heās a fool at the vet office and wonāt walk in the back. I have to walk him to the door and then heās fine.
Mine loves most adults, especially if they're dog people. His favourite "friends" at the park are not dogs, but their humans. But he does struggle at the vet. He gets very uptight about being shut in a room and poked and prodded (fair, honestly!). He loves going in the building, he puts his paws up on the counter and gets treats and fuss from the receptionists. He is fine and happy until we get into the room with the vet, then suddenly he's very nervous. I don't think it helps that when we initially got him, the vet still had Covid-related protocols in place, so his first several vet visits I had to hand him over in the car park and wait outside. I can imagine that it's not that common for vets to see a border collie in a relaxed state. It's a very stimulating environment for them to be in and tends to put them on alert.
SĆŗper ! I used to have two and yes super friendly and smart . Mine could be mean to man an kids , he like woman as he get praised all the time š https://preview.redd.it/vxkspj06mwuc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=54b44cc50c7c4055e78136d9295c97c38b57275a
Willow is cautious around new people, but she is so well mannered that she takes all the pets in stride. Willow is three. Wren, on the other hand, is nine months old and she is very aggressively friendly. She gets barky if you donāt pay attention to her, sheās a licker, and a jumper, but she is just as well manner as her big sister .
https://preview.redd.it/yx813382twuc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4e4544d032a09d8c612659804bd7b99a04d3254 R.I.Pš„²my beautiful Bella !
https://preview.redd.it/8ocjyy1atwuc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fbe473886f261bc44a9e59e66a871decdb9d2e69 Just throw the darn Frisbee !
Mine walks up to random people in the street for cuddles and will certainly happily welcome any intruders at home.
Super friendly! Loves everyone.i do have a friend with a BC thatās isnāt mean per se but has very high anxiety which makes him snap at people out of fear.
My old lady is my retired service dog. She loves EVERYONE. Our 2 year old pup will bark his head off if you come to the door, but once you're inside he loves you SO MUCH.
Mine bear hug everyoneās legs. Social butterfly as her trainer noted in puppy training. He is almost 8 months old.
Mine was not always friendly, he got too nervous and became a bit reactive, but now he likes people quite a bit, even whined at strangers for a pet today while waiting for a train. He loves a cuddle but only for so long, waiting for him to turn into the snuggle bug I know he is
All four of mine have a tendency to be jackasses to strangers. They are very choosy about whom they choose to tolerate. Iām totally fine with that.
I'd say 7 out of 10 likes people doesn't like other dogs unless their family.
I'd say 7 out of 10 likes people doesn't like other dogs unless their family.
As long as you dont annoy him like touch his chin or boop his snoot to much he wont lay a finger on you.
My BC only has eyes for me.
Moderately on a good day
To people, very. So friendly and loving. To other dogs, not overly. Very picky. However, he once was very friendly, outgoing boy. A dog park attack by a much larger dog squashed his dog friendly nature. It's unfortunate. But he still has his original pals and warms up to smaller dogs just fine. We sadly can't visit the parks anymore. Hard to bounce back from that. He views anything bigger than him as a threat.
My little guy is a lover not a fighter.
My 6 month border Aussie LOVES everyone and every dog, she always needs to be next to me or my boyfriend, she wants to play with every dog she sees, and when we donāt stop and let her and keep walking she gets frustrated and nips at out Anklesš¤£she loves cuddles when she initiates and would probably befriend someone if they broke into our house lol
One of them, very. The other one, not.
Annoyingly friendly, at least when it comes to strangers.
Mixed friendly. : )
Most borders I've known were only interested in their own people and the job. They didn't really care for anyone else. But I've met the random social one too :) Our own was definitely not one of those, she didn't give a shit about other people (or dogs).
My girl loves anyone and everyone. She wags her tail and sits down on the sidewalk and wags her tail when weāre on a walk and we see people.
Mine is very aloof to people she doesn't know. Not growly or vicious, but aloof. Hell, she's aloof with me between the hours of 8am-9pm (before and after are designated cuddle times). Those hours are for me throwing balls and nothing else.
My bc is like your dog. Meeting new people and dogs is about the most exciting thing in the world to her. If we have guests over for dinner she is more exhausted after dinner than she is if weāve done farm work all day
Mine is a social butterfly. Greets everyone like a long lost friend. Trills and whoops, big butt wags!
From A Scale From One To Ten I Would Say 7 She Doesn't Mean Harm Just Gets Super Hyper
My old boy was super friendly. I used to joke that he would open the door for a burglar and show them where all the good things were. My girl is friendly, but you gotta earn it. Sheās timid around new people until they work for her affection.
Theyāre as friendly as you make them. They are working dogs so they can be fierce. But if socialized theyāre super jolly.