Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[eleutheromania]

um. Border Collies do have off switches unless not bred properly. a dog that is constantly go go go isn't well bred. Octavia is a pretty good example of a BC with an off switch, after all, she goes to work with Middy on the daily and stays in the store. I have talked to plenty of breeders that dogs have off switches BC wise, hence why i have picked out a current breeder to follow that shows and works her dogs, and they have off switches. So saying they don't is a misconception or mainly because they aren't being bred properly. I've been to a dog show where all the BC's were calm, happy and generally well mannered, not overly energetic, neurotic, or go go go.

Honestly, your best bet is to contact some breeders and meet these dogs personal to get a feel of the breed.

[cornspurrd.]

think I will do that, because I love the breed.

Is O a showline?

[eleutheromania]

i think her breeder does a mostly sports but also shows. i follow the breeder that owns one of her parents. i’d have to ask Middy as one is in GA and the other TX.

[Gizmutt]

So what are some good high energy releasing activities to do indoors?

We have been pent up for the past 5 days, Gizmo is at wits end, and he will only chase balls for so long. He is just a pent up time bomb, and it’s suppose to storm for the next 4/5 days as well.

He doesn’t like out side during the rain as I have stated... we tried going for a walk yesterday during one of the lighter rain periods, but it was a disaster. A car splashed us on the corner and he slipped out of the harness (first time ever) and ran all the way home. While that is one way to get energy out :p we were not all that close to home, and the streets near my area can get busy. He didn’t have to cross a street yesterday so I got lucky.

[cornspurrd.]

Maybe try a flirt pole? Do a little bit of training involving more exersize than usual? you can even like do some agility drills ( idk set up a few short jumps and run your dog over those ) treadmill?

[shadow~wolf]

my border mix has an off switch, and he's really eager to learn. he can go go go with my bike and tugging a toy but right now we're in the house and he's fast asleep!

[Fixius]

um. Border Collies do have off switches unless not bred properly. a dog that is constantly go go go isn't well bred. Octavia is a pretty good example of a BC with an off switch, after all, she goes to work with Middy on the daily and stays in the store. I have talked to plenty of breeders that dogs have off switches BC wise, hence why i have picked out a current breeder to follow that shows and works her dogs, and they have off switches. So saying they don't is a misconception or mainly because they aren't being bred properly. I've been to a dog show where all the BC's were calm, happy and generally well mannered, not overly energetic, neurotic, or go go go.

Honestly, your best bet is to contact some breeders and meet these dogs personal to get a feel of the breed.

That's not true lol. Yes all dogs will sleep just like every animal, but I've worked with many professional well-bred herding Border Collies and they do not turn off. I never called them unhappy or poorly mannered. These are well-bred, highly trained dogs with incredible amounts of energy and drive.

I agree that you should meet with breeders of the dogs you're considering to see what fits best in person. Nothing beats that.

[eleutheromania]

i'd have to disagree. a dog that doesn't have a off switch isn't a good thing. there is a difference between a dog working and a dog that cannot even settle for a few hours or may a day or two without hours upon hours of exercise. By you saying they don't turn off is basically saying that they can't settle and be calm and not work for a few hours like a dog with an off switch can. that's basically what the term off switch means. that they can chill for a few hours and be okay and not be "on" 24/7.

[Fixius]

We obviously don't have to agree, but you keep adding things that I didn't say lol. Nowhere did I call it a good thing. I know what the phrase means (thanks though), but a lot of BCs from good working bloodlines don't have that off switch. This is a part of who they are. If you were out all night in terrible weather trying to gather up stray sheep with your dog, you wouldn't want the dog to "turn off". A quick online search even will show a lot of people looking for answers on how to calm down or wear out their BC haha it's not a good or bad trait inherently. It all depends upon what you want out of your dog and what your expectations are from the relationship.

We're speaking here in generalizations though. At the end of the day each dog is an individual. You're going to have some lazy dogs in every breed, and some neurotic dogs in every breed, and some dogs that meet the breed standard for what that dog was originally bred to do. Genetics go a long way in determining that but of course nothing is a guarantee. There are going to be goofballs from time to time Best thing you can do, as I believe we both agree on, is to meet with the prospective breeder and make an informed decision based upon the parents' temperaments and what you hope for with your working relationship.

[.Middy.]

O is actually mainly working lines. Her dad is ABCA/AKC working line dog, and her mom is a show/working cross. And she absolutely has a fantastic off switch. I personally would never support a breeder breeding for crazy hyperactive no off switch BCs. I want a solid all around dog that can do everything and be ready to go at a moments notice but also be able to relax when needed. Way too many sports breeders are breeding for the crazy dogs now and it’s sad imo. No real working farm is going to be using a dog for 8+ hours every day, so even working farm dogs need to be able to chill and wait for time to work again.


Octavia is a well bred well trained BC who spends a solid 45+ hours a week chilling behind a counter at work. Yes we do train and do sports as well, but it’s very rare that we do anything for more than a hour or two. (Excluding like trials and all day festivals)

She’s a very solid all around dog, she herds, does agility, dock, disc, rally, nosework, lure course, etc all while also being a fabulous store dog chilling behind the counter most of the day every day. I’ve literally done nothing with her for 2 weeks after my surgery and she was fine. A solid off switch is essential imo. Even in the Malinois i know that aren’t kennel dogs, they have good off switches.