Border Collie with...

[Sherry Thoeny]

Hi all. Candy is around 6/7 months old. She is supposed to be pure BC. She came from a man who had both the mother and father. He had to go to the hospital, and the puppies were rescued as he could no longer care for them. At least that is the information I got. Anyway the mother is supposed to be a typical black and white bc and the father a blue merle bc. There were five puppies two were black and white, two were blue merle and one was black and white with a little brown. Anyway I took Candy camping this weekend and had another BC owner tell me they are sure she has blue heeler mixed in with her. I really don't care what she is (well obviously I do some or I would not be asking) we love her and she is perfect for us. But I am really curious what you think. So is she mixed? Thanks for your feedback. I also want to say I really appreciate these forums. They have been really helpful. Here are a few pictures:L

 

 

 

 

 

[haleigh]

I think she could be all BC. Maybe because she looks a tad chunkier she could be viewed as part heeler. The face is also a tad heeler-ish.

 

Breed aside, I think she's beautiful. Have fun!

[MrSnappy]

Cattle dogs don't come in merle, but a lot of people can't tell the difference between a merle and a ticked dog. For that matter, a lot of people don't know the difference between an Australian Cattle Dog and an Australian Shepherd. In fact I had someone recently apply for a dog after his "heeler" of 12 years passed away, and he sent me a photo of the "heeler" - can you guess what the dog actually was? A blue merle Aussie.

 

Regardless, just because someone is a BC owner doesn't mean they know that BCs come in merle. Or for that matter, smooth coat or brown/red, or tan etc. This person you spoke to probably just has no idea what they are talking about. I have had people tell me that my dogs aren't border collies because they are brown. Border collie people no less.

 

RDM

[shelb'smum]

hmmm looks like a fluffly Shelby ....

 

she is a "bc X aussie" Mix..... 2 in her litter were tri's and had no tail.....

 

BUT I would Disagree with her having an ACD head..... looks more aussie to me... I see no ACD at all...

 

Is Candy just really fluffy? or chunky? or both.

[Sherry Thoeny]

She is a little chunky. She is actually slimming down from when I first got her. She was really chunky then. She did not have as much room to excersice as she does now. Plus she is fluffy too. The person did know that Border Collies could be merle. But she thought that her nose was too short for a BC and that she was too chunky. I think part of that is because she has a hard time keeping weight on her BC. Like I said, it doesn't really matter, but I am curious about it. I tried to track down her original owner, but was unable to do so. I really would have liked more background information on her.

[Root Beer]

She could be all Border Collie. Dean is supposedly all Border Collie and he looks a lot like her (except that he's a string bean!)

 

You're not in Arkansas, are you?

[Sherry Thoeny]

Yes I am in Arkansas actually. Are you? And is my southern accent so strong it comes over through the keyboard:)

[Pippin's person]

She's a pretty girl and lucky she found you. To me, her ears and tail don't look entirely BC--esp. the ears--and she seems generally bigger-boned than many BCs. The BCs I see with floppy ears usually don't have that kind of triangular ear, with rounded tip and set that far forward. Catahoula Leopard Dogs often have that kind of ear and come in blue merle, too. And are often used for herding. Ditto hanging tree dogs.

 

If I were evaluating her for the rescue group I worked with, I would probably say mix.

 

But like you say, at some level it doesn't really matter since you love her and she fits in your family

 

Robin

 

Edited to add: Of course, that's just judging on the picture--her general behavior is also an important indication of whether she is mixed or not.

[Root Beer]

LOL!! No, I'm from Pennsylvania.

 

Dean's original owners got him from a large working farm somewhere in Arkansas. He's a rescue, so I'm not exactly sure where he is from. He and your puppy could be related, although I realize that Arkansas is a big state! I guess a lot of merles resemble one another, too.

[shelb'smum]

PS

She's really pretty

[Bo Peep]

Got me on this one. The ears throw me off. What a beauty!!

[RaisingRiver]

Assuming your dog isn't overweight, she's very lab-like in her body structure to me. And then there's the ears...

[borderlicious]

Once she slims down, I think she does look like she has Border Collie in her. I would guess that she's mixed with Aussie too, though. Those ears scream Aussie.

[Sherry Thoeny]

I do not think she is overweight, but she is not thin. She is very smart. very sweet. She loves to be anywhere I am. yard, that is good. Living room, that is good. Walking, biking, resting, gardening, all good. Bathroom on the other hand, well it is acceptable. She learned within the first two days that the alarm meant it was time to get up. When it goes off, she comes nosing around the edge of the bed. I really confused her that first morning, I just could not get up without hitting snooze twice. now we have a routine. the alarm goes off. here she comes. As soon as I sit up she runs stragith to the restroom. Becasue we all know the first stop of the day.

 

She has a lot of energy, but will chill out in the evening with us too. She likes to play, but really wants to play with us. Toys are not her first choice. or second either. Second choice goes tot he cats. She loves to bark at them. It is the one thing she seems to have very little control over. She does not chase them, and they ignore her. Sometimes they play together. She has a tendancy to lift one foot slightly off the ground occasionally. I am not sure why. I have seen her "crouch" I think. She is so great. And yes she is beautiful. She has one brown eye and one blue with a brown spot. She is perfect. Well if you don't count the trash she tore out a few days ago or the keyboard cord she chewed in two.

[Root Beer]

She has a tendancy to lift one foot slightly off the ground occasionally. I am not sure why.

 

Speedy has always done that. When he was a puppy it was kind of random, but now he does it when he's starting to get focused in on something like a ball that's about to be thrown. He had an agility instructor once who was bothered by it and wanted me to teach him not to do it, but I never tried.

[bcnewe2]

Where in Arkansas?

I moved here a year ago. It's just now beginning to feel like home, sometimes.

 

Kristine, what made you ask if Sherry is from AR? I can usually tell if someone is not from here when I meet them in person, and they can defiantly tell I'm not from 'round here... but usually not on the internet.

 

Candy is beautiful. They are all so different you just can't tell, unless you have their history. I love it when people tell me what my dogs are. Like most even have a clue!

 

Kristen

[Sherry Thoeny]

Near Arkadelphia. That is right off I-30 between Little Rock and Texarkana. And Arkansas really is a good place to live. At least if you like the great outdoors. There are many beautiful places to hike, camp, and swim.

[Root Beer]

Kristine, what made you ask if Sherry is from AR? I can usually tell if someone is not from here when I meet them in person, and they can defiantly tell I'm not from 'round here... but usually not on the internet.

 

Her puppy reminds me of Dean and Dean came from a farm in Arkansas. But I don't know the location of that farm, nor the name of the people who sold him to his original owners, though.

[kcdawg]

Do you have anymore pics? Id love to see more before i could really decide.

 

I get so tired of people saying my merles are Aussie or Heelers......also even my

tri colored is accused of being a GSD

[SoloRiver]

She doesn't look purebred to me -- something about her says "Aussie with a tail" except that as far as I know Aussies are never smooth-coated.

 

I do think that she needs to lose quite a bit of weight though.

[kcdawg]

ooooooo sorry, my pc finally decided to load all those pics.

i have dial up...i know, poor me!

 

she does look like there is Aussie in her.

Aussies are beauties just like bc's!

Either way she is a beauty!!

[Sherry Thoeny]

So what would be a good weight for her? She is about 18 inches tall. That is when she is standing from floor to top of shoulders. She weighs about 30 pounds. She is slimming down. When I first got her she was definately heavy. She is not as chunky now as she was then. Here are a few more pictures of her. I tried to make them as small as I could. I too have dial up, and know pictures take time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one from when we first brought her home:

 

[PSmitty]

My boy is about 18" tall and weighs 25lbs. I think it's the perfect weight for him. You should be able to feel their ribs without pressing too hard.

 

She's beautiful, no matter what her mix is! The thing that really throws me is her ears. They're more lab or hound like, I think. Either way, she's definitely got a lot of border collie in her.

[Shetlander]

So what would be a good weight for her? She is about 18 inches tall. That is when she is standing from floor to top of shoulders. She weighs about 30 pounds. She is slimming down.

 

 

She's very pretty (I think there is some Aussi in there too, btw) and you can see that she has lost weight since you brought her home. It's hard to give a specific weight a dog should weigh and much better to go by appearance and feel (ribs, backbone, hip bones). I had a 17 1/4 inch sheltie who weighed 31 lbs and that was a perfect agility weight for him. He was lean and incredibly athletic. It seems that males often weigh more than females of the same height. Quinn is about 21 inches and finally has hit a weight where he is not super skinny -- 39 lbs. He is solid muscle. So weight ranges are a guideline. Much more important is the actual condition the dog is in.

[bcnewe2]

Ok so I'm directionally impaired in AR, is that east or west of Little Rock?

There is a stockdog club that I've joined here, we meet once a month just west of Little Rock in Peron. nice bunch of people.

 

Yes AR is beautiful, but I've lived all my life in MO, all my family including the new grandbaby live near ST. Louis. It's 6 1/2 hrs. from here. That's a long way to drive more than once a month or so. We are a camping, kayaking family, but I have to finish fencing before I can leave the sheep for to long. Plus in St. Louis I had tons of people that could come over and farm sit, for the dogs and sheep. I know no one well enough that I trust them with the BorderCollies. I have way to many to afford an extended kennel stay.

 

Sherry if your intrerested in working stock with Candy pm me and I"ll get you the information.

 

I think the brown above Candy's eye makes her look a bit less bc, but I can't tell if she's a bit on the pudgy side or it's hair. Everyone thinks Mick is a bit "fluffy" till they feel him. He's around 42#'s soaking wet. but looks more like 50 or so because of his build. Don't be insulted that a few are saying she's a bit fluffy. Most working dogs are athletes so usually on the lean side. Candy is still a pup, that's another reason why some might find her looking like a cross, most young bc's are usually very thin. I happen to have a little porkchop, very well bred, but she's on the up side of lean (Mick's half sister). I'm sure she'll drop a few when we really get into working. Same with Candy when she starts her active summer with you and your family!

 

off to look at an AR map to see where Arkadelphia is

Kristen