Border Collie or Mountain Goat?

[mbc1963]

OK... so... my dog likes to get UP on things. "Up" is one of his favorite commands. He'll walk a fallen log or plank with no fear. But what surprises me so much is how well he can climb nearly-vertical surfaces. There are lots of big boulders in the woods around here, and he'll easily scale up the side of a really tall rock without seeming to have any difficulty. I'm talking rocks more than 5 feet high. **Flash** he's up there, and I haven't even seen him make the leap!

 

Does anyone else have a billy goat-border collie? How the heck does he climb like that!?

 

Mary

[border_collie_crazy]

lol, sounds like my old BC mix, her faverite thing to do was...climb tree's. she went after a cat once and went straight up a tree that was just a striaght as an arrow trunk after it..my mom had to climb up to get her down lol, she also regulary climbed tree's, just cuz she liked too. Happy and Misty, while they dont climb tree's, they do managed to scale large boulders like nothing lol

[BustopherJones]

How the heck does he climb like that!?

Keep in mind that working Border Collies include in their breeding the ability to herd on the sides of the Munros of Scotland. Thus, such climbing ability is part of their genetic heritage. This is in part why they make such good SAR dogs in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

[bcnewe2]

Unless you're Mick who can't/won't even jump into the back seat of my car. He won't scale a fence or gate and he's only recently learned to go under one. He NEVER jumps up on people even though he looks like he's going to any minute. People are all geared up for him to jump up and I say he won't, they say SURE.... He never does. I even had one lady bet me that she could get him to jump up on her. I sould have taken the bet! She tried but he wouldn't. I have seen him jump things when out running but not if he thinks about it. Only if it's a quick thing when he's not thinking. You should see him go over our cattle guard gate. The other dogs just jump right over. He has to make it an agility obsticle and gingerly tiptoe over each bar.

 

I think it came from the TBD's that he had growing up. He was to weak to jump so he never learned how. Now it's easier or a habit for him to wait till I get there to lift him up. When he was younger he wouldn't go under a gate even if it was high enough to just crawl under. He'd stand there looking at me like are you going to open the darn gate or what??

 

I like that he never jumps on people but it's a bit embarssing when he won't get in the car. He's also such a wiggle nut when meeting people I can't wait till he turns all work serious so people know what kinda dog he truly is not the nut he comes off when meeting you without sheep!

 

I don't think he'd make a SAR dog unless it was flat ground he was hunting on!

[Meg's mum]

When Meg was barely 12 weeks old we discovered that she was a natural Northwesterner- a muddy, rocky near vertical slope with blackberry brambles tumbling down it is just fine with her. She will climb ANYTHING to get where she wants to go. She will bound....I mean trampoline like bound in a very narrow arc over six foot walls without knowing whats on the other side as long as DH's voice is coming from that direction. The reason I came to these boards was to get advice about this. However marvelous to behold it is absolutely terrifying.

 

I had her hips and neck xrayed to make sure that she was doing well a few weeks ago. She'll be two in November- She is perfect. The most beautiful hips and knees and neck you ever saw. Doc said everything feels just as it should. Do I even need to tell you how relieved I was to know that?

[KellyR]

Its all fun and games til they figure out that cars are fun to run up and down. That gets expensive fast.