What is your Border Collie's job?

[afrancis]

In the spirit of 1) seeing the diversity of those humans and their dogs participating on these Boards and 2) the relevance in today's world of the border collie's original purpose, I'd love to see the make-up of answers to this question.

In the interest of representing each dog (I realize many of you have more than one ), choose only one answer for each dog. This should best describe their predominant role in your home -- so if you only dabble in any of the sports mentioned, but consider your bc to be primarily your pet, then check "Family pet". OTOH, if your bc is a retired herder, let's say, but is now largely a pet, I would suggest his/her career be honoured by listing his/her job as "Working Stock".

Thanks for participating!

Ailsa

[afrancis]

Sorry, idiot on the loose. Poll to follow....

A.

[theshine]

Shiner is a family pet. His specialty is holding down the couch.

[Sorienew]

In the spirit of 1) seeing the diversity of those humans and their dogs participating on these Boards and 2) the relevance in today's world of the border collie's original purpose, I'd love to see the make-up of answers to this question.

In the interest of representing each dog (I realize many of you have more than one ), choose only one answer for each dog. This should best describe their predominant role in your home -- so if you only dabble in any of the sports mentioned, but consider your bc to be primarily your pet, then check "Family pet". OTOH, if your bc is a retired herder, let's say, but is now largely a pet, I would suggest his/her career be honoured by listing his/her job as "Working Stock".

Thanks for participating!

Ailsa

 

Birdie is family pet .

[JohnLloydJones]

Senneca's primary job is a companion animal to cheer up my wife. Her other jobs include taking us out for walks and running agility with me.

[pammyd]

Bens main jobs

Furry antidepressent

Personal trainer

Social butterfly

Live hot water bottle

and the smiling face that makes home home

 

Way way more than just a pet

[RaisingRiver]

River - Pet, travel buddy, training guinea pig

Diesel - Pet, good will ambassador

Jaida (nonBC) - Pet, intruder alert dog

[sweet_ceana]

If you ask me- pets for now, competitions will pend on health. (Poke's jumping is limmited--still growing & Ceana is in a basket of pain)

 

If you ask Ceana: Ball and frisbee... + She has to work Poke to make sure he fetches correctly.

 

If you ask Poke: He is management, there are so many people and dogs who need to be told what to do. (We are working on this) & Frisbee. If I would let the dog jump over and over and over again he would grind his joints into oblivion before they even develop.

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

Daisy's job is family pet or fearless guard dog (but only if there is a table to hide under when the intruder enters!)

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

OOPs double post?!

[Ruger's Dad]

Rugers job is to be a pest.

 

I wake up in the morning, he is asleep.

I get up take a shower, he greets me.

I let him outside and start making breakfast, time to myself.

I let him inside, he wants to play frisbee.

Continue to make breakfast, he wants to play frisbee.

While eating breakfast, he wants to play frisbee.

Finish getting ready for work, he wants to play frisbee.

I finally leave for work, he stares out the window while I drive off, thinking that when I get home I can play frisbee some more.

I get home, he greets me at the door and immediately gets a frisbee.

Now we play frisbee outside instead of inside, I get to wear him out.

If we then go for a walk, as soon as we get back he races to the back door to see if it is open, if so, he gets a frisbee.

We go inside, he pants and wants to play frisbee.

I make dinner, he wants to play frisbee.

While I clean up and then chill for the evening, he wants to play frisbee.

This generally goes on till I go to bed, sometimes with the dog and a frisbee.

 

I think Ruger is a tad bit obsessive compulsive. He is the best dang dog in the whole wide world though. Did I mention he likes to play frisbee?

[mjk05]

Ours are all primarily working dogs.

[Bo Peep]

Usher- fist job- service dog. He calms my tremors, which has been documented my my neurologist and helps my balance, also documented. OTOH. He is also my pet, when he isn't "in vest". He does obedience, because of his SD activities and why not show him off. Also, rally- to "mix it up" and keep his interest.

Herding is his 2nd job, what he was bred for and what I would like to see him do.

 

Bailey's Job- Usher's pet

[bcnewe2]

Mick= Head farm dog and traveling buddy. 2nd in command of the farm only 2nd to me.

 

Dew= working dog in training and head snuggler.

 

Raven=working dog who can't take handler pressure so she helps my DH who's not a working partner when I'm out of town. He sends her with a shhhhh and she gathers sheep. That's her idea of work. If you put anymore pressure on her than that she locks up. Also does a mean job of treeing squirels. Hence her nickname Squirel Girl.

 

Jazz= Head couch tater. First dog I learned anything about stock on. She's old and has earned her rights to the couch. She's also a sheep poo extrodinare! She can snork up sheep marbles like it's no ones business. If she's not on the couch she's down at the sheep poo bar. Even the ewes with babies don't mind her hanging around. Not one of my favorite dogs for snuggling for the above mentioned reason!

 

Lumpy=guardian of the sheep and head lamb licker

 

Lonesome=another sheep guard and visitor greeter.

 

They are all loved and spoiled by all that live or visit the farm.

Kristen

[WyoBC]

We do a lot together but as of right now I would have to say pet. Although that hurts to say since I do some agility, frisbee, herding, and flyball. But if you don't count those if it's not his official "job" he's a couch holder too But that's his job after those.

[vickim]

Whisper's job is:

Vacuum Cleaner (there are no crumbs on the floor. And the four year old neice is followed around diligently)

Ridding the World of Squirrels, Chipmunks, Muskrats, Racoons and other pesky varmits

Someone's at the Door Alarm

Someone's at the Door and I Don't Know This Person Alarm

Insuranace Salesman Deterrant

Time to Go For Walk and Rid the World of Pesky Varmits Reminder

I"m So Glad You're My Person Reminder

[Pat W.]

All puppers are first our beloved pets then the following jobs are theirs

 

Ashe - defender of the faith of the devine church of the border collie, lifetime companion to his boy, retired agility champion, happiness police, benevolent leader of the pack, gentle soul

 

Meg - fetcher of frisbees, chief cat harrasser..er herder?, welcome waggin' for foster dogs, head bitch, protector of dust bunnies, agility partner to my daughter,

 

Riley - Chief enforcer of the law...any law, deputy happiness police officer, keeper of the flock of Jolly balls that freely roam the house and yard, Kitten raiser, clown, special Momma's boy

 

Whim - Mommas shadow, whirling dervish, chief keeper of toys OTHER than Jolly Balls, ballistic missle, assistant cat harrasser uh herder, agility trainee and future agility star, playtime instigator,

[aBC4me]

Blaze's main job is family pet and friend but his other jobs are

• Catcher of green balls and Frisbee's
  
• Mommy's alarm clock (bless him, he is VERY noise sensitive and once the alarm clock starts going off if I don't get to it right away to turn it off, he will snuggle close to me, start whining and give me a couple of kisses, it is the BEST way to wake up, I couldn't ask for more)!
  
• Cat toy and boxing bag (it still blows my mind that dogs are ok with getting punched 50 times in a 3 second match)
  
• Puppy friend and teacher
  
• Mommy's Rally-O partner and teacher
  
• Daddy's baby
  
• Lick-a-monster
  

[afrancis]

Well, I originally thought I could make this question a poll (I knew I wasn't computer-brained, but now I am officially a middle-aged "luddite") but, I agree, this question is much more interesting when people get to give their dog(s)'s entire job description!

Keep it up -- I'm really enjoying reading them!

Ailsa

P.S. Skye is first-class pet, official plate licker, frisbee catcher extraordinaire, squirrel chaser (except when we wean abandoned ones in the house when she has to exhibit super-doggie self-control), pizza-man greeter, owner-guarder against over-exuberant puppies and, like many others, couch-warmer.

[Lewie'sMom]

Lewie's quite good at:

 

1. Making me laugh

 

2. Annoying the cat

[Carson Crazies]

Nick - working dog. He doesn't have as much regular work as he will someday (hopefully soon), but he's really my go-to guy even as young as he is. Aside from that he keeps me warm at night, and cracks me up with his roo-ing. (21 month old BC)

 

Linc - future stockdog. Right now his main job is to be a puppy though - which he does with gusto. (16 week old BC)

 

June - mostly pet these days. She will work sheep, and can be relatively useful if she understands the job and it isn't too difficult. I still work her when the occasion presents itself. She got me started in all of this. She also dabbles a little in agility, and can catch a disc. Her main job at home these days is holding down the couch - and she's exceptional at it. She deserves it if it makes her happy, and it does. She's my go-to girl on teaching puppies manners. (8 year old BC)

 

Zippy - keeps my lap warm, and cracks me up with his antics. He's my oldest at 14, and I suspect he'd have loved dog sports when he was young. (14 year old Papillon)

 

Ginger - pet. She's full of 'tude and her name should be "Make me." She's a good puppy raiser, also. She joins Nick in the keeping me warm at night department. (10 year old mutt)

[Sue R]

Celt's my right-hand farm dog and my favorite (non-hubby) companion.

 

Bute is our youngster with push when the cows need it, in training to become more useful, and an absolute dork.

 

Megan helps with the cattle and is the reigning princess in the household.

 

We got them all for farm stockwork and the terrific companionship is the icing on the cake.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Well, I originally thought I could make this question a poll (I knew I wasn't computer-brained, but now I am officially a middle-aged "luddite") but, I agree, this question is much more interesting when people get to give their dog(s)'s entire job description!

 

See? Most Border Collie people are either abstract sequential thinkers who want to be shown what needs to be done, then figure out the best way to do it; or they are concrete random thinkers to whom categories are anathema.

 

Everyone else has included all their dogs, Border Collies or not.

 

Maggie: 14 yo mutt, kid's protector, sometime service dog (she will alert me to the phone ringing and bring it if it's lost)

Ben: 12 yo BC. Ben's been everything: frisbee dog, agility dog, flyball dog, and of course sheepdog. He's also a casual service dog - opened doors, hit switches, and picked up stuff for me when I was in a wheelchair.

Lu: 10 yo Marremma/Pyrenees livestock guardian dog

Cord: 8 yo BC. Sheepdog and now learning flyball.

Gus: 7 yo BC. Sheepdog. It is way beneath his dignity to be anything else, though he is actually hubby's full-time buddy and therapy dog too.

Min: 5 yo Maremma livestock guardian dog in training

Tully: 4 yo Maremma livestock guardian dog.

Zhi: 3 yo Chinese crested. Her jobs are so legion we'll just call her Companion Par Excellence. She's in training to do flyball, too.

Ted: 18 mo BC. Sheepdog in training, recently graduated to main working dog for me.

Lynn: 8 mo mutt and kid's dog in training. PJ says he wants to train her to do flyball and stuff, but we'll see. He'd actually have to touch a dog to do that.

[esox]

Alex's jobs are:

1) Sleep Police: She makes sure that I don't get any more than 8 hours of sleep each night. And if I do get 8 hours then she was being generous.

 

2) Caretaker of the Frisbee: She makes sure the frisbee gets a chance to go potty by taking it with her. She also is responsible for bringing the frisbee to bed because it might be tired also.

 

3) Guardian of the Labrador Retrievers: Alex looks out for her brother's welfare by always making sure they know where to run in the yard.

 

4) Therapist: Always willing to listen and give the appropriate head tilt.

 

Esox

[afrancis]

See? Most Border Collie people are either abstract sequential thinkers who want to be shown what needs to be done, then figure out the best way to do it; or they are concrete random thinkers to whom categories are anathema.

 

Everyone else has included all their dogs, Border Collies or not.

 

Lesson learned.

 

Zhi: 3 yo Chinese crested. Her jobs are so legion we'll just call her Companion Par Excellence. She's in training to do flyball, too.

 

Love to see pictures of Zhi. I've always loved this breed.

 

Lynn: 8 mo mutt and kid's dog in training. PJ says he wants to train her to do flyball and stuff, but we'll see. He'd actually have to touch a dog to do that.

 

What? Touch a dog? Are you supposed to do that?

 

Ailsa