Just Curious

[BustopherJones]

Do all Border Collies sound like a thundering herd of elephants when they run, or is Annie the exception? It never ceases to amaze me as to how such a fast, agile dog can sound so heavy-footed when she runs.

[Dixie_Girl]

That cracked me up! DH and I have always commented on how when the the dogs are all running full bore up the yard, it sounds like a herd of horses! I do have a theory. I think because of their little nuclear reactor energy source, while they are agile, when running they put the "pedal to the metal". I think "grabbing ground" is how they get and keep their speed. But it is amazing to hear them. I would imagine a blind person never being around a BC, upon hearing them approach at full speed, would be expecting much larger animals!

[RaisingRiver]

I can always tell when River and Diesel are chasing each other outside. It always sounds like my neighbor's horses are running through my backyard.

[Samantha J]

haha, yep my two are very noisy too, especially going up and down the stairs. They are like baby elephants

[Lenajo]

some do, some don't. You can hear Doc walking at 50 yards, but you won't ever hear Mai even moving fast right next to you on a hard floor. She's light as a feather.

[SoloRiver]

If my three are any example, yes. In addition, Border Collies have an uncanny ability to sound like a sack of rocks hitting the floor when they lie down. *thadump dump*

[Dixie_Girl]

Melanie, that's exactly how Jackson lays down. Skip, OTOH, acts like he is 90 and every bone will hurt if it touches the ground just a smidgen too hard!

[KarenN]

One of mine is VERY noisy when she runs, the other pretty quiet.

[bc4ever]

LOL!! I did laugh out loud when I read your post! Sounds like the house is coming down when Scooter runs down the steps! Ahhh...here he comes now!! LOL! Everything is an emergency to them! He also does the "cathud" thing when he (finally) lies down. I used to check on him thinking something was wrong, but that's him. My brother's Aussie does the same thing. I really enjoy this board, just for these kinds of questions. Good to be able to interact with other Border Collie people--we're a different breed!

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

Hunh, I thought it was just mine! She has a stealth mode, (which is almost always) she can walk around the house and her tags won't even jingle. You know she's looking for trouble then When she's running in the house or outside she sounds like she is 250lbs! She is also VERY loud when she lies down. One big thump and a moan!

 

EDIT: to finish my sentence...stupid internet.

[Jedismom]

The lying down "kerplunk" thing....Jedi too

[Janet808]

That's funny, I often wondered the same thing, but never actually thought to ask that question here, so kudos to you for doing it for me. Yes, Misty walks like she weighs hundreds of pounds. I often expect my husband to enter the room and see it's her. My husband actually walks lighter, we all do! And, in response to Jedismom...She's a kerplunker too! In fact, just recently my husband took her down to the boat, and the couple of guys down there (fellow boaters) laughed and got a kick out of how she just 'kerplunks' herself. As if she just tips over and falls. lol Glad to hear it's not just Misty. Whew!

[BustopherJones]

In addition, Border Collies have an uncanny ability to sound like a sack of rocks hitting the floor when they lie down.

 

Yep, that's Annie!!! Whenever she drops to the floor, the "thud" is so loud that I have to recheck the structural integrity of the house...

[urge to herd]

Sam is pretty quiet, Buzz does a great border collie body slam, complete with heavy sigh.

 

Shoshone, now. Well. She's our Stealth Unit. I'll be sitting working at the computer, or reading, or doing something quiet, and I'll hear this tiny, tiny, wuff from just about under the chair. Scares the bejeebers out of me because I've had no idea she was in the room, much less within striking distance.

 

They're an amazingly verstaile breed

 

Ruth n the BC3

[gypsy84]

Gypsy is the heaviest-sounding 35lb dog I've ever been around. She always stretches as she's walking, she'll push her back feet out as far as they can go and then THUMP just flop over onto her side. It makes me cringe but it really doesn't seem to bother her! She also does this weird baby voice screechie noise on occasion when she yawns. And she's a grunter.

[WyoBC]

Mine does that too. He can sneek up behind you without you even knowing it, or he can go running through the house like a horse. He even bucks sometimes

 

He also makes a lot of noise when he lies down. When we go somewhere and he's in his crate, if we're parked somewhere for a few minutes he'll lay down. He makes the whole truck rock! It's like someone jumps on one side of it. No joke.

[powerfulgazelle]

Kip is our stealthy one; his tags rarely even jingle.

 

When he leaps up on the bed, he lands lightly...if it is nighttime and I am trying to sleep and/or the lights are off, he often gets in a surprise face-lick, because I actually think it is the cat leaping up on the bed.

 

Of course, FatBoyCatBoy is about 24-25 lbs, so the mistake is easier to make than with a normal-sized cat.

 

Kip does kerflop, however, as if he does not have any knees...just leans over and lets gravity take over.

[Bo Peep]

This is so funny- I thought my border collies were the only ungraceful ones. They Ker-punk so hard the neighbors wake up!! So much for tip-toeing on the sheep- LOL. Also, the playing on the carpet between the two, I doubt if I have any "tread" left.