Veterans please post :)

[JaderBug]

All the bickering on the other thread about the importance of veterans got me thinking and I wanted to ask the veterans some questions:

 

1) How long have you been involved with the breed, and how did you get involved?

2) At what point did you know you had been bitten by the BC bug?

3) What sort of activities do you and your BCs participate in?

4) If you breed, what made you decide to start doing so?

5) What organizations (dog related) do you belong to and how active are you in each?

6) Do you have any stories or experiences that you've had along the way to share some insight?

7) What sort of things are you still struggling with or would like to improve?

8) Any tips for the beginners and novices that wish to aspire to 'veteran' status?

 

I know it's a lot of questions, feel free to answer as many or as few as you'd like. Just thought this could be very educational/informative, and good conversation, I hope people play along

[afrancis]

I think this may be too soon and "hopeful", but in the spirit of community and since I have only been reading and not particpating in the "Odin thread" (hence, not weary), I'll play along....

 

Though not technically a veteran (joined here in winter 08) but it is my second board membership, the first being over 15 years ago.

 

1. Got my first bc x about 16 years ago now. Did all my research, wanted my first dog (I was 33, eek!) and thought I'd get a lab or golden. Went to Shelter and brought home bcx. duh. Joined first forum soon after.

2. As soon as I took her out of her cage.

3. Now, we do long walks, ball and frisbee playing, running around the house zoomies, hotel inspecting, car travelling, swimming and playing with other dogs, esp. Ned, the bc x Landseer -- picture that! Also regular obedience and tricks.

4. Never.

5. Ashamed to say, none. Not a people person after being in retail for 10 years.

6. Just realized what "herding" was. Not something that a dog does for fun but rather, a controlled, practical job that requires a trained handler and an experienced dog. It might also be fun within those parameters.

7. My dog's desire to "control" others ... namely, other dogs having fun. This is a work in progress but getting better. It's actually all up to me.

8. Don't take things personally, unless you know you've been doing something wrong; realize that it's actually a lot of energy to reply to a post with detailed instructions and recommendations and veterans actually do want to help; don't breed; be willing to learn and show humility.

Ailsa

[kajarrel]

I know I'm not technically a "veteran" in the sense of many of the others (meaning that I don't trial, do agility, yada, yada, so don't completely feel "part of the list") but I have participated in this forum since 2001 or so, and was a member of BC-L and Sheepdog-L earlier on. I like some of the questions, so here goes.

 

1) How long have you been involved with the breed, and how did you get involved?

I got my first border collie in 1979 when I was a student in Phila. I lived in a house with 13 other students. One of my housemates let my lab/Newfie puppy out (in retrospect, probably intentionally) and she was killed crossing the road. I was distraught (this was my very first dog), and one of my other housemates and her boyfriend went to the pound to get me another dog. They didn't see anything until Tim put his finger in the cage of a little and white dog named "Cindy." When she bit his finger, they knew she was the dog for me. I had Cindy for 16 or 17 years and have owned at least one border collie ever since.

 

2) At what point did you know you had been bitten by the BC bug? I don't know if I was ever really "bitten by the border collie bug" (I have and will own other breeds of dogs). But, one of my childhood dreams was to live on a farm (my grandparents were all raised on/had small family farms), and when my then boyfriend, now husband, and I finished our undergraduate degrees and moved to Up State NY, I could finally realize my dream. Luckly, he also likes animals and enables my lifestyle. 80ish adult sheep later and with a pretty active lamb business, we couldn't do this without a border collie . . .

 

3) What sort of activities do you and your BCs participate in? My dogs are farm dogs. They herd sheep and do all the other things farm dogs do . . .

 

4) If you breed, what made you decide to start doing so? I don't breed anything besides sheep.

 

5) What organizations (dog related) do you belong to and how active are you in each? None.

 

6) Do you have any stories or experiences that you've had along the way to share some insight? I've shared some of these over the years but can't think of any right now.

 

7) What sort of things are you still struggling with or would like to improve? Working my dogs - always trying to figure out better ways. Wish the list was more active in this area.

 

8) Any tips for the beginners and novices that wish to aspire to 'veteran' status? Enjoy your dogs. Don't worry so much about dominating your dogs. Forge your own identities separate from your dog. Don't encourage mindless activities (chasing laser lights, barking at shadows, etc. - what's cute the first few times WILL become a problem, if not to you, to others). You can't tire these dogs - teach them to relax.

 

Kim

[stockdogranch]

Well, not sure how we define veteran status. I haven't been on the board all that long, but I post pretty frequently have had BCs for some years now.

 

I train my own dogs to work stock (sheep and cattle, and the odd goat thrown in every now and then). I work with students and their dogs, as well as taking in dogs for training. I sort of "inherited" the training business from my ex, who originally taught me to work dogs. Then I became the "apprentice" trainer; over the years he lost interest in working the dogs. Pretty soon, I was doing all the work (as well as taking care of all the stock). When he got really stupid (as guys can do), he went down the road (yippee). So my dogs do all the work taking care of the stock, and we trial quite a bit, primarily on cattle.

 

I do occasionally breed. I only do so after I am REALLY SURE that my bitches will make a good contribution to the breed. They have to be excellent workers both at chores, here and elsewhere on a wide variety of stock, as well as excel on the trial field consistently. When I do breed, I am really looking to replace what I have, but better, and I carefully look at stud dogs who will compliment the lines I have.

 

I belong to the USBCHA, ABCA, and the Wyoming Stock Dog Asoc.

 

Lots of stories...they tend to come out in posts when relevant.

 

I am always looking to improve my training techniques. Every dog I work with teaches me a new lesson, as they are all so different.

 

As for novices, just hang out, ask a lot of questions, and listen. Oh, and trust your dog.

 

A

[Errol]

All the bickering on the other thread about the importance of veterans got me thinking and I wanted to ask the veterans some questions:

 

1) How long have you been involved with the breed, and how did you get involved?

2) At what point did you know you had been bitten by the BC bug?

3) What sort of activities do you and your BCs participate in?

4) If you breed, what made you decide to start doing so?

5) What organizations (dog related) do you belong to and how active are you in each?

6) Do you have any stories or experiences that you've had along the way to share some insight?

7) What sort of things are you still struggling with or would like to improve?

8) Any tips for the beginners and novices that wish to aspire to 'veteran' status?

 

I know it's a lot of questions, feel free to answer as many or as few as you'd like. Just thought this could be very educational/informative, and good conversation, I hope people play along

 

 

Got my first BC in 1975. that makes me a veteran. Enough said.

[1sheepdoggal]

25 yrs in dogs daily as a career, grooming, training in several different venues, and 1st BC in 1995. Doesnt make me a veteran ( although I wear the scars) or an expert, but its given me enough experience to answer more questions than I ask. (does the smiley face really help make a difference?)

[Lenajo]

Ok, I'm un-mad. Though I doubt I'll bother with novice behavior issue posts for a while

 

1) How long have you been involved with the breed, and how did you get involved?

I think..17 years. We were given an Aussie Shep to help with our stock, then a BC puppy followed. Before that my sister and I were the stockdogs. I've been raising various types of stock for over 30 years.

 

2) At what point did you know you had been bitten by the BC bug? We've always had lots of dogs (when I was born we had 13 birddogs) so it was a gradual transition from aging out other breeds to the dogs that helped us farm. I think when I hit dog 4 I relized I was serious about this

 

3) What sort of activities do you and your BCs participate in?

USBCHA herding, occassaionally AHBA, in the past ASCA. Non-herding - USDAA, NADAC, and ASCA agility. We also track, but so far that's not become a competitive thing. In the past I've also done competitive obedience and helped with service dog training. I hope to start some SAR work next year.

 

At home they help me farm, and we also go to other farms as needed.

 

4) If you breed, what made you decide to start doing so?

We do, and because we wish to continue a line(s) that are valuable to us as workers.

 

5) What organizations (dog related) do you belong to and how active are you in each?

 

USBCHA and ABCA. I compete and I vote, that's about it.

 

6) Do you have any stories or experiences that you've had along the way to share some insight?

 

It's like Roy said "Some people learn by doing, some by watching, and others have to pee on the electric fence for themselves". You have to find your own way. The least painful way to learn is to watch and listen to others. At the very least they can be a very good example of how not to do it.

 

Also - you'll never get good sitting at home and talking about it. Get out and suffer the learning curve like the rest of us.

 

7) What sort of things are you still struggling with or would like to improve?

 

I think the core of everything is timing. Correction, praise, pressure, release.... I'll be perfecting that the rest of my life.

 

8) Any tips for the beginners and novices that wish to aspire to 'veteran' status?

 

Brag on what you've done, not what you are going to do. When in doubt shut your mouth and open your ears.

 

Now I'm off for the weekend. Ya'll get in a fight I can read for fun when a get back!

[Root Beer]

I'm not really a veteran, but I'm not a newbie, either, so I'm gonna play, too!

 

1) How long have you been involved with the breed, and how did you get involved?

 

I got involved with the breed in November of 2001 when we made Speedy a member of our household. I went into it knowing nothing and ended up with a Border Collie with mental issues, but I was committed to making it work and I did.

 

2) At what point did you know you had been bitten by the BC bug?

 

For me it was when I met the Border Collies that Speedy's breeder had at the time. There was no going back for me at that point.

 

3) What sort of activities do you and your BCs participate in?

 

Speedy and I tried Agility, did Rally for a while, and now we do Canine Musical Freestyle. Those are our "formal" activities. We also play ball, hike, swim, and hang out.

 

Dean and I do Musical Freestyle and Agility. His real passion in life is swimming, so I try to give him a chance to swim as often as I can.

 

4) If you breed, what made you decide to start doing so?

 

I don't breed, but I do volunteer with rescue. I did this because Speedy would likely have been dead had he ended up with the wrong owner. I wanted to help other dogs get to a safe place so they would have a chance to find the right homes. I don't get to do much, but I'm glad to do what I can.

 

5) What organizations (dog related) do you belong to and how active are you in each?

 

I'm a member of WCFO (World Canine Freestyle Organization). I compete several times a year and I vote when there is voting to be done. I am also a member of our training center's Freestyle and Agility clubs.

 

I compete in CPE Agility with Dean and with Maddie, one of our mixes, and NADAC with Dean.

 

6) Do you have any stories or experiences that you've had along the way to share some insight?

 

When Speedy became arthritic, my perspective really changed. A lot of things that mattered a lot to me before became very trivial when I faced the fact that every day I have with him is truly a gift.

 

To those who have puppies or are dealing with dog behavior problems, remember that your dog won't always be with you. The day will come when an accident in the house or a muffin stolen off the dining room table is really not the big deal that it seems to be at the time.

 

7) What sort of things are you still struggling with or would like to improve?

 

I tend to start a lot of training projects with my dogs and then move on to something new without following through. They all have a lot of half-learned behaviors. I would really like to go back and finish a lot of what I have started with each of them.

 

ETA: They all know quite a few completed behaviors, as well - there are just certain things with each dog that are "unfinished"

 

8) Any tips for the beginners and novices that wish to aspire to 'veteran' status?

 

It's OK to be yourself even if you are different from most of the members of the forum.

[bcnewe2]

I was sitting here thinking that I could answer these questions....then I wondered how do you know when you become a "veteran"? Is there a test you have to take? I might not be a vetran but it's my passion for sure.

 

1) How long have you been involved with the breed, and how did you get involved?

Since 1997. I always wanted a BC like my great uncle had when I was a kid. Fell into herding when my second bc bit a neighbor kid and the dad said "don't worry, she was just herding her." So I went on a quest to make that stop. The addiction was fast and painless. I think it was the first time I saw my dog on sheep and I was hooked. I saw what I consider to be someone comuniating to an alien species and I wanted to do that. I've owned sheep since 1999 and been learning the art of stockdog training since 1998. I don't do other training except manners cause sheep and stockwork seem to take up all my time and money.

 

 

 

2) At what point did you know you had been bitten by the BC bug?

Probably when I brought another dog home after my DH said I couldn't and I won.

 

3) What sort of activities do you and your BCs participate in?

Stockwork and trialing but this year trialing seems to be on hold. I go to clinics as much as I can, I consider them more important to this journey.

 

4) If you breed, what made you decide to start doing so?

Not grown up enough yet.

I probably won't, but I'd like to think one day I'll know enough to breed if I want to. Well maybe I know (there's that trusting myself) but I don't see the need when I can go out and buy what I'm looking for. I've truely owned very few dogs that I would breed, and those have had health issues that would prevent me from breeding them even if I wanted to. I keep Dew whole on the just in case. And for the record...just because they're not breed worthy doesn't mean they aren't the best dogs in the world. They are!!

 

5) What organizations (dog related) do you belong to and how active are you in each? ABCA and different local stockdog clubs.

 

6) Do you have any stories or experiences that you've had along the way to share some insight?

 

I guess I feel like I settled (or became a vetran) into BC's when I felt comfortable with how I raised them, knew the answer to the noobs (I like that word) questions and wasn't just spouting what I had read yesterday. Found my own way of working with my own and lots of other dogs. Trusting myself even if someone might have different opinions or options. Not that I can't change or learn from others but feeling fine with disagreeing on methods. One of my mentors once said, when you're new you have these huge light bulb moments and as you mellow into dogtraining it's more like dimmerswitch moments, like not so AH HAH more like hhmmmm. So I guess I'm still new cause I still have light bulb moments all the time but I now have the hhmmm moments too. (Must be the martinis working)

 

7) What sort of things are you still struggling with or would like to improve? Timing, timing, and more timing.

 

8) Any tips for the beginners and novices that wish to aspire to 'veteran' status? Nothing better than what's been said, keep your mouth shut if you don't know and keep your ears open all the time.

 

Let me know if I pass the test (edt. to add my emoticon)

Kristen