what is a Border Collie?

[SoloRiver]

This is an editorial I wrote for the USBCC newsletter last year (and yes, I realize the newsletter is long overdue and am working on that). This piece is obviously out of date in terms of my personal details but it reflects my personal experiences. I thought it would be interesting if we could discuss -- in a straightforward manner -- what the meaning and identity of this breed is, how it is perceived by the public, and how these two phenomena intersect.

 

What is a Border Collie?

The Border Collie: it’s not just another black and white dog.

 

“Those are Border Collies, right? They herd sheep.”

 

I live in San Francisco with two Border Collies, Solo and Fly. They are attractive dogs, and so we are often stopped and greeted by strangers on the street who want to meet my dogs. Over and over again, I am struck by the strong identity that Border Collies enjoy, even among the general public, as true working dogs - not just another breed that used to do something for a living, but doesn’t do it anymore. People are delighted to meet two dogs who can both be described as useful. It makes them seem more real. These days, authenticity means a lot to an American public becoming further and further divorced from practical, hands-on work and life experiences. I am always pleased to be able to answer, when asked, “Yes. Both of my dogs work sheep.”

 

What is a Border Collie? What is a breed? Many “fanciers” define a breed in terms of common ancestry: thus, you can have different “lines” within a breed (working, show, sport), but since they’re all part of the same studbook, they’re still all the same breed. An emphasis on common ancestry alone, however, ignores another crucial component, which is consistency of type: in other words, when you breed two Border Collies, they should produce offspring that are like themselves, and that are predictable for certain characteristics that are considered important for Border Collies. Consistency of type is the reason that breeds exist; if a random selection of doglike characteristics would do, no one would ever have bothered to begin a program of selective dog breeding in the first place. Different people favor different breeds because they consider different characteristics to be important, even definitive. If there were breeders out there specializing in giant Chihuahuas, most would argue that those breeders were missing the point of Chihuahuas.

 

What is a Border Collie? You can ask any ten strangers on the street that question, and more than likely they’ll all give you the same answer: “Border Collies are those dogs that herd sheep.”

 

This is not the same thing as “Border Collies are those dogs that have a conformation that is hypothetically consistent with what you might find in a dog meant to herd sheep,” and it is certainly not the same thing as “Border Collies are those dogs that are really good at running arbitrary courses over obstacles.” Now, this is not to say that a good Border Collie does not meet these criteria - any useful Border Collie has a conformation demonstrably consistent with success at stock work, and pretty much any random Border Collie will be good at running arbitrary obstacle courses. But when breeders select for these latter criteria, they are missing the point of Border Collies.

 

What is the Border Collie? It is a true working breed, not a faded facsimile of one. How can we keep it so? Consider this; enjoy your dogs.

 

Before moving to Oregon, I lived in Philadelphia, and then San Francisco. Despite the fact that these are both major urban centers, the vast majority of people I ran into on the street strongly identified Border Collies as herding dogs. This is also the case in Oregon, which is not surprising since there are craploads of sheep here, and lots of Border Collies (so many that when you do a Petfinder search for "Border Collie" here, most of the dogs that come up are actually Border Collies or mixes, and not black and white pit bulls).

 

Before I close this post, I want to make it clear that all three of my dogs (the editorial was written before I got Jett) are primarily pets and that I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a Border Collie as "just a pet." I enjoy working my dogs, but I am a weekend warrior without sheep of my own and if I had no interest in working stock I would have Border Collies anyway. I have also participated in sports with my dogs including agility, rally, and flyball. My favorite dog, the dog of my lifetime, flunked out of herding school before I adopted him and I think no less of him for it.

 

I do not believe that participating in other activities, or no activities at all, dilutes the identity of the Border Collie -- as long as it is still bred to be a true working dog with practical abilities to manage livestock. I believe that the brain, heart, and body that such breeding produces is what gets us these dogs that are so incredibly good at all the other stuff -- including being the best companions in the world.

 

What do you think?

[MaryP]

I guess I get similar reactions from people on the street. There are not many border collies around here. I rarely see other border collies when I'm out and about. The only place I really ever see other border collies is at agility events, where they far outnumber any other breed there. Usually, when people ask about my dog, they will start either with, "What kind of dog is that?" or "Is that a border collie?" The next thing they usually say is, "Those are the dogs that herd sheep, right?" Often then, they will tell me about how they were watching them on TV once, or took a trip somewhere once where they got to see them working, and always they tell me how impressive they are. Most people will also say, "They are really smart, aren't they?" But, then you get the people who will say, "I could never have a border collie; they are way too hyper."

 

The only place that I get the impression of people believing that the bc was originally bred to be a sheep dog, but is not so much bred for that purpose anymore, is in my interactions with other people in the agility world. As I've said before, I mostly train with AKC people because that is the dominant venue around here, so it doesn't surprise me that they tend to have that attitude. It does, however, sadden me. There are also a lot of non-bc people in the sport world who also think that bc's are hyper and over the top, but that is because they see so many of the sport-bred ones. I wish that I could change the culture of thought in that world, but I don't even know where to begin, except to try and lead by example and to try to point out misinformation when I can.

[Pippin's person]

I do not believe that participating in other activities, or no activities at all, dilutes the identity of the Border Collie -- as long as it is still bred to be a true working dog with practical abilities to manage livestock. I believe that the brain, heart, and body that such breeding produces is what gets us these dogs that are so incredibly good at all the other stuff -- including being the best companions in the world.

 

What do you think?

 

I completely agree with you. Our young dog Kyzer is a nice working-bred dog and seeing him do things like agility and play frisbee etc. has really hit home for me what the working "package" can bring to the table in all arenas in which we do something with our dogs. He's by no means a perfect dog and, like all dogs, has issues that come to the table along with all the great stuff.

 

It's so interesting to me because he truly IS versatile, but he was most definitely not bred with versatility in mind. (he's nice on stock; intense and drive-y in agility; would probably be a sub-4 flyball dog if we did flyball anymore; could do the amazing frisbee leaps if we put him there; entirely calm in the house, ready to go or sleep depending on what you tell him we're up to) Our other working-bred BC is fairly similar.

 

ETA: Few people "out in the street" recognize him as a border collie (he's very smooth, very whippet-y in the body, bat ears, bully-like head). Actually, both our working-bred dogs are regularly taken to be mutts. BUT, when we tell people that they are border collies, people are generally really interested and interested in knowing more about them and what they do (or maybe they just humor us...)

[Mark Billadeau]

Is it that the general public believes that they are still bred for livestock work or are their responses more due to the hype that the AKC gives about all breeds (the breed was developed to do ____ and every dog in the breed can do ____)?

 

Mark

[Debbie Meier]

When we are out and about people don't believe me that we have a border collie, he's a smooth coat, I get that step back, cock of the head, followed by "Really, did you shave him?"

 

Last night over dinner I think we made a discover, I don't think border collies ever were a cornerstone in the livestock industry here in Iowa to begin with. I wonder if most people that have livestock view the dog as a farm dog/companion/pet that is a decendent of sheep dogs, for the most part they see them at the State Fair Trial, romping around the yard or in TV commercials. When I approach it from that direction instead of from the direction of reintroducing the working dog I realize that we have to introduce it as a new concept not an old one and figure out how to adapt it to the proven tried and true methods currently used and convince people that a dog can be useful beyond what their current definition of useful is.

 

It also accounts for why many people in this area don't realize that BC's come in different colors or different coats, in many cases you can't get people to take a smooth coat, they really don't believe that they are border collies. Only rough coated traditional black and white that you see on TV or in movies. Some have the conception of hyperness, which also is being portrayed by the media and also the AKC, think about how they describe the Border Collies personality, intesity, high energy needs to have a job and kept busy, add it all up and it spells H-Y-P-E-R. Of course I believe that those that purchase a border collie and keep it busy and constently find it active jobs can make it hyper, but that's an entirely different deal that is also affecting other breeds. Personally I like it when the dogs job is to curl up and hold the rug down while sleeping.

 

Deb

[SoloRiver]

Is it that the general public believes that they are still bred for livestock work or are their responses more due to the hype that the AKC gives about all breeds (the breed was developed to do ____ and every dog in the breed can do ____)?

 

Good point. I don't know the answer to that one. Often, people do follow up as MaryP notes with something like "I saw them when I was in Scotland" or "I saw them on TV" or, heh, "I saw that movie Babe." But others might say it just because they saw Westminster on TV, and listened to Mr. Frei blather on about how "intense" the Barbie Collie's gaze is because he "uses his eye to mesmerize sheep" or something like that. (This usually while the dog is standing there with a blank expression, staring at liver.)

 

When I approach it from that direction instead of from the direction of reintroducing the working dog I realize that we have to introduce it as a new concept not an old one

 

This is an interesting point also. There are probably a lot of people out there who believe that there aren't any useful dogs anymore, and that every breed we have today is a faded facsimile of what it used to be, including the Border Collie. I know someone who grew up on a farm in Iowa, and she was surprised that anyone was still using dogs to work sheep, even though her family raised sheep. They just used grain to get the sheep where they needed them to go, but she acknowledged that sorting and holding tasks were difficult and would have been made easier if they'd had trained dogs. It had never occurred to them to get trained dogs -- it just wasn't done.

[desertranger]

The average dog's job is to lay around all day.

 

Border Collies are very rare here. Of those I see most of them belong to tourists who travel with them. In the past year I've only seen one other in the local area and only know of two who live here. Jin's mom and one of his sisters. That means a high proportion of people who have never seen one ask, "What kind of dog is she"? Among other dogs here they are always the ones with instant celebrity status whether it's throwing Frisbees at the park, working on agility training or just walking around at street fair. People don't really recognize them as sheepdogs until you tell them they are BC's. They seem to be more interested in the pretty dog until you tell them. Then it's the usual round of questions about how hyper, smart, easy, difficult, etc. Over the past few weeks as I introduce Jin to people I'm finding that a lot of them associate BC's with dog sports and not the working of a herd of sheep, geese or cattle.

 

As a side note it's interesting top note more than a few of the people who are at the park daily now stop to watch me work with the dogs and Jin's training. They never stopped to watch me work with Mookie.

[Debbie Meier]

They just used grain to get the sheep where they needed them to go, but she acknowledged that sorting and holding tasks were difficult and would have been made easier if they'd had trained dogs. It had never occurred to them to get trained dogs -- it just wasn't done.

 

There would probably be another another chapter to the story if they did get a dog, in most cases they would get frustrated because instead of the dog instantly making the job easier they have to wait a while, get their sheep accepting being handled by dogs, reteach the sheep to stay away from them instead of hunt them, maybe make some adjustments to their pens and alleys making them more dog friendly, and also learn how to use the dog effectively. All that change comes to mind as time, cost or expense, which was not anticipated or understood when they were under the opionion that a dog would make their life easier and save them money. I guess that's why I'm looking at it as a new concept, people automatically understand that going with a new concept that there will be trial and error and possible expense that will be defrayed over the long term. They will walk in understanding that they need to invest time and money in order to yield a gain.

 

Kinda reminds me of Wayne this winter, we rented a Bobcat track machine to clean up snow, he was so frustrated with the time he lost in trying to learn how to run it that all he could think of is how much work he would have gotten done with a regular tired machine that he is used to operating, if he could of he would have had them pick it up and replace it. By the third day he was actually getting more done with the track machine then he could have with the tired machine, though he still won't admit it (LOL).

 

Deb

[Pippin's person]

As a side note it's interesting top note more than a few of the people who are at the park daily now stop to watch me work with the dogs and Jin's training. They never stopped to watch me work with Mookie.

 

Do you think some of that is because Jin is a puppy?

[Kathy Chittenden]

Great discussion!

 

One public perception that happened to me -

Scenario: Playing chuck-it ball in backyard with 6 border collies and one golden retriever.

Mystery man appears - he saw all the dogs and he has a golden too so thought he'd visit.

I stop and turn to him to talk.

His eyes get BIG, he backs waaaaay up.

I turn around and as usual, all 6 BCs are lined up, crouched for action, eyeballing the still tennis ball at my feet

He stammers "Whhaaaat are they doing??"

 

I think it was his first BC experience:)

 

You almost have to experience them first hand to truly understand. Our rescue group frequently invites approved adopters to actual BC events so they can see them in action before really making a commitment to adopting one.

 

Kathy

[Lizmo]

As a side note it's interesting top note more than a few of the people who are at the park daily now stop to watch me work with the dogs and Jin's training. They never stopped to watch me work with Mookie.

 

That might just be because Jin is still a young pup, and most people find it very interesting that you can teach a puppy to be well behaved, listen to you, or not bitting your hands or ankles. Atleast thats is what I have found out with the people that I have encountered.

 

I've had the same experiences as others, when I say Blaze is a Border Collie, they either look at me strange because he is a smooth coat, or they say "Oh those are the dogs that do herding".

[Kathy Chittenden]

Farmer's perspective -

 

We have a dairy farm - we milk about 80 Jerseys. We have a few of our border collies who can come on over and help but for the most part it is just not practical all of the time.

 

The cows are pastured during the summer and Keegan will help dad bring the cows back to the barn for milking but really, after the new schedule of being out and going in happens a few times, the cows are already at the barn door by milking time. Keegan can help milking go faster as he pushes cows through the parlor quicker than dad can get them but it raises heck with his legs going up and down the concrete steps from holding area to milking pit. And his main purpose is as my husband's agility dog.

 

We have sheep and we will go out and "work" to the best of our untrained ability with some herding and our dogs. We'll also bring our foster dog(s) out to see if there is any potential. Our best sheepdog is one that came to us through rescue, originally purchased in a pet store, and he can now go and fetch the sheep anywhere they may be and bring them back safely to their night pasture. He does this without direction, just kind of knows that is his job and it is beautiful to see:) We don't need any of our dogs for our farm work but there is something very nice about being able to provide them with a farm life.

 

We got into border collies through agility, adopting through rescue, and are now very active with the rescue. They are definitely first and foremost pets though.

 

Kathy

www.sugarbushfarm.net

www.sugarbushfarm.blogspot.com

[WildFlower]

Great discussion!

 

One public perception that happened to me -

Scenario: Playing chuck-it ball in backyard with 6 border collies and one golden retriever.

Mystery man appears - he saw all the dogs and he has a golden too so thought he'd visit.

I stop and turn to him to talk.

His eyes get BIG, he backs waaaaay up.

I turn around and as usual, all 6 BCs are lined up, crouched for action, eyeballing the still tennis ball at my feet

He stammers "Whhaaaat are they doing??"

 

I think it was his first BC experience:)

 

You almost have to experience them first hand to truly understand. Our rescue group frequently invites approved adopters to actual BC events so they can see them in action before really making a commitment to adopting one.

 

Kathy

 

 

LOL. They are truly amazing, aren't they?

 

Surprisingly, even thought I live in the city, there are 5 BCs in my neighborhood. Most people that we encouter fall into the typical - "they're so hyper and need a lot of exercise" category of comments.

[desertranger]

Do you think some of that is because Jin is a puppy?

 

That's possible. I do get comments on how young he is but I've been doing the same with Mookie since she was a pup and she never got the attention that Jin gets.

 

 

 

Great discussion!

 

One public perception that happened to me -

Scenario: Playing chuck-it ball in backyard with 6 border collies and one golden retriever.

Mystery man appears - he saw all the dogs and he has a golden too so thought he'd visit.

I stop and turn to him to talk.

His eyes get BIG, he backs waaaaay up.

I turn around and as usual, all 6 BCs are lined up, crouched for action, eyeballing the still tennis ball at my feet

He stammers "Whhaaaat are they doing??"

 

I think it was his first BC experience:)

 

You almost have to experience them first hand to truly understand. Our rescue group frequently invites approved adopters to actual BC events so they can see them in action before really making a commitment to adopting one.

 

Kathy

 

 

Priceless. I lost a girl over the fact she couldn't handle being stared at.

 

Kathy you have to explain that one to me. I'm aware that we had to be OK'd to get Jin (we went to the top of the list) but how do you approve an adopter especially one that has no BC experience?

[Kathy Chittenden]

Kathy you have to explain that one to me. I'm aware that we had to be OK'd to get Jin (we went to the top of the list) but how do you approve an adopter especially one that has no BC experience?

 

We have a detailed application that we review. We'll follow up with a phone call and all adopters get home visits before sending a dog home.

 

Some people may not have BC experience but we have some BCs that are really quite well trained and behaved and don't need anything special to be a pet. Everyone has to start somewhere - I never had a BC before adopting in 2001 - so as long as people are willing to be patient with the process and there is nothing glaringly outrageous with their request to adopt, we can usually make a good match - takes time in some cases though!

 

We do "just say no" to people who think they are somehow above the process and tell us we're too nosy - LOL!

 

Kathy

[bc4ever]

We've lived in this Ohio suburb for almost 11 years now and Scooter is the only Border Collie we've ever seen (maybe the other ones have 9-5 jobs!) Lots of Rotties, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Labs, Labradoodles, etc. People frequently inquire as to what breed of dog Scooter is. When I tell them he's a Border Collie, I get the same responses--"Ohhh..they're really smart, aren't they?", or "Ohhh, they're the ones who do the Frisbee things on Animal Planet." They seem really fascinated with him, sometimes looking almost disparagingly down at their dog pulling on the leash and barking like a maniac while Scooter just ignores them. And children are always drawn to him. They tell me how pretty he is. Thankfully, he likes kids, but I discourage them from coming up to him if he doesn't know them.

 

I think there's a certain mystique surrounding Border Collies and most people are just interested in knowing if all the stories they've heard are true! LOL! Yes, and then some!

 

BIL stopped in the other night on his way home from Florida. I could tell he didn't want anything to do with Scooter (he didn't want any dog hair on his designer jeans) so I kept him lying down next to me. The next thing out of his mouth was, "If I were to get a dog, it would be a Border Collie. Scooter is so smart and well behaved." Now this guy is even less athletic than DH and I are! The poor dog would never see the outdoors! I usually try to discourage him by telling him how much work they are, and of course, how much they shed! LOL! People. Ya have to laugh sometimes.

[jenkshipley]

I do not believe that participating in other activities, or no activities at all, dilutes the identity of the Border Collie -- as long as it is still bred to be a true working dog with practical abilities to manage livestock. I believe that the brain, heart, and body that such breeding produces is what gets us these dogs that are so incredibly good at all the other stuff -- including being the best companions in the world.

 

What do you think?

 

 

Couldn't of said it better myself.

 

 

You have a new dog? Very cool.

 

Jen

Flute, Enna and Fever.

[Shetlander]

When I tell them he's a Border Collie, I get the same responses--"Ohhh..they're really smart, aren't they?", or "Ohhh, they're the ones who do the Frisbee things on Animal Planet."

 

I'd say the is the majority of responses I get as well. References to Animal Planet, Frisbee and Agility. Maybe about 20 -25 % mention sheep.

 

The next thing out of his mouth was, "If I were to get a dog, it would be a Border Collie. Scooter is so smart and well behaved."

 

That sort of comment worries me too when they see Quinn acting mellow and sweet. I don't launch into Border Collie horror stories (mainly because I don't completely agree), but I do discuss the need for training and exercise, saying they are "labor intensive."

 

A number of people comment to me "I had/have a Border Collie. They are the best dogs!" Just regular, pet owning, love their dog people.

[Sue R]

I have had more than one person figure we had a "bond" because they had gone down to the irresponsible BYB in Aurora and gotten a pup "just like ours" but almost pure white (see where that is going - can you guess what kind of breeding?). Then by the time the pup was six months old, it was no longer cute and totally out of control, and they wondered "if we would like to have it because we have Border Collies, too?". Of course, the only reason that poor pup was a terror is because it had no decent training but how are you going to tell them that politely? I just said that no, thanks, but we have all the dogs we want.

 

I have to revise my comments made somewhere here that folks always assume they are crossbred (because they don't look like Westminster-winning dogs) or that they are clueless that they work on a farm doing real stockwork. I have run into a number of people that either remember back to their youth on the farm and the helpful dogs there that brought in the cows. Some of these people are the old-timers in the nursing home when I used to take Celt and Megan for Therapy Dog visits. Some are younger people who grew up in the country. I expect most of the stockwork they saw was pretty simple but useful nonetheless.

 

Like Liz, I tend to cringe when people admire my dogs in public, comment on their good behavior, mention the Border Collie's intelligence, and seem heading in the direction that since they are smart dogs and mine are well-behaved, that maybe they should get one also because they would then have a dog with no problems that magically trains itself.

 

Most people are really nice about it but I always make it a point to say that they are "working Border Collies" when anyone asks, and that we use them for cattle work. That often results in a widening of the eyes and the thought that they will probably get another breed for a pet. I hope.

[JaderBug]

I wanted to post on here earlier, but had to go to class so I didn't have time to post, so I might be back tracking a little.

 

I've gotten two reactions from people in my apartment buildings when they see Jade. Once, a guy with a little foofy white dog goes "DAMN!! That dog is HUGE!!" (Jade is now a measly 37 lbs, hardly what I'd ever consider a "huge" dog ), and another guy with a Japanese Chin said "That's a border collie, right? They're really smart dogs!" I've certainly gotten the "hyper dogs, have to keep them occupied or they go crazy" comments, but the people that asked me were really curious and I was able to correct them.

 

As far as farmers not using dogs issue, I think a lot of it is money. I know, it doesn't make sense because it would save them time/money, but most of the farmers I know if don't pay for dogs. Not for purchase, and not for vet care. They view dogs as pets and something that you don't spend money on, spending money on a dog (more than like $150, if that) is out of the question. They might be buddies with a good dog, but to a lot of them there's no point in spending that kind of money on a canine.

[Anda]

Great thread, thanks for starting it, Melanie.

 

I don't see a lot of Border Collies around here, maybe at the dog park we spot a few, but rarely do we interact. People are typically fascinated with Ouzo's focus on me and his intensity. I love Kathy's story about her BCs lined up and staring at the ball and the guy's reaction. That's what I am getting most of the time "What does he do?!" "Does he think that ball/frisbee will throw itself?!". After commenting on his good looks and good behaviour, typically people try to pet him, and I can see how stunned they are when he ignores them and instead focuses on his ball or is ready to move on. They expect him to be as exhuberant as a Golden Retriever, and when he ignores them, you can tell they're looking at him as if something's wrong with him.

 

People don't always identify him as a Border Collie, but they rarely try to guess, and instead they ask me what he is, then I get coments about him being a cow or sheep dog and about the breed's intelligence and high energy.

[SS Cressa]

Poor Cressa, most kids are attracted to her because she is little (27-30 lbs). I normally get a comment of "is she part huskey?" (curse her blue eye and mask) or " She like that dog from Snow Dogs"(I always hope they are referring to the border collie) I do get a couple of comments(from adults) on how intelligent they are or how they use to own a border collie. I also normally get the comment on how active border collies are. Not many people think of herding or even the movie Babe for that matter when they think of border collies.

 

So I guess most people in my area know border collies from movies. The rest of the people know them thru dog sports(frisbee, agility, obedience).

[desertranger]

@Kathy. We have already discussed getting a rescue BC. We're just not sure when because Jins still a puppy.

[sweet_ceana]

After commenting on his good looks and good behaviour, typically people try to pet him, and I can see how stunned they are when he ignores them and instead focuses on his ball or is ready to move on. They expect him to be as exhuberant as a Golden Retriever, and when he ignores them, you can tell they're looking at him as if something's wrong with him.

YES!

 

We see this a lot at the dog park or at adoption events. We have people come up to the rescue booth "Oh Border Collies! They are so smart!" Then they go to pet the dog, who is waiting for a ball to be thrown, and the dog ignores them and they look at us like the dog is broken.

 

People don't seem to be firmiliar with the "partnership," relationship that Border Collies have with people. They seem to be more firmiliar with a family type structure of parent and child when it comes to relationships with dogs. I think this stems back to the idea that many people don't see dogs as still having a working function. Ceana and Poke do not want to be treated like my children, they wanted to be treated as my dogs and partners. Especially Poke, he thrives off of feeling like we are accomplishing things together, even if I am just teaching him new words as I clean the house. He is a part of the task I am completeing, and that is what gives him satisfaction in life.

 

The relationship that the dog has with its person is a large part of what makes up a Border Collie. One of the first books I read on Border Collies addressed this point by stating (I will paraphrase because I can't remember which book it was in) that you can breed a dog with all the instinct in the world, but if it doesn't want to work with you it is a worthless sheep dog. Biddability (sp?) is one of those main traits that makes a Border Collie and Border Collie.

[sandra s.]

By far the most common one for me is that almost hushed, awed comment on how much exercise those border collies need. Someone's drummed that REALLY hard into people's brains over here. I normally tell them that they're not that bad, they just want to take part in everything you do.

 

Then there are those who have seen that famous BC (I've forgotten his name, he knew a huge number of object names) on the TV a while back. They either tell me about having seen that, or they say: "They're really intelligent, they can learn the names of all their toys!". In which case I don't tell them that neither of mine is fully aware that toys have different names, and that they both tend to think that "ball", "squeaky" etc are all words for "the toy you are thinking of right now".

 

People who have not seen that on TV normally say "Oh, they're those Scottish sheepdogs, aren't they?". Some have also seen a sheepdog trial or a dog doing farm work on TV at some point, and admire them.

 

I'd say "sheep" is the second most common association here, right after "needs humungous amounts of exercise". Or maybe the third one after "intelligence", but that goes with both the "sheepdog" and the "stressful pet" association.