New Job for BC's!

[Bordercentrics]

We met a fellow in PetSmart yesterday with his Border Collie. She will be 2 years in April. She is an AKC registered dog. Very pretty, but tall and thin like Ruby, so not looking like the photos of the show dogs I have seen. She came from a breeder in Bremerton, WA. This guy hunts with her. He says she is the best gun dog he has ever shot over. He didn't train her, just took her with him and she just watched his hunting dogs work, and one day just did it herself. He also plans to do agility later this year. I did know another dog who learned this by watching. A Miniature Bull Terrier who watched her owner's German Shorthair working.

 

Kathy Robbins

[MrSnappy]

The very first border collie I ever adopted out hunts with his owner. He puts the local labs etc. to shame, apparently. He does a great job and they are so happy with him.

 

Gah, it's been 7 years since he was rehomed. Wow, where did the time go?

 

RDM

[Dixie_Girl]

That's just the border collies super intelligence coming out! Yep, one way or tother, they WILL find a job to do!

[border_collie_crazy]

learn by watching, that does seem to be the BC way lol

 

it was pretty funny at the obedince match on the weekend Misty was the only BC, and all the other dogs could not have cared less what was going on in the ring, but their was Misty, sitting on the bench, watching the other dogs exersizes more carefully then the people were lol I hope she studied hard and understands what she is supposed to do now

 

watching is also how Happy turned onto sheep so fast, when the trained dogs were on the sheep, I picked Happy up and made sure she watched what was going on(before I picked her up she could not have cared less) then I took her in the pen and she figered it out immedietly, even listening to the commands that the trained dogs were ignoring lol..hmm maybe if I took her to a feild trial, and let her watch a trained dog do the coarse, then let Happy do the coarse she would do it lol

 

Shadow(BC/Sheltie) learned by watching too, for years she watched agility in TV, she was rivited lol then when I got Happy we went to some agility classes and I took Shadow along, after all she seemed to think Agility was the greatest sport ever, and she seemed to know what to do when she saw the equipment lol

[AK dog doc]

I had a client tell me once, years ago, that when she came to AK all the big gun dog people were pretty clique-y and kind of contemptuous of her since she was a woman trying to break into their "big tough Alaskan man" trialling world (in which they felt a woman could not compete and had no biz trying... kind of like mushing used to be before Libby and Susan.) She got so sick of them boasting about their prowess and how only a Lab was worth shooting over and only a man could train and shoot over them properly, that she went out, got a BC, trained it, and trialled it - and won consistently with it. I said, "I bet THAT pissed them off." She gave me a glinty look, all tooth and steel. "Yes," she said, smiling wolfishly, "it did." No slight to the labs; she liked them just fine. It was the owners she was annoyed by. But she did say she never trained a Lab that she liked shooting over quite as much as that little BC.

[mado]

Just goes to prove ...why can't we agree to agree ???

[Dana Nichols]

NAHRA (North American Hunting Retriever Association) allows border collies to compete in retriever hunt tests (or at least they used to). There was a dog a few years ago named Travis who got the highest title they offered at the time. His name was Travis, here's his info: MHR WR Craigdarrock Travelin Travis, Male, Border Collie, Tri, Handler: Robin Mongold, Owner: Robin Mongold. There used to be a photograph of him online, but when I searched this time the link was broken.

 

I did lots of hunt tests with my labs & when I got my BC I brought her out a few times as a pup. She wasn't bothered by the sound at all & liked birds, but wasn't a very strong retriever as a puppy. Now she's a strong retriever, but I'm not doing hunt tests anymore. But, her favorite toy is still a retrieving bumper. : )

 

Dana

[Brandon M]

Last weekend I was at the International Sportsman's Exposition in Sacremento, CA for 4 days and I saw a lot of BCs that were trained as hunting dogs. One of the dogs in the hunting dog demonstration area was a Border Collie and was at least as good as every other dog there, probably better. I also met a few search and rescue BCs. I think that's something I'd like to get into with Lance.

[nancy]

Well, I know what Fergie would do. Run like mad away from the gunfire. Into the nearest open garage or up to the first innocent bystander.

[Root Beer]

That's very cool!!

[Allie Oop]

Cool story! My husband is crazy about bird dogs and would like one to train. Like Nancy, however, I know how Allie would react to gunshot - she'd take off faster than the proverbial speeding bullet. She's very sound reactive and things like wood popping in a fire, fireworks, etc. send her scurrying into her crate (or if we are camping under the van).

[Ruger's Dad]

I have always wondered about this. As smart as these dogs are I figured a Border Collie would make a great gun dog. I trained a German Shorthair when I was a teenager basically the same way I work with Ruger. All I did was structured fetching. Even a bird dog must learn which type of bird you want to hunt. For example, they need to know that if you are hunting pheasants that rabbits, deer, sparrows, and whatever else is not permissable. This is usually done by using bird wings for training along with correction in the field.

 

A couple of years ago on the ESPN games they had dock jumping. I know that a Border Collie won it. Something I haved learned in the last year and a half, Ruger will learn anything I want him to. The limiting factor is my imagination.

[Brandon M]

yeah, they had dock dogs at the sportsmans show too. Called "Splash Dogs" http://www.splashdogs.com/

 

The splash dogs record is a greyhound mix that jumped 28 feet into the water. At this link you can get a good idea of how many border collies are in the top rankings.

Cynosports World Dock Jumping Championships

[diane allen]

Not exactly a watching/learning story, but semi-related to a hunting dog story: I take Lucy the retrieving-manic BC out to the local lake, but stupidly forget her water-fetching toy. We're playing with a small stick, all I could find. Friend Mr. Hunter shows up with field-bred BIG black lab, to "get him into shape" throwing the rubber bumper into the lake. Lab is young and runs around for awhile. Meanwhile Mr. Hunter stands with the bumper in his hand, and Lucy's going nuts: THROW IT! THROW IT! Mr. Hunter says, "Oh, a retrieving border collie, huh?" and snickers. So - he pitches it out, and of course Lucy brings it back and drops it at his feet (until he figured out he could say "Hand" and she'd hold it at his hand level). Finally he gets lab to go into the water too. Pitches the bumper out, both dogs swim like crazy. Of course, Mr. Lab with webbed feet and longer legs gets there first, takes bumper in mouth. Lucy - the gall of her! - takes it OUT of his mouth, and returns it to Mr. Hunter.

 

Mr. Hunter laughs, and this goes on for awhile longer, till I decide Lucy's had enough swimming for one day.

 

I think Mr. Hunter is STILL amazed that a BC can retrieve - ha!!!

 

diane

[Brandon M]

lol, good story she showed him eh?