The Strangest Guess as to What Breed Your Dog Is?

[Falcon]

Originally posted by mjk05:

Sometimes I can understand their confusion- this is my Bill's half-brother, also a border collie:

I can see it now, "Oh, what a pretty dalmation!"

[Kat's Dogs]

Oh those foxes are cute! I must say that Dazzle has only been guessed at other dog breeds - never cows, or foxes, or other species all together!

 

And Columbia MO,

it just isn't quite like that out here. Lots of BCs our here (several just in our neighborhood alone) are from show/AKC breeders.

And I wasn't talking about seeing show collies on the street, more the fact that the Eukanuba Championship show is televised - herding trials are not. So people see the show, that is where they learn their dog breeds. So now, with Animal Planet having several dog shows every week, more and more people are watching them and seeing Barbie Collies - they logically think that that is what border collies look like.

 

"I think the general public tends to be uneducated about breeds in general."

So true, but when they see one show on TV, they act like experts:

"Your dog can't be a Border Collie! They don't ever look like that!"

 

We have much less cattle out here to say the least. There are plenty of herding trials - but not any closer then 2 hours from home. Lots of BCs around here are show/agility ones - so they still are mostly black and white, lots of fluff, and so on. Around here, people think those are what all border collies look like, because that is all they really ever see. Where you are, sure, it works that most people would know a BC when they see one! But we just don't have a herd of cows walking around downtown Seattle with a border collie in tow.

 

So I still think that the people who are sure that Dazzle CAN NOT be a border collie - are a result of seeing a dog show.

 

Sorry for the long post, but I felt like explaining earlier post.

[Katelynn & Gang]

Rev is always guessed as an ACD mix, even by Border Collie people (some owning dogs looking more like ACD mixs then Rev ever will!).

 

Dice is always guessed as a Pointer mix.

 

Cue is a Border Collie at all times because he is jet black and snow white, being just pretty as a picture. But he does get sideway looks because he still doesn't have that huge coat like the "Border" Collies on TV!

 

I always go out of my way to explain the deal with Working vs. Conformation to anyone who asks what my dogs are.

[Malvie]

1. "Aren't those cute Australian Shepherds!" (No, they're Border Collies. Really. See those luxurious tails?).

 

2. "Is that a wolf?" (Um, no. Is your Cocker Spaniel a wolf?).

 

3. "Awww, your little Shelties are so cuuuute!" (Um, no, if they were Shelties, my food and vet bills would be lower. Food because my girls are, um, solid; vet because, as BC's, they are always running into stuff, getting scrapes, getting into stuff, etc.).

 

4. "Somebody's got Lassie in that van!" (No, Lassie was a standard Collie. These are Border Collies.)

[Columbia MO]

I always go out of my way to explain the deal with Working vs. Conformation to anyone who asks what my dogs are. [/QB]

I do too--I have one BC from each background. I thought I'd mention, however, that you can't sort out working vs. conformation lines based on the look or coat type. Here is Derek Scrimgeour's Ben, who I met and saw work in person when I lived in England. Ben is a symetrically marked very rough coated dog who has been on the English team twice and is one of the most used stud dogs in the UK.

 

Here is my AKC conformation champion, Savvy. He has more coat than I like (burrs--ugh!) but less coat than Ben.

 

Here is an AKC dual Champion (herding/conformation), Lachlan. He was the overall #6 AKC conformation BC in America in 2003.

 

So you can't tell anything about a dog's herding ability based on his coat type or amount. Whatever the differences between the lines, coat length shouldn't even enter the conversation!

 

Columbia, MO

 

P.S. I do think that smooths are more often mistaken for mixes, and possibly that is because they are more likely to have prick ears than rough coats. Prick ears are dominant in all dogs, and all mixes gravitate to prick ears over a few generations. So the fact that a dog has prick ears may be a "clue" to people that it is a possible mix. Just a hypothesis...

[emmetteabrakai]

A Siberian Husky for Kai, and an Aussie for Abra. Gabby is a heeler mix bc mix, and a lot of folks think she's a beagle???

 

I don't think urban identification has much to do with it. Most working BCs are very identifiable as "sheep" dogs by most people. Even when they look vastly different from one another. When they started breed standardizing, that is when folks started thinking BC as more Black and White etc.Just like all Ausies are merle, and Appaloosa horses don't have to be spotted any more, and neither do Paints. If we all lived in down town New York maybe that might fly but some how I don't think so.

 

just last week I was looking at Steven Townsends paintings on the net. A woman who works here, that has had labs in the past, was looking over my shoulder. She grunts and says "oh my god field dogs":, yuck. If you want to see "decent" labs go to such and such site. Same goes for a golden breeder who brings her dogs here. She saw a really sweet little golden bitch that had a broken pelvis, and her very tattooed burly owner was crying as he was checking her in. She turns so me and says cute dog but obviously not well bred.

So having dealt with this mentality for years and years and years. I don't hold much with "Barbification" of any breed. Ok I've had my rant, I'll get off my soap box now

Andrea D.

[juliepoudrier]

Originally posted by Falcon:

quote:

---

Originally posted by mjk05:

Sometimes I can understand their confusion- this is my Bill's half-brother, also a border collie:

I can see it now, "Oh, what a pretty dalmation!" LOL! I had forgotten about the time a kid saw me rollerblading with Indy (rough coated, blue merle border collie x aussie) and said to his mom, "Look at the dalmation!" :eek:

 

J.

[Dog Lady]

I spoke to someone that actually had BC puppies mixed with Schnitzer(sp)!!

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

you can't sort out working vs. conformation lines based on the look or coat type.

LOL. I'm not sure most conformation breeders would agree with you on that. Isn't the point of conformation kind of so you can pick out dogs bred to the standard?

 

What other smooth coats are in the top twenty conformation dogs right now?

[Katelynn & Gang]

I see a difference in the structure of the dogs. It has really never had anything to do with coat. (like I said above, my smooth male is never mistaken for any another breed and he is VERY smooth)

 

The conformation dogs seem to be getting longer backs all the time and bigger stops (I can see a noticable difference in your conformation bred dog compared to the others posted). It is not coat, it is just structure changes in dogs cut off from the working bloodlines being bred for other things.

[lovesbc's]

Rocky has been called numerous breeds! Most people if they "know" anything about border collies just can't believe me when I say he's a purebred. "Are you sure? I've never heard/seen a mostly white bc" is what I usually get.

[nancy in AZ]

Originally posted by BustopherJones:

I was walking both dogs in my neighborhood one day when a woman passing in her car suddenly stopped, leaned out her window, and said, "Ohmigod! I thought you were walking a fox!"

Gee, something very similar happened to me just last week. Same circumstances exactly, except that I was walking my horse. I am not kidding! The woman stopped next to us and said "Omigod! I thought you were walking a dog".

 

When I had my Borzoi, people used to tell me all the time that I should feed that poor starving collie. Oh, and I'll bet none of you have ever had anyone tell you your dog looks like an anteater!

[Allie Oop]

Allie has been called a wolf, fox, and coyote more times than I can count.

 

My personal favorite comment was from a woman at Waterton N.P., Canada who quite knowingly said to us that our dog was an attractive Sheltie. My husband said "No, Allie is a purebred Border Collie." She replied "Oh, well you are from the States. Up here in Canada we call them Shelties." We just smiled and walked away. (Allie doesn't look very much like a Sheltie - except she's tri-colored.)

[Aussie_Dog]

Fortunately I've mostly always gotten Border Collie or Australian Shepherd comments (Jake is half of each). The oddest one, also the only one that wasn't the above two, was a Bernese Mountain Dog, and that came from an online poster.

 

 

It was this picture that the poster saw when she asked me if he was a Bernese Mountain Dog

[AK dog doc]

Aussie Dog - Berner? Really?

 

And Andrea, I TOTALLY do not get Beagle pics in my head on the description of heeler/BC, but perhaps I'm dense. (BTW, I hope the woman who didn't like field dogs did NOT make the 'not well-bred' remark in front of the owner. Sounds like he had enough to handle.)

 

I did once have a receptionist that had some foxes as pets. I think they were domestically-bred fur-tarm type animals that she somehow rescued. I gather they weren't especially cuddly, but were personable enough that she could handle them a little.

 

FWIW, I once did a health certificate on five arctic foxes and three wolves, and anyone who has actually seen either of these species in person would have to be a real doofus to ever again mistake a BC for either one.

 

Now I'm off to see if there are any more of those cat-foxes like Melanie had.... maybe there's a breeder on the internet I can contact...

[Liz P]

I used to know a 3/4 timber wolf, 1/4 Border Collie. OMG, he scared the **** out of me. He was 120 lbs of solid muscle, jet black wolf fur with a white cross on his chest and those bright yellow eyes. Only way you could tell he wasn't pure wolf were his slightly shorter muzzle and his hooked tail. He was perfectly tame as a pup but once he hit puberty I refused to be left alone in the room with him anymore.

 

My friend had field bred Goldens and I just loved them. I would never own a show bred Golden but I would take a field bred one. Hers had so much personality and were so smart and athletic. They reminded me a lot of BCs without the herding instinct.

[BustopherJones]

Cross-breeds can be tricky. I had a cross between a German Shepherd and a Pit Bull one time. The poor thing was so confused; she used to go around biting blind people...

 

 

Lighten up! I'm just kidding!

[ladylupin]

I've been asked if my dog is a Brittany (Sp?) by her vet no less! She gets mutt all the time and aussie just as often.

EDIT:People think she's a brittany because she's a red bc. Most people have never heard of them or seen one. She's 3 now and everytime my grandma comes to one of her agility trials she still thinks it's amazing when we see another red one. "Those are so rare" is a common, yet incorrect phrase from her lol you gotta love grandmas

[Anda]

Bit O/T, but speaking of wolf hybrids. I wrote about a week ago about my neighbour:

 

"He (Ouzo) has the largest friend, a wolf-husky hybrid (Zeb) that lives close to us, and each time he sees Zeb, he's just mesmerized and fascinated and turns to high pitched barks, as if to show Zeb he respects him and he's just a pup. Zeb is the gentlest dog, ever, he's pure and simple majestic and never walks on a leash, just a few feet in front of its owner. "

 

The first time I saw this huge dog, it was winter and was snowing and I saw him walking slowly behind some bushes and off leash, I was sure it was a real wolf that's going to come and eat my 3 month old pup :eek:

But the next time we met, my dog went straight to him and totaly fell in love with this gentle giant. And I swear, Zeb loves him back, in a distant but heart-warming way! Each time after Ouzo sees him, my dog walks so proud for the next 10-15 minutes, as if he knows he has the biggest and meanest friend in the neighbourhoud and that no one dares to challange him

[marm]

well, when midnight was alive, we used to get questions all the time: "is that dog (never asking gender) a wolf?" "is she schipperke" (spelling?)- um NO, she's WAY too large. "what's a kelpie?" (that's a hard one to explain!). "she's an odd looking lab" (duh, coz she's NOT a lab maybe?)

 

with arwen, most guess the husky/shepherd

 

mabel now... "she's not border collie... she doesn't have the hair"!! course then we have people simply amazed when she can run, and run, and run, just like the energizer bunny!!!

 

btw, this is mildly off topic. can anyone send information via email to me regarding dog parks in their area? we used to be able to use a reasonably abandoned park in our city, but now the mayor has started a rather draconian effort to rule out dogs in this park, and especially dogs off leash that need/want to run. we are trying to get a grassroots effort going... i have lots of other information i can forward via email about these efforts. thanks! 4court@sbcglobal.net

[Shezrie]

No one believes my lad is a purebred border collie. They all think he is a mix with a lab, kinda offends me so I go off on my memorised recital of his pedigree all the way back to his champion grandaddy. They never question again.

[Tammy525]

I have been asked numerous times if Scout is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. I didn't know that many people even knew what that breed looked like!!

 

Totally O/T but reminds me, we went to the state fair when my red-head twins were 3 and my red-head niece was 10. The lady at the gate asked if they were TRIPLETS. They do resemble each other some, but come on!!

[Laurena]

Heidi my little 4 month old girl is always mistaken for a mix . I think because she is not the typical black and white border people are used to seeing around here . She has tan above her eyes , in her ears and on her back legs and has a ton of ticking but she is pure border collie . People often mistake her for

 

blue healer

australian sheperd

kelpi

spanial

rotti mix

heinz 57

 

I had a woman argue with me telling that my dog is a kelpi and NOT a border collie . She was getting rather mad when I kept telling her that she was a pure border collie .

[AK dog doc]

Hmmm, yes, like she would know better than you who owns the dog...

 

Could be worse, though... I once had someone call (a wrong number) and ask for Sarah. When I told them there was no Sarah here and they must have a wrong number, they first called back, and then when I said they had the same wrong number,they asked repeatedly if I was SURE my name wasn't Sarah...? I had to tell her I'd had the same name for over 40 years and, hmmm, yes, I WAS pretty sure it wasn't Sarah. Imagine that, knowing one's own name! I must be VERY smart, don't you think?

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Our new house number is apparently one off someone named Joy who a) apparently doesn't pay her bills and has a lot of friends who are both dyslexic and not very smart. I have had tons of discussions with people who absolutely insisted that Joy must be hiding somewhere in my house and I just didn't know it.