Root Beer Posted December 8, 2016 Report Share Posted December 8, 2016 The same could be true of almost anything, though. My idea of the perfect Agility dog is quite different from that of others. I like: moderate paced, able to compensate for my handler errors, more of an artistic bent than an athletic one. That's not what most people are looking for, but it is my ideal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted December 8, 2016 Report Share Posted December 8, 2016 Gentle Lake - I don't agree with your suggestion that I may have caused my dog's tendency towards aloofness. I've had everything from couldn't care less about people to total Velcro. This latest one is somewhere in between. Yes, I prefer self sufficiency but that just means that if I have a dog that shows independent tendencies I don't try to encourage it to be anything other than its nature dictates, the need to be an acceptable member of society aside. In our agility club there is a peer group of three dogs, all working bred. One is half sister / half cousin to mine and is similar in temperament. The other is unrelated but doesn't even want to be in the same room as the humans in the family. All three well loved indoor pets that are happy to be involved with activities. Nature, not nurture. Independence does not preclude a bond though. They all know where they belong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Mine excel at giving me a good laugh, every day!!! Making me laugh every day is definitely one of Quinn's great strengths. I have had 8 dogs in my life (much fewer than many here), of varying breeds and crosses. They have all been wonderful, loving companions. I do see a different level of interaction with Quinn than my other dogs, however. I think it's his vocabulary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Haha, as a non native speaker I start to wonder about the use of this term "excel"in this topic ... I think individual border collies can be great companion dogs, but as a breed again, they would not be my first choice if it was just that I was after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 They can excel at many things. And then come home at night and put the sheep away. And that combination is the coolest thing ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Both of my current dogs are total love bug/snugglers. My first two weren't really. They liked it for a few minutes, then went and slept in the corner. I didn't change in how I treated them, their personalities dictated it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptJack Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 I am going to second that 'companion' depends on how you define it and I personally am not a fan of a dog that always touches me and prefer one who will give me a bit of attention and go away and do their own thing. That said, Molly at 3 months, 6 months, 18 months was a dog who had minimal to no interest in being pet, touched, snuggled and if I sat down on the couch beside her she'd walk away from me. No interest in sleeping with us, kind of offended more than a second of two of petting. At this stage (She's 2 and a half) she'd very much like to live inside my skin, please and thank you. Solicits 'hugs' (puts her head under your chin and leans), moves to where ever I am to lay on my feet, does that weird nose under the hand flick to ask to be pet, moves ONTO furniture because I sat on it, the whole nine yards. No change in how I treat her, she's just gotten *cuddly*. Maturity with her has been weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Border collies excel at having owners who look down on other breeds! [And all this time, this is really a scientific experiment that Mr. McCaig is conduction on this group] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Right. 'Cause recognizing where Border Collies excel is, de facto, a put-down of other breeds which may or may not excel, as well, or perhaps excel more, but are not being discussed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Elle Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 To me, border collies excel magnificently at being companion dogs. Whether or not a dog is cuddly and super affectionate is, in my world, left up to the dog. I enjoy a cuddly dog, myself, although certainly prefer not a demanding one. If a dog has cuddly tendencies, they will be encouraged. But if not, I love the dog no less, and think no less of the dog as an excellent companion. Jester was not a cuddly dog, but was a wonderful buddy. To me, a good companion dog is, foremost, a dog I can take anywhere and know he or she will be welcome. Most of this, of course, depends on my training of the dog to be proper and mannerly. Secondly, a good companion wants to go and do things with me; is up for whatever I am up for that day, be it hiking or playing, or walking or running errands. A good companion likes to take road trips with me and behaves well in the car and in strange places. A good companion wants to hang out with me at home, whether cuddly or not. A good companion makes me feel proud no matter where we are or what we are doing. My border collies have without exception been excellent companion dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smalahundur Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Every dog I had was an "excellent companion dog" with one exception. The exception was one of the border collies. Being good companions is what all dogs have been specialising to become the last thirty millennia or so. I really don't see border collies being better at that than any other breed. And being selected for hard work and intelligence I am afraid some have developed problems like obsessive behaviour, oversensitivity, being too high strung, that can make them less of a good companion dog. So on average they might be worse at it than your average pet breed. Maybe I am taking this topic too serious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maja Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Maybe I am taking this topic too serious I can tell you that in my opinion border collies don't hold a candle to Bernese Mountain Dogs as a companion. All my Border collies are sweet an affectionate and attached and loyal and many other etceteras. Additionally, Bonnie is farm born and bred that I can take everywhere. I even took her to my lecture on English style sheep herding for English teachers. BUT berners <3 they take companionship to a-whole-nother level. And I know many berners, there is no comparison with BCs. Border collies are excellent companions, but considering that companionship is built-in into human-dog relationship, I don't think BCs excel at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted December 9, 2016 Report Share Posted December 9, 2016 Every dog I had was an "excellent companion dog" with one exception. The exception was one of the border collies. Being good companions is what all dogs have been specialising to become the last thirty millennia or so. I really don't see border collies being better at that than any other breed. And being selected for hard work and intelligence I am afraid some have developed problems like obsessive behaviour, oversensitivity, being too high strung, that can make them less of a good companion dog. So on average they might be worse at it than your average pet breed. Maybe I am taking this topic too serious No, you are not. This is just confirmation that what makes an excellent companion animal varies tremendously with what the owner/handler desires in a companion animal. Two of my three fit my wants/needs for a companion animal pretty well. One fits many of my needs pretty well. But someone else, with a different set of characteristics that they want in a companion animal might not like my dogs as companions at all. And someone else (some grandchildren of mine, for example) find the third dog to be, far and away, the one they enjoy the most - and he's the one I enjoy the least! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 Companionship is a hard to define term, for me it simply means providing me with interactive company, I don't think it has anything to do with physical interaction. How that bond devolps I am sure is through a variety of reasons, my current older dog and I have something special, which I am sure has been build up through training and providing my insecure dog with support, while my husband had an amazing bond with Brody, who was an adult rescue, he could be very aloof, pets were on his terms, yet the two have them had this deep weird bond that was simply because they liked each other, with me he was a very different dog, I enjoyed his company but there was always a reserve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptJack Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 To me 'good companion dog' does vary a lot by person but I do think there are some traits that can be pretty much 'not a good companion' (in general) even if people love the dog. Those things amount to temperament issues like fear, aggression, ocd, major reactivity and so on, but I will admit freely that I see quite a bit of those issues in BCs. Can they be worked with? Yes. Does every dog have them? No. Do they exist in BCs at rates higher than any other breed? Dunno, probably not than any other breed but again: I see quite a lot of it. Is it possible that they are *more* inclined to those issues with mishandled than other breeds? Maybe. It does, however, exist enough for me to warn someone who wants a BC to be careful when acquiring one, and even more so when it's someone who wants a 'family dog' first and foremost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryfoster Posted December 10, 2016 Report Share Posted December 10, 2016 My daughter and I have these pretend Mollie conversations where Mollie is " talking". Lately she has been telling us that she has me really spoiled instead of me spoiling her. That she lets me rub her belly because I like it or that she cuddles me instead of me cuddling her. Those kind of things are what Mollie excels at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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