Tell me about border collies for a pet home

[Moobli]

One thing to be very aware of in border collies is epilepsy. Some lines are much more prone to it than others. I have friends who have had epileptic collies and it was very stressful for both dog and owner. Both dogs eventually went into status epilepticus and had to be pts. Please research lines very carefully. In the UK there is a fitting database

Such a shame it’s not something that’s able to be tested for.

 

[CorvusCorax]

It's not, but a lot of breeds have identified carriers and transmitters and they have been removed from breeding programmes/lines have been ended.

Unfortunately some people/breeders say 'that's just one of those things' and crack on.

 

[Moobli]

There are certain lines I’d avoid as they are quite widely known for epilepsy, despite this breeder extensively testing their breeding dogs.
Anecdotally only, and perhaps we have just been fortunate, but we have never had a collie had a fit/seizure in over 35 years of working dogs, which would at least vaguely point to it being in specific lines/genetically inherited.
I’ve no words for anyone who continues to breed from dogs who’ve had seizures themselves or who’ve produced pups who’ve had seizures ?

 

[Moobli]

For info

https://bcepilepsy.weebly.com/database.html

https://www.fittingcollies.com/database

 

[maisie06]

Hi there, I'm bored at work for the last day before my holidays, so thought I might as well ask on here about border collies as I know several of you have them. Please note that I'm not ready for a second dog just yet and if it does happen it will be in 6 to 18 months time.
I have always been attracted to border collies, I think they're beautiful, athletic and intelligent. But they've also got a reputation for being a bit crazy in pet homes, some websites I've seen say they shouldn't be kept unless it's for herding (though I think that may be a bit of an extreme point of view). So I got a malinois cross instead (yes, I know...).
So what would it take to keep one happy in a pet home? I live in rural France with almost direct access to pretty much deserted lanes (there is a lot of game around though), I'm dreaming of a dog that could come on hacks with me and pony, I've taken up hoopers with current dog, work from home most the time and my dad comes in to let dog out / walk him when I'm in the office or away for any other reason.
Could I make it work with a border collie or is it just a crazy idea? Anything else I need to know about them before I get myself into trouble?

I have spaniels and I wouldn't have a Border collie - I love them and love watching them work but to me they are working dogs not suited to pet homes unless your'e into serious dog sports such as agility, they are so clever almost too clever sometimes.

 

[Blanche]

I have had quite a few bc, all farm bred. I have never had a neurotic one. They aren’t for everyone but I think they can be fine in the right sort of pet homes. I did hack with one of mine and he was great. Never tried it with any others.

 

[twiggy2]

One of my collies started in a pet home, the owner was struggling so went to a trainer to get her started on sheep eventually the trainer was asked to find the dog a new home, that's when she came to me as a part trained (very part) worker, my first actul working collie of my own (I already had a pup). She isn't sharp or sensitive but probably the most intelligent and most difficult of all our dogs. She had learnt to stay out of reach, not get in the pick up if she wasn't ready for work to finish, she knows when she is out of sight and can take advantage of that sometimes even now, she used to car chase, she doesn't anymore but will try to bite cars (and wood lorries) if they pass the quad too close and too fast for her liking, it was 2 yrs before she really settled to being with us and come for cuddles and play and honestly she lives for work. Work is what has got her over a lot of the issues we were having with her, she now sees getting in the vehicle as positive as I spent a lot of time putting her in and out and working sheep in short bursts.
She would appear fit into a working home I have no doubt but her oddities would surface again I am sure.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it. It's good to hear about the good and not so good and well as possible health issues and the border collie's "different" mindset from most other dogs. At the moment, I'm cautiously optimistic that when I'm ready to offer another dog a home, I might be able to get a border collie IF I can find the right individual as that seems to be the main take home message: there is quite a big variation in border collie temperament and some are not suited for pet homes but others are fine.
Now back to daydreaming until time, finances and other random factors align...

 

[Crugeran Celt]

Having a few farms around me with working collies I would say they do not make the best pets. They are generally quite unpredictable and having owned a collie x springer who displayed many collie traits just confirms my thoughts. I also worked for a vet and had collies brought in to be PTS as they had bought them and before they reached two years old they realised they just couldn't handle them. Saying that I know a lady who has two, one a rescue and they are fantastic pets. I guess it depends how much work you are able to put in, I have spaniels and to be honest I wouldn't recommend them as pets either.