border collie as companion

Question
Dear Ann ,  I am a builder from Marshfield Mass. and our family is
considering someday looking into getting a Border collie .  I have three kids  
ages 3, 5 ,and 8 ,We live 300 yards from the beach.   I have read many things
about the border collie and we all love the breed but it seems that every body
thinks that you have to own a 200 acre farm  and be on  Ritalin to keep up
with a border collie !  I have always had dogs , mostly lhasa apso's cause
most people are not allergic to them which growing up ,my sister was .  I
have always craved having a bigger dog!  I plan on getting training with any
dog that we get and I do not ever let my children torment or take the dogs
space  away!  I guess my question is!  Can these dogs exist  at all in a family
environment  with a family that would love to take dog for exercise  and runs
!  I do not have a fenced yard and do not believe in tieing it up to leash or
tree in the yard ! Are all border collies neurotic?   I understand everything i
read!   Can some border collies be calmer or trained to mellow out a bit!   
Thank you for your time Ann!  Steve

Answer
Hello Steve,

I'm glad you've done your research on the Border Collie and I'd hate to see you and your family miss out on such a wonderful breed of dog because of a few people who strictly think the breed should be raised on a 200 plus acre sheep or dairy farm.

Border Collies do require a lot of exercise, but that does not mean you have to own hundreds of acres to own a Border Collie.  It simply means that you need to take time with your dog and make sure he's too worn out to get into mischief on his own.  And frankly, that goes for several different breeds of dogs, not just the Border Collie.

I think a lot of Border Collies mimic their owners and if you see a neurotic Border Collie, most likely it has a lot to do with the owner's inability to maintain stability and calmness whenever they need to work together in the public eye.  That's just my opinion.

If you plan on getting a Border Collie and intend to work it in whatever form of exercise you like, I believe you'll have no problems.  Just make sure the dog doesn't think he can herd the children...especially unattended as there have been reports of Border Collies nipping children just like they would livestock to get them to move where they want them to go.

I think a Border Collie can definately be calmer and/or trained to mellow out by constant training and exercise and also don't forget diet.  If you feed your dog Science Diet (which is concentrated and gives the dog a lot of energy), then there's more of a chance he'll require more attention then if you feed him, say, Purina or Scotts dog food.  A pup, of course, requires puppy food which needs to be fed to him or her regardless up until about 8 months of age I believe.

So choose your dog food wisely and you may have better results too, maybe not in his coat condition, but definately in his amount of hyper"ness".

Growing up on a farm and having the ability to read animals as I did helped a lot after purchasing my first Border Collie and I believe your kids would really benefit from learning about Border Collies in a controlled environment where you are willing to take the time to teach them about the breed and supervise their time together.

The only time my dogs were tied up was when I wasn't working with them or playing with them.  My father made a kennel for each dog inside the barn using pallets and tires with straw inside for beds.  We would chain our dogs to the pallets with a 6 to 8 foot chain (with good swivels on each end) and each dog was separated by another verticle pallet.

When on a chain, many Border Collies do not like to be approached by children or strangers.  But at the same time, you must take steps to contain your dog in either a kennel or garage or some other fashion so that he does not go over to a neighbors house and do something that may cause problems for you later on.  Prevention is the key.

I think in your case, a kennel would work well for you so that the 8 year old could go in with you whenever you feed or clean the kennel and the dog wouldn't get tangled or choked with a chain.  Also, he'd be safe from other varments in the yard.  Chaining a dog is a little tricky in order to keep the dog safe.  You must have good swivels on each end of the chain so he never gets tangled and he must be away from anything he can jump over or wrap himself around.

I hope I've answered your questions.  Let me know what you decide and if you have trouble finding a good breeder.

Best regards,
Ann Jordan