Chris and Karen live at Angusville, Manitoba, Canada
Kelsey, was their first Red and White Border Collie, bought in 1995. Kelsey's first litter of pups were sired by a Red Merle Border Collie.
These dogs help on the farm by working cattle and sheep. They gather the livestock, help with the sorting of the animals, watch gates, plus many other very useful tasks. At times, they just need to be there, to make their presence known for that stubborn animal who refuses to move in the direction of our chose. Even if a young untrained pup can be made to sit in just the right place, it can be enough to fool some dog broke animals into cooperating.
These dogs are keen, very willing to work and can be aggressive workers. These qualities are very useful when confronting stubborn livestock. Our dogs are all different, in personality, appearance, and working style.
These dogs are all different in appearance. Some have light red coats, while others have a dark red or chocolate coat. Some have lots of white, while other dogs, do not have much white. Some have large collars, others small collars, some rough coats, others medium coat and some with blue eyes.
Border Collies can also be black and white, black and white tricolor, blue merle, sable, etc.
I am not a professional trainer, but have trained my own dogs. I have found very useful information on the internet, reading books and talking to border collie dog trainers.
One great resource for people wanting to train their own dogs is Rural Route Videos, "Starting your Border Collie on Cattle, Sheep or Ducks". Check out the links page for this very educational video. Rural Route Videos is located in Manitoba, Canada and has a variety of other videos available also.
If you ever get a chance to go to a sheepdog trial, do so! Most Border Collie Associations have dates, times and places where these events are taking place. (check the links page for a few of these associations) It's an unforgettable experience to watch the interaction and teamwork between dog and handler. These handlers and their canine helpers have spent many hours perfecting this remarkable team effort.
Before our pups leave the farm they are:
registered with the Canadian Border Collie Association
vaccinated
dewormed
tattooed