rough collies

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dog195
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Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2012 7:08 pm

rough collies

Post by dog195 »

what is the temperment of a rough collie? are they friendly or shy towards new people? I had a shy aussie and do not want another shy breed
thanks
emmabeth
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Re: rough collies

Post by emmabeth »

Collies in general are a sensitive breed - Rough Collies in some ways more so than Border Collies. All the collie types are pretty quick to learn, and unfortunately this does mean that they are quick to learn 'bad' lessons as well as good.

Dogs in general tend to learn 'bad' things faster than 'good' things - ie, they will learn 'this is scary' far faster than they will learn 'this is safe', nature builds all animals this way because it keeps us safe, but it can be a problem.

With any breed you like the look of, I would always advise that you visit a number of owners/breeders and really 'test drive' the dogs first - never ever buy one from the first breeder you see, the first time you visit as you will likely end up with a dog who really doesn't suit you, because ALL puppies are cute!

Get a real feel for what the adult dog might be like to live with, as with all dogs, the breeder needs to put in a decent amount of work training and socialising puppies before they get to 8 weeks old and if this ISNT done, then you will be playing catch up from the minute you get your pup home, and if YOU don't do the work, or your pup experiences something very upsetting at that age, you may be playing catch up for the rest of the dogs life. So really do your research and find a breeder who is producing socialised, well handled, happy puppies and avoid puppy mills and pet stores.
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
JudyN
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Re: rough collies

Post by JudyN »

I'd say that rough collies are reserved with people they don't know - whether this counts as 'shy' is probably a matter of socialisation. They tend to be one-person dogs but devoted to their family.
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Suzette
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Re: rough collies

Post by Suzette »

Growing up, we had two rough-coated collies (two different times, not at the same time). One was male, the other female. I find collies to be real people dogs, meaning they love, love, love being with people. Their family becomes their whole world. They are often barkers, which is great if you like the watch dog aspect in a dog. (Not to be confused with attack or guard dog. Collies aren't really known for attacking and being aggressive that way, but they sure will put up a good, loud fuss when the doorbell rings unless trained otherwise. Personally, I like a dog that will bark when the bell rings for security reasons. You can always train a 'quiet' command to get them to stop when you ask.)

Collies are generally happy, outgoing, friendly dogs, but some collies (often the poorly bred ones) are shy, skittish and standoffish. Working with a good breeder would help you avoid a pup with this type of personality.

Collies are working dogs and love to run and play to expend that energy. Training (and clicker training in particular) is a must since they are super smart and need their brains worked as much as they do their muscles. :D And collies love to please their people. The only other dog I've had that loved pleasing us more was our sheltie. But our collies were super sensitive and knew just by a little sigh or sideways look if we were annoyed or unhappy with them and would act crushed. So, you have to train and lead with confidence (just like with all dogs) but also have to take into account that this bread is a bit more sensitive than most. And really, this sensitivity can work for you as collies are so eager to please they seem to work extra hard to do what your asking of them so you'll be happy. :D

Hope this info has helped you some. Good luck with your decision! :D :D
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
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