What was your favorite Christmas present....ever?

[jasoncran]

Why?

often I will have almost whack them with a metal rod. if a dog gets close to me while at work I stick my rod as guage. if they aren't aggressive then I will let them close if not I will retreat and swing if need be. with collies the mini and the large ones I have to get the read and move out quickly.

 

[evenifigoalone]

I had a German Shepherd a few years ago. From what I'm told, a Collie's temperament and personality is similar to a Shepherd's. I like Shepherds. They're loyal, versatile, eager to please, and they bond closely with you. At least mine did, and the other GSD I've known on a more personal level (my uncle's dog) is much the same.

 

[evenifigoalone]

Shetland Sheepdogs (Shetlies) do have some collie in them, but very little actually. (They're related to Pomeranians, too.) They're an entirely different breed from Collies.

Also, border Collies and rough/smooth Collies are very different breeds. Border Collies tend to be very energetic, they NEED an outlet.

 

[jasoncran]

shepards are protective. I haven't seen one yet on the job that I couldn't pet. they are there and I have been told about those that are mean. the last encounter I had with one, that I will mention, was on gem island and mcansh park. he was funny(gem island) he would bite in the air, show teeth, bark but was scared. he followed me while barking but never got too close. all talk. the other one knows me and was barking(which he does then usually smells then gets the chew toy) and running around me. others that I have seen bark when the owners is there they will let me pet them and lick but once I stop they bark and follow me in the yard.

 

[evenifigoalone]

They are very protective. My GSD was always trying to keep strangers away from me. She didn't let anyone outside the family hug anyone in the family, either. Not unless we told her it was alright, then she backed off. (Dogs see hugging as a threatening action. To them it looks like something used in a fight. If family (ie, pack) members use it, they probably figure it's playing.)

Collies aren't guard dogs in the same way that GSDs are. They will bark a lot, and that can be useful.

 

[jasoncran]

They are very protective. My GSD was always trying to keep strangers away from me. She didn't let anyone outside the family hug anyone in the family, either. Not unless we told her it was alright, then she backed off. (Dogs see hugging as a threatening action. To them it looks like something used in a fight. If family (ie, pack) members use it, they probably figure it's playing.)

Collies aren't guard dogs in the same way that GSDs are. They will bark a lot, and that can be useful.

so do geese in that they honk.

 

[evenifigoalone]

Yeah.
While GSDs are regarded as guard dogs, not all of them will actually protect you in an emergency. I think mine would probably have, judging by the way she reacted to people doing what she perceived to be threatening actions toward me. But if someone had a gun or a knife and was trying to kill you or something, not all of them will jump in and attack the guy.
The most valuable thing about a guard dog is that they will alert you to something unusual going on.

 

[jasoncran]

Yeah.
While GSDs are regarded as guard dogs, not all of them will actually protect you in an emergency. I think mine would probably have, judging by the way she reacted to people doing what she perceived to be threatening actions toward me. But if someone had a gun or a knife and was trying to kill you or something, not all of them will jump in and attack the guy.
The most valuable thing about a guard dog is that they will alert you to something unusual going on.

you haven't met sasha then. she would bite and take you out. she would have to be in a cage if there was any other man in the house if I wasn't there. she wouldn't wait, she would run to attack or act like she is scared then attack.

 

[evenifigoalone]

My GSD was afraid of most men. Don't know why. We had to put her up when people came her. She wouldn't try to bite them, but she did bark and act scared. (A scared dog of any breed IS likely to bite.) And then there were people who said they hadn't had good experiences with Shepherds and requested that we put her up.

Don't know if it's true, but I heard that GSDs used to have a bad reputation (that part I know is true), and that in the latter part of the 20th century breeders worked to breed out excessive human aggression. Supposedly that's how they kept breed bans from happening in relation to this breed.

 

[Kathi]

I had a German Shepherd a few years ago. From what I'm told, a Collie's temperament and personality is similar to a Shepherd's. I like Shepherds. They're loyal, versatile, eager to please, and they bond closely with you. At least mine did, and the other GSD I've known on a more personal level (my uncle's dog) is much the same.

Yes,Sheperds are wonderful family dogs.Very protective of their family.Just don't go near a car with one in it if you value your life.

 

[Kathi]

so do geese in that they honk.

I had a Goose chase me once as a kid and hiss at me.Scared me to death.

 

[evenifigoalone]

My uncle's GSD is animal-aggressive. She'll try to kill small animals. They have to keep her away from their small dog. (They think it's because she's jealous, but more likely she has a strong prey drive. That and it's possible she wasn't socialized with smaller animals well as a young dog. Behavior is formed from some combination of nature and nurture. Socialization plays an important role in how they react to certain animals, people, and situations.) Animal aggression does not translate into human aggression, but she is a good guard dog that scares intruders off.
(Also, human aggression, and fearing and being liable kill humans, does not equal good guard dog. Get that dangerous notion out of your head. Even if you only want a GSD as a guard dog, you SHOULD socialize it well. In fact socialization will teach it the difference between a normal and a dangerous situation.)

My GSD was dog-aggressive. Didn't get along with other dogs. I was able to fix that to some degree when I trained her, but to be perfectly honest I think I was just lucky to have a dog that wanted to please me enough to learn to leave other dogs alone. It would have been safer to get a professional trainer or behaviorist involved. Especially considering I was like a preteen/teenager at the time.
(Most of what I know about dog training and behavior I learned when I was in my teens. I read books, talked to and debated with knowledgeable dog owners on a site about dogs, read articles, etc. I also taught my dogs tricks and tried to fix any minor behavior problems they had.)

 

[Obadiah]

As in past tense????

Yeah.

 

[Deborah13]

Shetland Sheepdogs (Shetlies) do have some collie in them, but very little actually. (They're related to Pomeranians, too.) They're an entirely different breed from Collies.

Also, border Collies and rough/smooth Collies are very different breeds. Border Collies tend to be very energetic, they NEED an outlet.

I had to have my Border Collie put to sleep last fall. He liked to sleep in the hallway between the kitchen and the back door during the day and I was always having to walk around the old guy. Sometimes still when I Ieast expect it I'm startled when he is not there. I really miss him.

 

[Edward]

My favorite Christmas present ever, is a toss up between the pool table my parents bought one year when we were kids (a real full size pool table, and I became quite good)...or the 5.5" Ruger 44 Magnum that my (ex) wife bought me one year. I sure like those Ruger firearms. You get a lot of bang for the buck with them and their 44 Mags are built like tanks.