How did Cash the Border Collie pup turn out? I hope all is well with him and he has turned into one special dog.
Bill

S.Oh.Bill...Great to hear from you and thank you for asking about our Cash!! The one word to describe him is...PERFECT!!! Mr. Cash turned a year old Jan. 1st and is the smartest animal we've ever owned!! He DOES possess EVERY attribute of a true Border Collie, but we've joked about his ability to adapt to the "retired" Anderson way of living!! He's very capable of running this 40 acre farm ALL day, but he is a house dog and at night, he's ready to snuggle and just be a lap dog!! We got him when was 9 weeks old, last March...the first week of April, we took him with us to Mule Day in Columbia (he's an EXCELLENT traveling companion, too!), for our week long stay...the camping sites (20' x 40') and we have 3 of them. Your border lines are mere chalk lines one the ground...when we arrived, I took him around the sites and showed him where his boundaries were...from that point on, if he approached them, there was ONLY a vocal command to come back and he responded!!! NEVER did he have a leash on!!! After we had been there for 4 days, 2 of the Mule Day officials pulled up on a 4wheeler...I thought we were in trouble for something!! One man asked how old he was and what breed of dog? I told him that he had just turned 4 months old and he was a reg. Border Collie...his response..."Well, I've worked this event for 17 years and I just wanted to let you know, I've been seeing this pup all week and I've never seen one mind like he does!!!"...Of course, I was soooo proud of him!! He HAS NEVER disappointed us a day!! Never an accident in the house!! Never any formal obedience training and I AM NOT A DOG TRAINER and he LIVES to please us!! We take him every where we go and there's always folks amazed at his intelligence!! After having Boxers for 30 years, I thought they were some of the smartest dogs in the world, but I've been proven wrong...I still LOVE my Boxers...still have a male and female, but Cash has won me over for the Border Collie breed. Since early on, I've researched every site, article, video, opinion...available and found that they respond to different means of correction and it's proven itself with him...he's never had a swat or touch, a stern word is ALL it takes to correct any unwanted behavior and PRAISE is a TOUCH FROM GOD in his eyes!! lol!! I haven't worked on any type of herd training, but he definitely has the natural ability and I'd LOVE to find someone in the area that could assist me in that way...I just don't know anyone and we don't have the livestock suitable for that type of training (we have mules...he KNOWS that's off limits)...anyhow, I could go on for hours telling you how much we love this dog and how much joy he has brought us!! It was so sweet of you to think of us and I appreciate the opportunity to brag on him!!! If you're ever down this way, please stop in!!

One more thing...we've also told folks since choosing to bring such an intellect into our midst...if dementia and Alzheimers is halted or slowed, with using your mind for thinking and outsmarting things...we should be fine for several years...we've surrounded ourselves with mules (you know how you have to stay a step ahead of them) and now, we've added a Border Collie to the mix...our brains are in overload!!!! ;-)

Now that's a "heck of a dog" and congratulations to you and of course his breeder.

Sharon,
I am so happy that you are now enjoying the experience of being part of the Border Collie world. I have owned Borders since 1960 and am always being surprised with another level of intelligence that comes from these dogs. A few years ago there was a program on TV about a rescued Border by a older gentleman. He was always giving the Border a new toy to play with and fetch when ask. Each toy had a name and was introduced to the dog. When ask the dog would walk around and would return with only that toy. After challenging the dog over and over and him always coming thru, They decided to try something new. They put a new toy into his collection which were arranged in a large circle. He was then ask for the new named toy, he walked around and looked at each toy and after looking at them all he went back to the only thing that he had never seen before and returned with it. This was the first time that anyone had ever seen a animal rationalize a question and solve it. He looked for something that he had never heard of and returned with something that he had never seen. NOW that is smart !!!
The Border that I now have is a working cow dog that has a whole bag full of tricks that she loves to show everyone. After starting to wear out her welcome I will point my finger at her and say BANG, she will fall over and lay there not moving at all until I give her the release command which would make anyone quit playing dead, THE BUZZARDS ARE COMING !!! She jumps up and comes running.
Needles to say I've been bitten by the Border Collie bug. I could not run my operation with without my Mitzi 5 dog. The more you work with them the better they get and now that Cash is a year old, He is just getting started in his learning curve. He is only going to get smarter and smarter .
Good luck and enjoy the ride.
Bill

Bill...I think the dog you're referring to is Chaser, a female that was featured in a Nova presentation on an educational program and can be watched on video on YouTube. I was amazed at that dog...she has been given the title of knowing over 1100 words!!! After seeing that, I decided to "name" Cash's toys...one afternoon, I was laying on my bed watching the news and he was beside my bed. I asked him to bring me "Blue Boy", a hard rubber blue dog shaped toy. He has never brought his toys in our bedroom and he just looked at me with question! I decided he wasn't going to respond, so I walked to the other end of the house to get on my computer for a few minutes...when I returned about 20 minutes later, Blue Boy was on my pillow!!! Of course, I was jumping up and down with PRIDE, even though he had not brought it directly when I asked!!! Lol!!! He is truly an AMAZEMENT to us and we've had some pretty amazing animals in our lives!!! Do you happen to be on Facebook? If you are, please friend me and let's stay in touch...I post frequently about him with pics and tales and I'd love to hear more about yours!!! Thanks again for asking about our sweet boy!!!

Sharon,
I have not stepped into the Facebook world yet, but that may happen someday. The pleasure that you get from this breeds intelligence level is astounding , but you have to watch what you say around most dog owners or they will be offended. Only when you have that special dog and understand the dog, will you be able to open those doors and see the true smarts really is. Not everyone will try to think and understand what they are working with. The dog can only show you what you are capable of seeing. It seems to me that you have that talent and the sky is the limit on how far you can take Mr.Cash.
If you are ever in the south west Ohio area, be sure to stop and visit. Just call.513-310-7919
Bill