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I have a Border collie blue healer MIX dog. His name is...

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Answer by Doreen
Submitted on 4/13/2004
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I have a 2 year old Border Collie Blue Healer myself and he is a wonderful boy. He was nippy at first and still has tons of energy. As far as curbing his nipping we got this product called Bitter Apple from the pet store. When he would nip at someone all we did is spray it in his mouth, and say NO Bite. The taste is bitter and they associate biting with bitterness then and don't do it anymore. When ever Brewster goes to nip at someone all we have to do is show him the bottle of Bitter Apple and he stops. As far as getting along with other dogs, socalization is the key. Brewster goes to daycare and the dog park quite often and loves it. These kind of dogs need a job to do. If you put three milk cartons in the back yard at different places chances are they will all end up in the same place herded together. Feeding we give him 2 cups of food in the morning and in the evening, he is so active that he works it off.

Answer by Debbie
Submitted on 5/27/2004
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We lost our blue healer/border collie mix last September. She was 7 years old and is still mourned by our family. She was the "best dog in the west", I used to say. She was the most loving, sensitive, intelligent and easiest to train dog we have ever had. We got her when she was 7 weeks old. She would nip and try to herd our heals...but after a short time of saying no and being firm and consistent she stopped. She loved the water, playing with balls and frisbees and had lots of energy. She also knew when it wasn't playtime and could lay down and relax with us all at night. She understood so many words and was eager to please and be a part of our family. Her name was BAILEY. We are now ready for another pup and are looking for the same breed. We want a female and to be able to pick from the litter of pups.

Answer by michelle
Submitted on 6/26/2004
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I have a Red Healer/Border Collie mix. He's seven and his name is Red! I has been the best dog I've ever had. He is very loyal and protective of me and my husband. You can't give this dog enough kisses or hugs. He is also very sensitive and even though he doesn't know alot of tricks, he was very easy to train. His best trick to give kisses on demand! We have a one year old, and Red is not really crazy about him. I think he is jealous. He's not an aggressive dog, but I worry he might be with our son. We are currently trying to find another home for Red because we are trying to have another child and I don't know that he'll take to another little one. He did nip at my three old neice, and I am taking that as a warning sign. I love Red very much and would like to find a loving home for him. He is best with adults, especially women, but he does like big kids, seven and up.

Answer by Elmo
Submitted on 8/13/2004
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We have a blue healer border collie cross we recently adopted from the humane society. Apparently she was left tied to a fence on the grounds one cold winter night. But she's got a terrible habit of peeing on the floor and cannot be left at home without being put in her kennel. The other problem is that she does not listen. If you tell her no she will just put her head in your lap on on your chest and go back to doing exactly what your telling her not to do. We also have a larger dog who is rottie, st Bernard, German Shepherd and Akita cross. Fanny will pick fights with this larger dog and bug her to the point where the large dog fights with her and puts her back in her place. It can be quite frustrating. Any help?

Answer by Melissa
Submitted on 9/19/2004
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We just received a Border Collie/Blue Heeler cross a few days ago, and have noticed that she does have this tendency to nip. I'm a little concerned because I've heard this can lead to other problems, but many people have told me it's very simple to train out of her. I've noticed that she will listen to me most of the time, but does have the attention span of a gnat--She has days where she will listen to everything you tell her, and others where she looks at you like she'd never heard the command before. I've been told to scold for nipping to 'muzzle' her snout with your hands, look her in the eyes and firmly say NO. It's only been a couple a couple of days, but I'll be sure to come back and let you know if this works.

Answer by George
Submitted on 6/3/2005
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We have border/blue mix whose name is Skip, 4 years old. He is a running machine who is a beautiful all-creme color, with only a handful of chestnut brown spots. We would like to try to find a female partner for Skip. I run him while I drive the car and he trots along, in front of, or behind the car. He stops SOOO fast on command when a mom in a stroller is coming, or another car is coming. We also do "goose drivebys", where he leaps out of my SUV window to chase Canada geese. He also loves to nip at my bike wheels when we go for a ride and I try to clock him in the cheek (sort of!) This is all one big game. At the dog park, he herd all the other dogs while they chase their balls and frisbees. If you have a nice female you'd like to offer up to us, please contact me at gstalle@aol.com

Answer by kim
Submitted on 6/9/2006
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I have a 6 yr blue heeler/border collie mix, his name is Kodi and we think he is the best dog in the world. He was hyper his first 3 years and ran a trench in our back yard and as a result now has arthritis. He is very mild mannered now and very obedient, although as a herd dog he is very protective of our (his) 4 young children! He follows them around the house and yard and even paces in front of the tub while they are taking a bath. He warns off adults he does not know but loves every child he has ever met. He loves to play catch-and still nips at the heels of a running person. Be patient with your young boy-he will grow into a fine dog-but dont be afraid to let him know you are the leader of the pack-use a very deep and loud voice and tell him "no" when he is misbehaving!

Answer by Megan
Submitted on 6/28/2006
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My response is to the questions about "dude." I have a blue heeler and a border collie (two different dogs not mixed)and the heeler is more hyperactive than the border collie. The border collie is a lot more vocal than the blue heeler, but the heeler has a very instinctive manner that drives him to herd. Also the border collie and the blue heeler are equally wary of new people. So, mixing the two breeds is bound to be an experience. You sort of get the worst of both worlds. I would suggest putting your dog into obedience training, but if you are an experienced dog owner you can get by with training Dude yourself. Although I must say I have owned dogs as an adult on my own for fifteen years and those two breeds were a definite challenge. So I suggest obedience training from an attributable trainer. As far as feeding I feed my heeler two cups morning and night, and the border collie around 1 and a half cups morning and night. I hope that helped, GOOD LUCK!