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Border Collie Trained to Recognize 1,022 Nouns Dies

nytimes.com

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Re: Border Collie Trained to Recognize 1,022 Nouns Dies

#61

Post by NeedMoreTea »

NeedMoreTea wrote: post #18
noir_lord wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Belgian Malinois as well, similar breed bit lighter but incredbily fast, agile and smart, used by militaries around the world.

Aye, it was more that for a spell their shepherds were first choice for many forces over anyone else's shepherds, anywhere, and they had a permanent waiting list. Can't, for the life of me, remember the name of the kennel though. Malis seem to be becoming more popular as police dogs too, as there's so many hip problems in shepherds.

I remembered. Search "olderhill german shepherds" or "ann butler shepherds" for a selection of sites. Looks like there's a few kennels offering a continuation of those dogs, but no one actually continuing the process of bringing the best workers back for breeding.

This seems to have the most history: https://olderhill.webnode.com/history-of-the-olderhills/

Re: Border Collie Trained to Recognize 1,022 Nouns Dies

#62

Post by cmrdporcupine »

Aw, that's sad, we watched videos of this dog not long after we got our own border collie puppy some months ago.

Then we tried in vain to get our dog to make word/object associations like this dog. No luck.

Yes, BCs are smart. But that particular BC was really really smart. I hope its genetics live on in some lineage somewhere.

Re: Border Collie Trained to Recognize 1,022 Nouns Dies

#63

Post by cmrdporcupine »

mothsonasloth wrote: post #33

Had a Scottish Border Collie, was a fantastic dog. I remember the first week after I got my dog we took him near a field and the instinct immediately kicked in when he saw the sheep. Straight to the ground, eyes giving the wolf stare and ears alert. Taught my dog to count to 4 with visual cues (fingers or chews). Would love another Collie but sadly most work places in the UK aren't dog friendly.

I have both a BC and a dog friendly workplace (Google). But I wouldn't dream of bringing her to work. Workplaces are for sedate dogs that are fine with lying around and doing nothing while the owner works.

Our BC spends all her waking hours looking for a job, and her wakefulness and energy is so much more intense than any other dog I've had. Makes sense for a breed that had to walk/run for effectively dozens of miles a day while herding.

Re: Border Collie Trained to Recognize 1,022 Nouns Dies

#64

Post by jjtheblunt »

duskwuff wrote: post #48
sys_64738 wrote: post #45

15 years is the upper threshold for border collies. RIP.

15 years is on the high side of average, but not an upper limit by any means. 20-year-old Border Collies aren't unheard of, and the world record is nearly 28 years.

world record of 28 years, documented where?

Re: Border Collie Trained to Recognize 1,022 Nouns Dies

#65

Post by cmrdporcupine »

pseudolus wrote: post #6

I hope the publicity surrounding Chaser's passing doesn't inspire unprepared individuals to go out and get a border collie. They are arguably the smartest dog breed and that intelligence is accompanied with a continual need for stimulation that being locked up in a house or, worse yet, an apartment can't provide [0]. A toy lap breed they are not. [0] http://www.vetstreet.com/dogs/border-collie#1_izc4ixoo

True this, and their idea of stimulation isn't necessarily like other dogs. We live on 7 acres and our old dog (who was part collie, but not full) could amuse herself for a long time just sniffing and exploring, even by herself. And we had to get a electrified collar system to keep her on the property.

Our BC on the other hand has no desire to be outside without us, does not want to leave the property, and will follow you around constantly hoping you pick up a ball or frisbee. No interest in other dogs, just people. And she'll ignore food and treats completely if there's an object to chase or a puzzle to solve.

Re: Border Collie Trained to Recognize 1,022 Nouns Dies

#66

Post by cmrdporcupine »

RaceWon wrote: post #21

I'll try not come off as snide but I have to wonder what types of ailments Border Collies are prone to due to the inevitable inbreeding that every AKC dog has--hey they gotta look pretty in the ring. * Our German Short Hair Pointer had seizures which in time led to him having to be put down; despite having him treated at the Animal Medical Center in NYC amongst other places. * Our English Cocker Spaniel (a found dog…

I think your comment is a little off target with border collies to some degree. Of all the pure breds (and I also have problems with 'pure breeding' to some degree) they are probably the least like what you are calling out here.

All the other breeds you mentioned are bred for looks. Border collies are bred for behaviour. The definition of a collie is fundamentally personality and behaviour traits, not a look.

There is a wide variation in the physical profile of border collies. Size, colouring, physical comportment, etc. Ours is completely black, others are black and white, or grey, etc. Ours is under 30lbs, some get to be 40 or 50.

I've always preferred mutts, but our dog before our BC was a mutt, a rescue, some sort of a collie cross. Her health problems were numerous: hip dysplasia, pancreatitis, and she died at 6 from lymphoma. She got dealt a bad set of cards. Poor lovely soul.

But our BC in contrast is the measure of health. Extremely vital. But I still miss the old dog :-(

Re: Border Collie Trained to Recognize 1,022 Nouns Dies

#67

Post by cam_l »

manigandham wrote: post #56
alluro2 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Genuinely curious - is there any reason why person would potentially prefer a less smart dog? I always thought that, the smarter they are, the better companions they can be, so your comment got me wondering.

The smarter they are, the more they observe and learn. This means they also learn bad or annoying things and it can be very difficult to then train them out of it. A good example is a border collie I know that accidentally broke a screen door, then suddenly learned that all screens can be opened at will and no window was safe. Smart breeds also need to be kept busy and entertained or they get anxious and angry. They'…

On the other hand my toy dog ate through a timber door. (And tried on every door subsequently until we trained him out of it).

The anxiety is enough, it certainly doesn't take (much) brains.

Re: Border Collie Trained to Recognize 1,022 Nouns Dies

#68

Post by chucksmash »

oplav wrote: post #24
the_duke wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The paywall is easily circumvented by opening a private window.

NYT started blocking incognito windows: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19275283

There's still a trick you can use on Android at least, but it's a little obscure. I'm worried some HN-reading NYT dev will file a JIRA for it if I post though. Play around for yourself, that's how I found it.

Re: Border Collie Trained to Recognize 1,022 Nouns Dies

#69

Post by [deleted] »

robbrown451 wrote: post #2

If you hit the NYT paywall, at the very least watch the YouTube video that is linked on the page: https://youtu.be/J982KYWohT8 (it's from 2013) Yeah, there's some science. But mostly, just an incredibly sweet story. Dr. Pilly, Chaser's owner, died last year at 89. Chaser also lived a long, happy life.

[deleted]

Re: Border Collie Trained to Recognize 1,022 Nouns Dies

#70

Post by ryanSrich »

alluro2 wrote: post #54
kortilla wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a puppy collie/Shepard mix that is about a year old. Do you have any tips/suggestions? Do you regret getting such a smart dog in general?

Genuinely curious - is there any reason why person would potentially prefer a less smart dog? I always thought that, the smarter they are, the better companions they can be, so your comment got me wondering.

Energy levels are difficult with a smart dog that is less than 3 years old. My border collie has calmed down in the last year, but the first few years she needed 3-5 hours of both mental and physical stimulation daily.
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