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>And I *love* the breed, by the way. But I basically arrange my life around
>my dogs. I doubt that a lot of people want to do that - my friends tell
>me I need to "get a life." :-) During my typical day, I spend an hour
>in the morning playing with, training, and exercising my dogs before I
>got to work. When I get home (10 hours later), I spend a half-hour or more
>training them (that mental stimulation tires them out quicker than a
>long walk), then another 15 or so minutes playing ball. Then I get to
>"relax" in front of the TV - and in this case, "relax" means
mindlessly
>toss the ball as it is endlessly placed in my lap for me to throw. Of
>course, having two of them does help, because they do spend some time
>playing with each other, too. But they're extremely people-oriented,
>and still need a *lot* of my time.
April,
Perhaps I should e-mail you, however I have a question. You sound like a wonderful person
who takes wonderful care of her dogs, providing them the mental stimulation and physical
activity they require. However, I have a question. Don't Border Collies ever relax !. My
Eskie is also extremely bright and active, but when I am tired or working or do not want
to play, she relaxes, rests or otherwise occupies herself. She does that out of discipline
and respect for me and MY needs. If I encouraged her, she would gladly play non-stop. As
it stands now we have invented numerous inventive games and variations of catch, retrieve,
etc. Though she is always seeking play opportunities, she adjusts her "play"
drive to my energy level and schedule. She understands that there is a time and place for
everything. Can't Border Collies handle this? Or is there energy level essentially
uncontrollable, even by their considerable intelligence and respect for their owners.
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