Which is the better dog? The Border Collie or English Shepherd?
by Tom D. StodghillExcerpt from Animal Research Foundation Magazine, 1983 – 1984
IN RECENT WEEKS WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL LETTERS ASKING “WHICH IS THE BETTER DOG? THE BORDER COLLIE OR ENGLISH SHEPHERD?” THIS IS A HARD QUESTION. SO HERE IS OUR ANSWER AND YOU MAKE THE DECISION.
Your most interesting letter received in regard to which breed of dogs is best for a family dog. Border Collies or English Shepherd, this is a hard question to answer as they are both unusual good breeds of dogs.
In regard to the English Shepherd it is the breed I know the most about as my Father had English Shepherds when I was born and my mother’s family brought a pair of English Shepherds to Texas with them from Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1896 and one of my earliest memories about English Shepherds was coyotes were after our chickens and old Ned our English Shepherd liked to have got killed by five coyotes and my Uncle Duffer Dromgoole grabbed my Father’s shot gun and jumped on his horse and took after the coyotes and when he shot at the coyotes they all broke and run. After that Ned would chase the coyotes over the hill and they would chase Ned back to the house but Ned never quit fighting coyotes as long as he lived.
For Children and as a watch dog there isn’t any more faithful watchdog than a English Shepherd. I have the very best Border Collies and if you are going to keep the dog in the house the Border Collie is the very best baby setter, as they will lay all day and watch the baby.
As the Border Collie wants to work all the time they will make a trail around the house trying to watch the baby and if a new baby is borned, the Border Collie will take the job watching the youngest baby in the family. If you are going to keep the dog in the house you couldn’t get a better baby setter and regardless where the baby goes the Border Collie will stay right with the baby and the Mother of the baby don’t have to pick the baby up many times and tell the baby to stay off the street, until the Border Collie will be catching the baby’s dress and pulling the baby off the street. The Border Collie will train themselves watching you take care of the baby. If you live in town and have children and let your dog stay in the house, the Border Collie will watch the children day and night.
The English Shepherd have a lot of dignity and they will lay on the front porch or back porch, all depends on whether the fence goes all the way around the house or you just have a front yard fenced or the back yard fenced. If only back yard is fenced the English Shepherd will lay on back porch and watch everything that is if the English Shepherd is fenced off from the front of the house. If the fence goes all the way around the house more than likely your English Shepherd will lay on the front porch and they have good judgement, when you have visitors, if you speak friendly to visitors your English Shepherd will be friendly, but if there is any fear in your voice your faithful English Shepherd will be right there between the stranger with a growl that makes the stranger understand the English Shepherd will protect you. This good judgement makes the ARF Registered English Shepherd one of the very best watch and guard dogs, they are also a quiet dog with a lot of dignity and for a watch and guard dog you want to get your English Shepherd and Border Collie pups as young as possible.
Where Father and Mother both work away from home and you leave your children with a baby sitter, get a Border Collie pup to stay in the house with the children and an English Shepherd to stay in the yard and watch the home and you would have double protection for your home and children.
For a wealthy family where there is danger of children being kidnapped for ransom the advanced Border Collie pup being raised in the house with the children and a black-tan English Shepherd to guard the yard, the children would have double protection. In regards to English Shepherd and Border Collie pups we have both Breeds, males and females or clock-wise bred pairs to be bred together. If you read the ads in the ARF Magainze, you will find the very best English Shepherd and Border Collies advertised. If you can’t find what you want we can fill your order.
I am, Very Sincerely Yours
Tom D. Stodghill