I can second that. I've owned a border collie for over a year now (got her when she was 4 months old) and it's incredible how she is always listening when my family or I speak. Just last week I tried spelling t-r-e-a-t instead of saying it and now she perks her ears up the same as if I said treat. It works for 'outside' too, because sometimes I wouldn't know the last time she was out, so I'd ask my mom and if my dog Skyler heard me say 'outside,' she'd go frantic. So we started spelling o-u-t but it was only a matter of days before she was on to that. Now I say "to the yard" or something else off the wall, but she'll be on to those sayings sooner or later.
I'd bet my money that this breed is the smartest dog there is, and breeders need to keep it that way by keeping the gene pool as big as possible, not just getting the prettiest dogs to breed like the AKC wants. Let's face it, intelligence and beauty don't go together.;)
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I can second that. I've owned a border collie for over a year now (got her when she was 4 months old) and it's incredible how she is always listening when my family or I speak. Just last week I tried spelling t-r-e-a-t instead of saying it and now she perks her ears up the same as if I said treat. It works for 'outside' too, because sometimes I wouldn't know the last time she was out, so I'd ask my mom and if my dog Skyler heard me say 'outside,' she'd go frantic. So we started spelling o-u-t but it was only a matter of days before she was on to that. Now I say "to the yard" or something else off the wall, but she'll be on to those sayings sooner or later. I'd bet my money that this breed is the smartest dog there is, and breeders need to keep it that way by keeping the gene pool as big as possible, not just getting the prettiest dogs to breed like the AKC wants. Let's face it, intelligence and beauty don't go together. ;)