The Ultimate Border Collie [Hardcover]

Allison Hornsby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 1998

The Border Collie's strong instincts, quick wits and intelligence have proved both a delight and a challenge to owners. The book explains how to address this intelligence, through training, work and socialization.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The Ultimate Border Collie The Border Collie is one of the most fascinating of breeds, and it now has an enthusiastic following worldwide. The combination of its strong instinctive behaviour, its quick wits and intelligence have proved a challenge to many a dog owner — and the rewards of training a Border Collie to the height of its powers are tremendous. This is a breed which is still highly-prized as a working sheepdog, it excels in the disciplines of Competitive Obedience, Agility, Flyball, and Working Tests, and it is becoming increasingly valued as an assistance dog, working with the deaf, the disabled, and the blind. Bred first and foremost for its working ability, the Border Collie is also blessed with distinctive good looks, and is now making its mark in the show ring. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Border Collie is a loving and affectionate companion dog. In The Ultimate Border Collie, Editor Alison Hornsby has recruited a star-studded cast of specialists to write the definitive book on the breed. Experts from all over the world have pooled resources to give the most comprehensive coverage of the Border Collie today. Starting with research into the origins and development of the breed, the experts go on to analyse the Border Collie's mind and how its instincts and intelligence can be channelled into the various working and competitive roles. The show Border Collie is also highlighted, with three Championship judges giving a special pictorial critique. The importance of training and socialisation is emphasised throughout the book, with contributions from top trainers and handlers in all the Border Collie's different spheres of activity. There is a section devoted to the Border Collie at work, finding out why the breed excels at such a variety of tasks, accompanied by the personal stories of those whose lives have been dramatically changed by owning a Border Collie. Leading experts give detailed information on feeding, exercise, health care and inherited conditions, and there is coverage of breeding and rearing Border Collies illustrated with top-quality photographs. The Ultimate Border Collie, a book for the true breed enthusiast, is lavishly illustrated with more than 200 colour photographs.

About the Author

The Editor: Alison Hornsby's interest in the Border Collie began in 1973 when she was working as a trainer for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. This involvement deepened when she became puppywalking and broodstock supervisor at the Association's breeding centre, specialising in the training of puppies and the supervision of the GDBA breeding scheme. Ten years ago she founded the Bekkis kennel, in partnership with Jenny Jefferson, and their Border Collies have achieved considerable success in the show ring and as working dogs. To date, they have bred two Border Collie Show Champions, and have made up a third. They have also bred ten working guide dogs, and three dogs for the disabled. See Chapter 2: The Border Collie Puppy and Chapter 9: The Versatile Border Collie.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Howell Book House; 1 edition (March 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876055897
• ISBN-13: 978-0876055892
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #645,596 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

119 of 120 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best BC book I've seen so far, December 14, 2000

By 

Clamdigger (Pahoa, Hawai'i USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ultimate Border Collie (Hardcover)

Briefly, before I got my first purebred Border Collie I sat down and read through half a dozen "BC" books - and this is the one I actually bought for reference.

This is not one of those all too common dog books which add maybe 20% of breed specific information to an otherwise ho-hum recap of canine generalities and the responsibilities of ownership. This book actually focuses on BCs all the way through, and, partly because BCs are *different*, that focus is essential.

Prospective owners need to realize that although BCs do have considerable intelligence and are more trainable than other breeds, they are also more apt to get into mischief if not properly exercised, supervised and challenged - they get bored, and they can be very troublesome. Too many BCs end up in shelters because their owners didn't realize what ownership would require of *them* (space, time, effort, leadership).

Read this book BEFORE you decide to get that Border Collie!

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book on Border Collies, written by a true expert, January 10, 2002

By 

RJC "RJC" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate Border Collie (Hardcover)

This author has done an excellent job describing the Border Collie. Whether it's behavior, motivations, breed history, stregths, weaknesses, she demonstrates that she is truly an expert. This is not a generic dog book with Border Collie pictures pasted in, it is an excellent reference that I intend to use for many years to come. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has or is considering purchasing a Border Collie.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, March 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ultimate Border Collie (Hardcover)

Thank goodness for the wise writing and lovely pictures in this book. She does her best to dispell the myth of the 'genius'dog and the other myth of the 'border collies are black and white and stick thin small dogs'.

As an owner of a mostly white border collie, who is sometimes dismayed by people's comments about 'well she must have (insert breed) in her to be white', it is heartening to see pictures of every possible shade and shape of border collie. Border collies are very diverse - that's because the emphasis is (until recently, some may say) on a working dog, not a certain 'look'. It's their quirky minds that make them so different. A few hours with an obsessive fly chaser and you'll understand :-)

She has great sections on puppies, activities for your BC and lots of history and opinion. Some of the information may rub people the wrong way - bc people tend to be opinionated!