If You Want A Health & Mood Booster
Just before Daniel & I moved out to live together we decided to get a puppy. Not the best timing I’ll tell you that. We fell into a little financial stress too because it happened so suddenly, but it really made us happier & our relationship stronger because we got through tough times together. I think having our border collie really did help us cope with the struggle.
We got Rafa in February 2016 & it has been one of the best decisions we’ve made by far. Daniel & I became extremely passionate about our health & fitness at the time so we wanted a dog that will keep us active. Even though we did our research on border collies in advance to bringing one home, it still felt like we didn’t do enough. That being said, trying to keep up with Rafa’s energy level really encouraged our leisure time physical activity. Our mental well being improved so much due to the exercise we were getting. Having Rafa’s company was an instant mood lifter. There were very little room for stress nor negativity which was exactly what we needed in our lives. We just felt so much happier & we’ve been happier since.
Border collies are regarded as the most intelligent dog in the world. They learn in a heart beat & they’ll never forget it once they do. There were tricks that we thought may take some time for Rafa to learn, but was incredibly surprised by how fast he picked them up. Here’s a list of some of things Rafa’s good at;
○ ‘The Floor Is Lava’
I think he got this game in less than 20mins.
○ General Dog Tricks & Cues
Up, down, jump, sit, paw, speak, wait, stay, go, chase, move back/forwards.
○ Drug Detection
Rafa does not like anyone in possession or use of drugs. He will become aggressive towards them until they are out of sight. I love this because then I know exactly when someone’s guilty Lol
○ Water Rescue
If you scream “help” multiple times in water Rafa will drag your hair & pull you back to shore. Unfortunately, he will only come to your rescue if you have hair for him to grab onto otherwise he’ll turn his back on ya haha
○ Not Tolerating Violence
There is to be absolutely no hitting gestures & or loud arguing when Rafa’s around cause he will become & remain aggressive until you stop. Puppy Rafa once attacked Daniel & my mum when they were pretending to hit me. Not sure if he’s selective with people though.
○ Going To Toilet When Asked
He would give us eye contact, pause for a moment & then if he does need to – off he goes to find a bush otherwise he will go on with whatever he’s doing if he doesn’t need to go.
○ Toilet Trained To Go On Grass
Rafa has been an indoor dog the minute we brought him home with us so we toilet trained him to only go on grass. He taps the door with his paw whenever he needs to go toilet.
○ Holding Grudges
If you mention taking this guy for a walk or going somewhere he likes then end up not going forward with it, oh man. He’s been upset with us on a few occasions & what he does is he’ll look at us from the corner of his eyes when we speak to him, but will refuse to respond, avoid eye contact & just pretend you don’t exist basically. Not even treats will make up for the broken promises. We have to apologise & show affection to earn his forgiveness. It’s cute, but darn annoying.
Nova has become quite comfortable with Rafa in the sense that she doesn’t fear him. Though, that girl does not like anyone being in her personal space & Rafa is well aware of this as he keeps a good distance from her when she’s not in the mood. He’s become more so an outdoor dog since Nova’s arrival because we just can’t keep up with the shedding vs grooming (constantly dirty from going in the swamp/bushes) vs cleaning & having a clean play space for Nova. He’s been a little distant from us because of this. He’ll occasionally respond to “come” now which he would do so immediately without hesitation before. However, we’ve recently made him an indoor dog again due to his leg injury. He injured his leg from his daily sprinting & has been putting too much pressure on it causing injury to worsen. He doesn’t look it because he’s got a skinny face, but he’s very overweight for his breed/age lOl We’ve been advised to put him on a strict diet, but it doesn’t help when our neighbours give him their leftovers & put food out for the cat so it’s like jail time for him now since he’s gotten use to running freely outdoors. Poor fella, tough times for him but it’ll help his recovery.
If you don’t already know border collies are incredibly energetic, they can go all day without rest it seems. We moved to a farm a few years ago & it has been the best thing for Rafa, he loves the space & lets be real he needs it considering his level of activeness. Our neighbours come & go with sheeps so he gets plenty of exercise there & thank goodness because daily walks seem to never be enough. The only time where Rafa is worn out is a day at the beach where swimming & fetch in water is involved. Sounds tiring, but more fun than anything. He keeps us going.
Rafa is so affectionate not only with us, but with everyone he knows. Sometimes I feel like it’s more so ‘neediness’ due to the constant desire for attention & touch. Border collies are such good people’s dog, they just love everyone.
I think it’s safe to assume that people who own a dog/s (depending on breed also) are generally friendly & caring people. We’ve made a few new friends over the years just from walking our dog, border collie owners in particular. Going to dog parks, dog events & play dates really does increase social interaction with the right group of people too. Daniel has an introvert personality, but he has grown more comfortable when socialising with others now since having Rafa.
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