Product Description

A handbook on how to care for a border collie. Topics include: choosing your border collie; taking your puppy home; commonsense dog training; nutrition; creating a partnership; training; and adolescent and older dogs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12306 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 157 pages

Customer Reviews

A must for any owner and perspective owner.
This book is written with a great understanding and definite knowledge of this somewhat misjudged breed of dog. Ms Sykes has covered every aspect of choosing, rearing, training and living in harmony with a truly wonderful creature.A book that to be totally appreciated must be read from cover to cover which once you start reading isn't difficult to do. I have read many books on Border Collies including a very closely named book by Carol Price, Understanding the Border Collie, Michael de Vine, Border Collies, Barbara Swann, The complete Border Collie to name a few, but nothing in my opinion compares to the true understanding this lady obviously has of the collie mind.A book I wish someone had recommended to me before I owned a Border Collie, although having purchased it when my Collie was ten months old I can only say it has improved my understanding and our relationship to the extreme that I now own a truly wonderful dog who is devoted to my family including two young children.

A well written, easy to read and informative book.
Barbara Sykes appears to be not only a very good dog handler, but is an extrememly good writer about dogs, especially the border collie, whom she obviously loves.

She explains their behaviour and needs in an interesting yet understandable way. At all times she tries to see things froms a dog's point of view. At the end of each chapter is a condensed version of what was said, making it easy to flick through, just as a reminder, or if time is short. Some brilliant pictures (black and white), some very funny! I especially like the ones showing Skye with the cat Tia! Even if you have had dogs before, this book will shed some more light on dog behaviour.

I would urge you to get this book, it is simply excellent!

This book is a - MUST READ - for all Border Collie owners.
This is one of the best all round books offering an understanding of the Border Collie Breed ever to be written - well researched, based on years of experience and full of photographs, useful illustrations and witty analogies that make it easy to digest. More than that, this book shows respect for the breed and its abilities. In order to enlighten the reader - as opposed to merely entertain - Barbara Sykes starts from the roots of the breed, the dedicated and historical breeding of Border Collies as working sheep dogs, and the instincts this breeding has been designed to develop. This aspect has been much neglected by many BC book authors who aim their publications at the Pet market and is ignored at peril as the dogs behaviour is rooted in these inbred working instincts. Failure to consider the working origins of the breed has led to so many of these wonderful dogs ending up in unsuitable homes and rescue centres such as ours. From these roots, Barbara takes us through all the aspects of the breed, providing real answers to important questions that vex many owners and providing real insight into the way these dogs think, relate and interact with each other, their handlers and the modern world. If Border Collie Rescue was to write a book on the breed, its problems and how to understand them, it would have to be a book like this. So many people come to Border Collie Rescue with an unwanted Border Collie saying "if I had known what I was taking on, I would not have got a Border Collie". We advise anyone considering taking on one of this breed as a pet to read this book first. In our opinion, if you can only afford one book on Border Collies - this is the one.