He came with that name. It was his litter name. Moses’ father is a cattle and sheep Border Collie Dog from Montana, named Mo. The breeder, Mary Thompson, as most do give the pups all “litter names.” In this case, the pups’ names mostly started with a Mo. I liked the name, so we kept it. But often we shorten his name to “Mo” or “Mos.” We are with our dogs a lot, day in and out. It is important to have a name that is short, easy to say. But when we pal around we often use a fun nickname. I will call Moses’ talented cousin, Blade, who is now maybe our”best dog,” “Bladey, Blade, Blade,” when we are just about to go into a nonwork situation. This energizes the dogs,it’s fun, but also gets them a bit excited, not good for a work situation with geese or sheep. Work with farm animals and poultry and wild geese calls for the Border Collie to be focused, level headed.
But, this is about Moses, “our” lovable, very handsome Border Collie pup who is probably the most persistent pup/dog I have ever worked with. He also is very “chill,” an exciting combination. Border Collies which are breed for work, “working lines” come with a wide variety of looks, hair length, and color variety and personalities as well as their own take on that Border Collie instinct for herding. Forget about the American preoccupation with how smart Border Collies are said to be. What is important is the whole package, right? This is why the working Border Collies come in such a variety of ways. Farmers, shepherds, sheepdog trial handlers, and goose control professionals, and that is often a blend of those categories, do like a dog that will fit their needs. But a Border Collie pup can be trained or through experience, become adapt in many working situations. Different work for a Border Collie can be the difference of type or breed of sheep on a farm, or if the dog would be used primarily for trial work, etc.
Moses came to us from the breeder’s farm in Western Ontario, a ways from our home in eastern upstate New York. Moses’ mom, Mia, like, dad, Mo, is a very good working herding dog, and I trust Mary to have healthy dogs. It is very hard and heartbreaking to spend a lot of time and money to bring up a dog as a work partner and then have terrible health issues, like epilepsy, inherited eyesight issues that can be sometimes left out of the equation with careful breeding. Moses is a big boy, as Border Collies go, he is a year and a half at this writing. He is at once shy and also very lovingly persistent. If he wants to sneak into Lori’s lap now even though not little anymore, while she is dozing off in the evening, he will find a way. Moses will play for long periods of time, rough and tumble with our three-year-old Border Collie Tara. But he, when asked to stop doing something, is very willing to do so.
Moses is a slow learner but a pup that is very careful and perspective. Moses did take part with goose control last year and seemed to pick it up well and was a good addition to “the team.” However, working with sheep and poultry is coming along slowly. Dogs like humans learn at different individual rates. And in the best of possible worlds, it is best to let the individuals learn at their own pace. Moses’ littermate, which lives with Mary, named Daisy, is already working at a high level. But, I am happy with how Moses is progressing in all his work and maturing toward adulthood. A calm but persistent and perspective dog will be great to have in the family for the years to come. Like with raising and teaching kids, it’s the hard work, not just the love of these early years, that makes the difference. After all, the great Border Collie handlers in the UK and Ireland talk about “respect” for their dogs and the dogs” respecting” them back, in the best most possible of ways. You have to respect what is there in front of you, to truly understand and go forward with your best care and hard work.