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How fast do border collies run?
 

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

6/9/13 9:10 PM

How fast do border collies run?

Got chased by a border collie (mix) today. Well, the dog was probably just happy to find a running partner but I wasn't a very happy one...

I was climbing up a mild hill. Near the top, saw a small dog running across the yard towards the road. I thought he would simply stop at the edge of the yard, like so many other dogs. It didn't.

Though by then, I was already past the yard and was ahead. I was surprised the dog kept on running after me. And soon start gaining on me. Well, I was just about to crest the hill. So I stood up and gave my bike a jump. In a couple seconds, I crested the hill and was now sprinting on the flat. For a few seconds, I was putting more distance between me and the dog. In the mean time, the speedometer creep past 20mph.

But the dog just kept on coming! In fact, he soon start to make up the ground it lost a few second ago!!! So, after another 5-10 second of flat out sprinting and not pulling away, I realized I can't out sprint the beast! So I slammed on the brake and turned to face my tormentor, ready to defend myself.

That's when I realized the dog was having a much better time than I had on that race. He wasn't panting hard at all. Nor was it making any attempt to attack. He just stood there, cocked his head and watching me calmly, probably wondering when I would resume the race again!

Well, I wasn't interested in a race I already lost. Nor did I want to take the dog to Poughkeepsie 20 miles away. So I decided to turn around the head back to the house to have a talk with his owner. The little thing turned and ran ahead, looking back to see if I was keeping up!

The owner, as it turned out, was having her hands full trying to get 4 dogs into her car! One of them was able to get loose and followed me down the road. So, after helping the owner putting him back into the car, I got back on my bike and started contemplating on how fast some dogs run.

Border collies are not big dogs. That's why I thought I could out sprint it. Had it been a greyhound, I wouldn't be tempted to even try.


Last edited by April on 6/9/13 10:42 PM; edited 2 times in total

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JohnC
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 1939
Location: Glastonbury, Ct

6/9/13 9:26 PM

A greyhound can reach well over 40, but the border collie is (as you learned) one of the faster breeds. They've been clocked at well over 30. So unless you got to a descent, you weren't going to outrun that dog.

Sounds like he just wanted to race, though.

The speed is kind of a job requirement, for border collies, which are also often considered the smartest breed.

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Matthew Currie
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 800
Location: Vermont

6/9/13 10:15 PM

I used to occasionally race a border collie near where I live, and this critter was ridiculously fast despite getting a bit old. I was scared that he was chasing me at first, but when I backed off a little, he pulled ahead, and at the apparent boundary of his land, he veered off, plopped down under a favorite tree, and watched me ride on. After that, when I came up on him, I'd slow down a little so he wouldn't have to pant so hard when he won.

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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2625
Location: Canberra, Australia

6/9/13 11:29 PM

On a solo ride a few years back, I came down a hill and across a bridge, and startled a big kangaroo at the far end of the bridge. He hopped along the road ahead of me at about 40kph for several hundred metres before deciding he should veer off into the scrub. From what I've read, kangaroos can maintain a steady 25kph for a long time, 40kph for a couple of kilometres, and in a sprint burst they can hit about 70kph. However, they've got no road sense - if they're sitting at the side of the road as you come along, they're just as likely to hop in front of you as to go the other way, and a couple of my friends have come off second best after collisions with kangaroos while out riding.

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ErikS
Joined: 19 May 2005
Posts: 8337
Location: Slowing boiling over in the steamy south, Global Warming is real

6/10/13 2:45 AM

I had a whitetail buck in velvet run along side me effortlessly at 40kph yesterday. There was a swampy creek next to the road it did not want jump in as it was fleeing me. Graceful is putting it mildly.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

6/10/13 4:57 AM

There's a great scene about racing dogs in American Flyers. Not a great movie, but it has its moments.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

6/10/13 4:58 AM

Quite a few years ago, I had a drag race with a German shepherd that came racing toward our group. When it got close to the road edge, it turned parallel to us. I wound it up to 20...25..30...and finally topped out at around 35 and it kept pace. If it hadn't run out of real estate and been forced to stop, I suspect that it would have easily outlasted me. I don't know if that's typical of the breed, but it seems obvious that this was a common practice for this dog, which was definitely fit.

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Dave B
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4511
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

6/10/13 6:11 AM

Dogs in general have great endurance. When heart researchers were trying to determine the effects of fitness on heart disease they first tried using dogs on treadmills as their subjects. They took way too long to tire out.

The subject animal they final settled on as closest in response to humans was, no surprise, pigs.

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DPotter
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 953
Location: Portland, Maine

6/10/13 6:59 AM

I actually built a pig treadmill years ago for a university. They were doing heart research.

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Steve B.
Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Posts: 769
Location: Long Island, NY

6/10/13 11:07 AM

Border Collies are bred to herd sheep.

This one probably wouldn't give up the chase till he had you turn thru the gate.

They actually make so-so pets due to their need to be continually active and working. They are certainly not apartment dogs.

Beautiful animals though and about as smart as they come in the dog world.

SB

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Pat Clancy
Joined: 13 Jan 2004
Posts: 1353
Location: Manchester, CT

6/10/13 11:51 AM

Keep those kids together!

If you've ever seen a pet border collie attempt to herd a group of toddlers playing in the yard, it's hilarious.

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

6/10/13 12:18 PM

Mission Accomplished

The little collie did his job by very effectively herding April back to his owner.

An interesting thing about Greyhounds is that they go from a standing start to top speed of 40+ mph in 6 strides. We had one that would lie in the grass like a snake at the top of a little rise in the backyard, waiting for an unsuspecting person or dog to come along. Then he would spring up and dash at you, scaring the crap out of you, veering off at the last instant. He thought that was hilarious (actually so did I).

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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC

6/10/13 1:44 PM


quote:
Mission Accomplished
The little collie did his job by very effectively herding April back to his owner.

Well, he certainly did! :D

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ErikS
Joined: 19 May 2005
Posts: 8337
Location: Slowing boiling over in the steamy south, Global Warming is real

6/10/13 3:55 PM

Pit bulls, well they are everywhere around here. Sorry but they aren't fast but eddy help you if one catches you. My wife and I dealt with 2 this weekend.

I have two forms of medicine for them and hate to think I would ever be forced into using either. Mace is one I recently started carrying for my first defense from mean critters.

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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2625
Location: Canberra, Australia

6/10/13 5:36 PM


quote:
Pit bulls, well they are everywhere around here

They're now an illegal dog to own here, and get impounded and destroyed. This was done after several small kids were killed/badly injured by pit bulls.

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ErikS
Joined: 19 May 2005
Posts: 8337
Location: Slowing boiling over in the steamy south, Global Warming is real

6/10/13 6:40 PM

They should here too. In the last month there was a lady runner who was attacked and killed by 4. I don't remember the location. They are horrible dispositioned animals because they are so unpredictable.

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