> the Vienna study dogs were all Border collies, so I’m a little surprised that any of them were mature. That would suggest a certain calm, a willingness to til

> the Vienna study dogs were all Border collies, so I’m a little surprised that any of them were mature. That would suggest a certain calm, a willingness to tilt the head and muse that doesn’t seem to fit the breed, with its desperate desire to be constantly chasing sheep, geese, children or Frisbees. I had a border collie from 6 weeks through every stage there is. And while I may be biased, I’d counter point that the author is ignorant here. I’ve been lucky enough to have many “smart breeds” in my life. Labs, shepherds, etc. and the border collie is the most human in personality. They are just extremely smart. But in a different way that makes them seem more human. Like they have reasoning skills at a higher level. Head tilting in this breed is a body language. My dog and I had a full language we spoke based on head tilts, eye movements and other minor body movements. I could nod my head from across a park/field and he knew if he was getting food, water, a ball, if I was calling a route for him to run, or if it was just time to go home to say a few. This body language extended into pretty much all situations. Most people thought/joked he read my mind because it wasn’t like it was sign language. The movements were so subtle people didn’t even notice them. And I could read his movements too. Any way , I think this is a great breed for this type of study. I certainly remember my dog’s phases fondly and can relate to the basis of the study.