What is a Mcnab?

" I was prepared for a puppy, but I wasn’t prepared for Ava. Ava’s baseline is determined, fearless, confident and extremely keen. I’ve watched several of her litter mates closely and they all seem to be this way. She has such a bright and intelligent expression when she is thinking and working.  She started out SO distracted, but it’s like I could tell she was trying very hard not to be. Her focus is crazy now. She is learning so many things I’m not explicitly teaching just by watching and listening. I’m not exaggerating with this: I taught her to walk next to me nearly perfectly in a 6 foot long walkway in my bedroom in maybe ten minutes. The next day I went to try it outside and she just snapped right into position like a pro. One of the biggest things I’ve notice about Ava is that she needs to find her role in everything. And she’s typically pretty good at it. She drags the garden hose from tree to tree for me as an example. She helps me with everything outside, she will try to help me dig holes, rip out weeds for me, attack the sprinkler. If I ask her to do something and try to make it obvious what I want she will figure it out.   When she first learned to sit, she EXPLODED into a sit. You’ve never seen a dog lay down so fast once she learned “down.” Ava has so so much energy. She is actually kind of rambunctious but somehow never getting into serious trouble. She full sprints but doesn’t knock things over. She jumps and runs and grunts and growls all over the house when she’s having fun  - which is most of the time. Ava is such a happy dog. I have a (now grumpy) 12 year old border collie named Max who has been a solo dog his whole life. He didn’t like her much because McNabs are very “in your face” dogs, especially with other dogs. The lengths that Ava goes to just to get a max to play with her is astonishing. He consistently doesn’t want to play… until she’s got him chasing her all over the yard wrestling with her. She has absolutely zero concept of a person bubble… well, if she does her mission seems to be to stay inside it as much as possible. I’ve not been alone in the bathroom in some time now and has jumped in the shower with me. I love it, she is right next to my wife or myself basically always and loves sneaking up for kisses on the bed and couch.   Ava is now a fetching machine and can catch her frisbees, she loves to play tug, snuggle at night, play with other dogs etc.   Ava is such a little sweetheart, but she does have a small group of people she is that way with. Brittany delivered Ava to us and she instantly liked us, but I don’t know anyone else that she likes. My best friend is over very often and only after several weeks is she okay with him petting her. This works well for me. She doesn’t really bark at strangers unless they directly approach her. I don’t want her interacting with people around here (it’s not the best area). I’d rather she tell them to go away and she does this wonderfully, she doesn’t run the fence barking at people at all, mostly just observes but tells anyone actually coming to the yard to go away. I like that she’s aloof, she knows she is OURS and she really shows it.   Ava is everything I wanted in a dog and I got so so much more than I asked for. I really wanted to see what owning a mcnab was like and I just don’t see a reason to own any other breed at this point. "

-Rich Watson

"Owning a McNab to me means- Always having a shadow. Mine would rather be with me than chasing the wildlife in the woods. He's fiercely loyal to me and to his dog housemate. Like every brother he's a real pest and pain in her butt, but he's also the first to worry about where she is if he hasn't seen her for awhile and is ultra protective if someone should give her trouble.  He will do anything I ask as long as I can communicate to him why. And if it makes sense to him, he'll do it without question.  He's thrilled to learn new things and will then drive me nuts showing me how he knows his new skill.  He is amazingly adaptable to every sport I've pointed him at. Barn hunt, lure coursing, nose work, canicross, herding, mountain biking partner, hiking, running partner, swimming.... He's smart and should be able to do a million tricks. But again, he needs to understand why. And I just can't explain to him why he wants to do silly parlor tricks and what's in it for him.  He's tough. Tougher than any other dog I've had. I've had terriers, doberman's, dalmatian, pitbulls, labs, and newfloundlands.  He loves with extra exuberance and we're working on tempering the physical enthusiasm.  He's very sensitive to unkind and unfair treatment, but never holds a grudge towards people.  He learns my routines and finds himself a job if I haven't given him something specific to do.  But he's happiest when he's literally laying on me.  My little Velcro coyote. "

-Carly Heron

 "Zion / McNab for us has been great.  Zion is 6 months.  We received Zion at 9 weeks.  He has been very easy to train.  The first 2 months like with any puppy were a good amount of work.  Month 3 was easier, month 4 Zion is self sufficient.

Here are the McNab traits we encountered so far:

- Extremely smart / smarter than any other dog breed I have had.

- Lots of energy.  Probably not a good apartment dog.

- Needs a lot of physical and mental stimulation.

- Very trainable.

- Can be a little aloof.

- Dog friendly with other dogs.

- Good with guests.

- Loyal to owners.

- Good with small kids but the McNab energy can overwhelm a little child sometimes.

- Easy to potty train.

- Good sleepers.  Feel like a McNab is either "on" or they are "off."  Active, or napping.

- Easy to groom.

- They do shed but not more than any other dog.

- Very fast runners.

- Natural herders.

- Mischievous at times and they know it and will test their owner/s.

- Natural ability to jump high objects.

- Graze their food / don't inhale it.

- Very attentive to their surroundings.

- Good in cars / road trips.

- By month 5 they get a little protective of the property they live in.  Nothing where you need to worry about them attacking.

- Like to be outdoors."

-Ryan Smith

 "Extremely smart and trainable, excellent food and tug drive, very environmentally stable with good socialization, very loving to family but seems to have a chosen person they bond to more than the rest.  

Challenges that may make them not a good fit for every home: HIGH energy, these dogs run all day and if you don't exercise their mind and body they'll find something to do instead, and it wont be something you like. They can be suspicious of strangers at first, but with proper socialization will warm up quickly. They are AGILE, if you were the type to leave stuff on counters, you're not anymore until you get them trained to not jump fully up there. Because they get so attached to their person can be prone to separation anxiety.   I like to say mcnabs are a breed of thoughts, they have tons of very smart thoughts, but are plagued by an equal number of extremely dumb thoughts you need to train them out of. Your dog may think flinging himself off the stairs to reach the cat food is genius, but it also can pick up on your training super fast. "

-Sara Pilson

" I originally wanted a border collie but decided I would prefer to have a dog that has an off switch but still lots of drive. So that’s when I got my first McNab, but you can’t have just one so I came to Brittany for my second. They come from different lines but both show all those awesome McNab traits that I love. Super intelligent, thinkers, affectionate, high energy, high drive, and sensitive.   What makes owning a McNab hard is they are just so smart! They will find their own entertainment if it’s not provided, they can watch you do something once and then repeat it. A good example of that is my 2 yr old McNab learned to open our window to watch the squirrels lol. They can be a tough no nonsense type of dog as they’re bred to work so they require a lot of socialization and training. "

-Candace Taylor

"The first thing that comes to mind when I think of a McNab…… the best characteristic of a Border collie and the Aussie .   When working, they are extremely agile, light on their feet (cat like) and athletic.  Always thinking and analyzing their surroundings.  When not working, they are not far from your side.  They have an off switch and love spending time with their people. "

-Susan Carroll

"I would say this dog is a good fit for someone that has property and is looking for a good companion dog who will spend alot of time with them.
Not a good fit someone who has a busy lifestyle as this type of dog needs to a lot of outdoor activity and stimulation.  Below are some of the characteristics that I find with Guisseppe.      

Perfers to be around people and doesn’t go off on it’s own.  Always by either my wife or myself’s side. 

He loves attention from people that he knows as at times depending on the person he does have stranger danger tendencies. 

Very smart and easy to train.   

Needs direction and very responsive to commands. 

High food drive. 

Very quiet in doors but high energy outdoors.

Good with family and people that knows. 

Strong watchdog and territorial tendencies. 

Travels well as enjoys being a part of the family on trips. 

Sensitive to having paws grabbed, tough cutting nails. 

At times becomes fixated people & other dogs on leash in low traffic areas. 

When in high traffic areas which has a lot of visual stimulations, dog doesn’t get fixated on an objects. 

Not a barker.

Licks a lot which can be annoying at times."

-Michael Tessaro

"Our Fig is so super special in so many ways. Smarter than smart, figures things out, superior athlete, so loving and wants to be connected and near us. Wants to play most all the time. We’ve worked with him to have a good off switch which is wonderful for him, and helpful for us with a dog who can literally be on all the time. Fig makes us laugh all the time. He creates his own fun and games, sometimes loudly.  He loves to go with us where ever we go. He’s a wonderful traveler and sleeps very quietly all night. Fig is so enthusiastic with every possibility, that working with him through play is a really helpful strategy- and fun for all. We think he’s a super star!  We’re still working on his exuberant greetings. He loves to jump. He’d like to be worn around my neck. He makes fabulous eye contact, and wants to do the right thing… mostly! Unless there’s a squirrel involved. He and I work well together with almost what I’d call our own language of looks and quiet sounds or talk. He is so loyal and keeps us on our feet and toes and jumping!  Fig is also an awesome swimmer- loves the water. Jumps in and lives retrieving sticks or disc. He’s an amazing disc dog! His favorite. McNabs need interaction, and their being on is intense. They aren’t a dog that should go to a home without a desire to be interactive and creative with your dog. Also consistency in training is really important cause he’ll take advantage if he can! Fig loves a good hike and exploration. Never misses a single thing. We love him dearly. Fig gets along beautifully with our 8 year old catahoula mix. They’re like brothers. Lots of play and fun, and chase. So happy!!"

-Elizabeth Crosby

"I didn't know the McNab breed even existed, but it was my partner's dream dog. And after only the very first week, I could see why!

This dog isn't just smart. He's a genius. Of course, like most geniuses, he throws a lot of hilariously not-so-smart antics; but a genius nonetheless. This dog figured out how to jump through a hoop in less than 30 minutes! He learned "sit" so quickly that at this point, his body automatically responds to the command without his brain even processing it.

And that big brain energy goes all the way through because this dog has energy to spare! He's faster than a speeding disc (no, really, he beats the disc!), more powerful than a human when playing tug, and able to leap tall baby-gates in a single bound, even though it defeats the purpose of the gate and the laws of physics!

On a more serious note, he's incredibly loving to his people. Oddly enough, I was the one who became 'his person' (which I secretly love, but don't tell anyone, k?) He's an absolute cuddle-bug, and I love when he gives me that handsome dreamy-eyed stare when I rub between his ears.

As sweet as he is with us, he is equally aloof with strangers, so socialization has been, and continues to be, a priority. What can I say? Our little man is an introvert, like me.

After almost a year, I've been able to experience a type of dog I never thought possible. And to be honest, I don't know if I ever want any other breed."

-Kai Davis