Thank you for this! My great great grandfather Alexander McNab developed this breed after moving from Scotland to northern California. The McNab ranch still exists but it is now a winery. Thanks to AncestryDNA, I connected with another relative who breeds these dogs and hope to adopt one next year!
That’s cool. I saw a dog last weekend in Petaluma that I thought might be a Karelian or border collie but was informed it was a McNab. Very adorable. Might be my next dog as Max is about 17.
Hi Kate -- in 1980 in my early 20's I adopted what I was told was a McNab/Collie mix, my first-ever dog, from a large litter surrendered to the San Francisco SPCA. She had a McNab body shape and ear characteristics with one ear standing up and one ear flopping over her entire life, compact feet, a great swimmer, with classic collie coloring -- not border collie, but "Lassie" rough-collie/sheltie coloring. No one had ever heard of McNabs and of course there was no internet to do research, so never met another dog like her. I named her Julia, and her disposition was absolutely wonderful: cheerful, friendly, intelligent, always willing to learn and play, accompany me running every afternoon in Golden Gate Park, and then afterward, catching tennis balls in Duboce Park, sailing into the air to gracefully make catches on the fly, for as long as there was light out. When I later got married and had children, she was patient, gentle, loving and playful with them. I've had two Shelties since, but Julia set the gold standard -- if anyone reading this is considering a McNab, please do not hesitate. They are absolutely marvelous, intelligent and athletic dogs and Kate, I am eternally grateful to your grandfather for Julia and all the other McNabs.
My first and only dog ever is a mcnab, we got her from a shelter when she was about 1 and I was about 2 years old. I turn 18 this August and she will be turning 17 on Christmas. Tilly has been with me my whole life. She is such a wonderful dog and I honestly can't see myself getting any other breed during my adult life.
Our red boy Havoc is a McNab Shepherd. Simply an awesome dog. Like any drover breed, the McNab is not for everyone due to their high energy level. Thank you for sharing, but let’s keep the McNab a secret so it remains a true representation of an Americana landrace breed.
I have two Mcnabs. They are both incredibly intelligent and perceptive. While varied in minor appearance differences, a Mcnab can always be identified by their personality!
Mine is black and white with a tail that curls up over her back, she has a short coat. She only likes her family and the other dogs here in house. The rest of the human population and other dogs are fair game and in her mind she must eliminate them all. She herds her toys and it is funny to see all her toys lined up in a row. Tell her to put up her toys and she will gladly pile them all up one by one. We had a cat and much to the cats dismay, she would herd him if he got out. She knows commands in English, German, Korean, and hand signals. Very smart! We adopted her from humane society after she was found roaming the streets, they found the owner and turns out they were abusing her so she can be skittish. She is 8 years old we have had her for 7 years. I love that she is smart, silly, gets the zoomies, and just loves to be around her humans.
Rescued my McNab from the pound, caught her doing a total herding move and discovered she was a McNab which even as a cowgirl who raised Australian Shepards I got another cow dog❤❤❤ I love her!! thanks for explaining!
I have a 3 and half yr old male who’s name is Anthony. Black and white with perfectly same markings on right and left sides of his body. Lucky me, he so beautiful ! Too bad I had him fixed ! Anyway, just wanted to share that Anthony is as high energy as I want him to be, Or not want him to be. Because although I am high energy person, I AM 70 yrs old. At 47 .lbs. he is perfect weight, because I don’t spoil him with too many treats. He’s kinda my ‘guy’ as he is a 24/7 alert scout for me , even will come to my bedroom to check on exactly where I am at night. vERY very affectionate but requires a lot of discipline so that he doesn’t own me . He seems to actually require more mental interaction with me and other humans because Anthony is extremely friendly and to everyone. My Mc Nab doesn’t herd everything in site like most of the collie types, maybe that’s why there could be a difference from the Shepard dog. However, there is no way he will heal at my side as he needs to be leading the way, he just won’t have it any other way. Can you tell how much I love him ? Oh yea, Did I mention how brilliant he is ?........no kidding, heis just TOO smart.
Hi, my wife and I just adopted a 2 yr old female "shepherd." When we got her DNA results back, we learned she is about 60% McNab with one line of her lineage purebred McNab. We are excited to learn more about this breed. In the 1+ month that we have had her, we see a lot of these personality traits. Does anyone have any good resources on this breed that they could share? We love to read about different breeds, especially our two pups' breeds. Her adopted brother is part cattle dog so we have a very energetic household! Cheers to all McNab owners and fans!
I rescued a brother & sister McNab from a forced surrender from the breeder. (Long story). I had to adopt out the female but I kept the male, Simon. He was, by far, the absolute best boy ever!! It's an insult to call him "just a dog". I had him with me for almost 15yrs. and I will likely never get over losing him. People who didn't like dogs loved this sweet boy...eveyone knew Simon. I was just Simon's mom.
I can relate -- I never got over losing Julia, my McNab/collie mix. Had her in my 20s all the way through marriage and my kids' early years. Now I'm in my 60's, have had two other dogs, but still refer to her as my spirit animal. The Best.
I have a McNab dog. He's super docile at home but still loves to go on long runs and hikes. Very sweet personality. Temperament is nothing like a border collie at all. This dog is super mellow and calm so long as he gets a fair amount of exercise each day
I rescued my Mcnab / Boarder Collie after someone dumped him. He is the sweetest dog!! I did have a problem with him running away but have it under control. He has a lot of energy so I take him out 5-6 times a day. He truly has the sweetest personality. Does anyone else have a BC Mcnab mix?
Is the McNab dog your favourite dog breed? Hangin Tree Cowdog detailed video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IiD2eHZbsZI.htmlsi=zXNoMv-tF_DCiXKx
I as in a farm store on Petaluma a while back and asked a young lady if her stunning dog was a Karelian. No it was a McNab and I believe when my 16 year old buddy goes to heaven I’ll have a McNab. Love at first sight.
I just recently got a McNab shepherd in Northern CA. I didn't know he's a McNab and perhaps the owners didn't either. He was sold as a Border Collie pup from a litter in Brooks, CA (in the Capay Valley just down from Mendocino where the McNab was bred). I got him at 8 weeks old and took him for all of his puppy shots and check ups with a vet who has four border collies. As a puppy, he didn't develop any McNab qualities, so highly trained vets didn't know. It wasn't until he was 6 months old and he grew out of usual BC weight and height standards by that time. Why does he have such long legs? And webbed feet? I walked him out on Christmas day and another dog walker suggested "McNab." I got really defensive,b/c, after all it's what the vets had said. But the vets didn't see him at largest. I'm getting Wisdom Panel to see just how McNab he is.
This is what happened to our pup too at 6 mos. To this day we still aren't sure if she's a McNab or Pitsky coz we were told she was the latter. She has the most beautiful amber/hazel eyes and sort of bicolor/tricolor reddish khaki white coat.
It sound just like a border collie 95%. Everything makes me suspect that they are very closely related to border collies. I’m addicted to border collies but I’m gonna have a litter with my new little girl. I think if I could source a Mcnab stud that would be my choice for any sort of mixed breed.
Has anyone heard anything about hereditary underbites with McNabs. Our little girl got the gene. Don’t know if it corrects with the loss of the baby teeth.
I don’t understand why anyone would want to train any herding instinct out of their dog. If anything it’s an asset I simply don’t understand how it could be a problem? Whatever you take the dog for a walk with your friends always make sure you guys stick together
I have a 2 year old McNab. She's very sweet loves her family and especially kids and she's quite gentle with them. She does need exercise everyday. I usually walk her twice a day + fetch. Easy coat to groom and does use her paws like a cat
Until recently I thought the lady I got him from in Big Sur said he was a lab collie, never hearing of a Mcnab collie before, I obviously must of heard her incorrectly. always confused on his body type and looks, that I knew there had to be more. This is him, his attitude, looks and literally everything about this dog is him. I’m honestly proud to say I have this breed. I never not trust him off the leash, or ever getting lost. He understands and learns so quickly, and will even communicate with his eyes telling me exactly what he wants and will repeat it till I understand. I couldn’t of asked for a better friend. If you can supply their physical and mental needs this is the dog for you and you will never regret it.
We got our girl from another woman who got dogs from a puppy mill, it was very sad and confusing, the lady did not check up on her again and she was 8 weeks when we got her so taken from her mom probably as a very little baby. The only breed info she gave was "Australian shepherd terrier" but she also tried to claim some german shepherds were their brothers. She is the light of my life, extremely intelligent but uses it for evil lol, very strong willed but also very loyal and loving, she wants to be snuggled every night and if you find something she loves she excels at it. I want to get her into some kind of doggy agility thing because she runs across 2 football fields in seconds! she also can jump very high and does beautiful twirls in the air, her body has always seemed catlike to me. We took her to a doggy kennel and the lady who worked there was extremely knowledgeable about dogs, she took one look and said thats a mcnab! still waiting on dna test results but it feels satisfying that this seems the closest answer :) If it is true, this is one of my favorite breeds if you want a dog as smart as you! its crazy how we can communicate so well
i have a McNab border collie cross named Powder he is by far the best working cattle dog we have ever owned he keeps a lot of the McNab personality qualities and only really inherited a slightly larger frame from his border collie stud. I would discourage some one from getting this dog if you were not planning on using them for working or high intensity sport. High energy is putting it mildly especially if they are from a working line which you will find that most are, we get a lot of comments on how well behaved our working dogs are but I tell everyone the are good dogs because they are tired. Consistent stimulation is very necessary for this breed i love this video because I did not realize the cleanliness cat like qualities was a breed trait but it is very accurate my dog Powder is extremely clean and will avoid getting dirty if he can help it and spends a lot of time grooming himself and keeping his paws clean. he has never rolled in dead things like a lot of farm dogs do. overall we've decided to continue to get our working dogs from the same breeder we got powder from his instincts and working drive is unmatched as well has having a very loveable personality!
I have a dog who’s original owner claimed she was half lab half border collie but I’m convinced she’s a mcnab. She probably covers about three square miles of our neighborhood per day, never stops running, and constantly herding our animals naturally. This 40 lb dog will take up a whole king sized bed if you let her in bed with you.
I have a McNab female, she is very protective, she has a lot of energy, she loves family members unconditionally, she follows me all the time even in the bathroom, she has a very good appetite and good health. the bad thing is that she barks at everything, but I am training her to divert attention from her and not bark so much.
I rescued a mix breed whose mom is a husky. Oddly enough, he doesn't look at all like her or his siblings. He has the MDR1 gene mutation and while doing research on this mutation, the McNab dog breed came up and he looks exactly like this! He has all the hallmarks of the McNab, including the paws being cat like, which my daughter always talks about. Now I need to get his DNA checked because I am certain this is in his genetic mix.
We have a McNab/boarder collie mix. Very, very smart, athletic, and energetic! I’m glad he is our second dog, so he get a lot of his energy out running and wrestling with out German Shepard/huskie mix. He also gets daily walks/trips to the park, and wants to play fetch all day!
Yes they are indeed rare in most of the world. After researching various dog breeds of the world over the last two years, I have only just heard of the McNab today. Once again Mister Rocadog oh, you have proven to me that you have a far better idea of informative content than the regurgitator of others who only speak of the most popular and easily found dog and always heard about breeds. You give the best information and I will say it again, and probably every time, more and more I am reliant on you for the most in-depth and not often heard information on any dog breed but now, most especially, the rare and unheard of breeds, because you keep on bringing them to me such as the Estrela.
I have a border collie mcnab and she is such a good dog she definitely acts more like a border collie with the high energy and herding . But she is such a smart and protective dog
i adopted a mcnab border collie from the shelter. they are the best dogs in the world in my opinion lol. in my experience with my dog they have fantastic personalities but are extremely hard to train due to them being so smart.
I got one. Hartley is an amazing dog/companion. Could not reccomend a better friend. She used to pull me on a skateboard. Everyone loves seeing her walk with me without a leash. She is very friendly and loyal. Is willing to make friends with nice strangers for a little rub. She is 11 and her hips and joints are wearing for sure. She has put in some weight and was up to 99lbs....that is my fault. BEST DOG EVER!
People are so amazed about how my boy rocky is off the leash as if he was professionally trained. All I needed was to give my trust love and understanding and he made the perfect companion. He learns everything from watching me and our walks end up looking scripted by his intelligence, whether it’s sitting down and waiting for me to throw the leash on and look both ways before crossing the street, to knowing when it’s time to go home. This dog is amazing.
Live in northern california near a bunch of ranches. I got a black dog with a white belly from the shelter as a pup with no idea what it was. Grew up and every single characteristic fits a mcnab. We did a dog dna test bc it was cheap and wanted to know about breed specific health issues. Came back 35 cattle dog 30 parsan terrier 25 labrador 10 other. Has anyone done a DNA on their McNab? The ancestry of McNabs I've read dont correspond to my dog, but she looks identical, unbelievably agile, climbs about anything, never stops running, same face eyes tail color weight height, double coat seasonally shed can roll in a mud puddle and somehow be clean again by the time we get home... "what is this dog?" Has been a curiosity of mine for awhile lol
Wisdom Panel dna testing has had a ton of dogs come back as 100% McNab. There is also a registry for the breed that may give you more information. www.mcnabshepherdregistry.com
I love my McNab I found him an a box in Humbolt California. He was maybe a month old. He is 10 now and still going strong. People always surprised they think he is 4 or 5. We have lots of adventures he loves to mountain bike with me and play frisbee. You are correct about everything. I’m ready for another one. I’m sad and mad with myself that I neutered him before I knew he was such a rare special breed. He’s been my best friend thank you for this video most vets have never even heard of this breed.
