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Original poster

border collie pup, yes or no?

20 replies

frazzled74 · 22/01/2010 10:24

Am thinking of rehoming a border collie puppie, I need to decide by this afternoon.We have 3 dcs, are used to large boisterous dog (cross lurcher lab died in december).
Do border collies make good family pets ?( i know they very playful and needs lots of walking and attention, training etc) .any advice gratefully received.

OP posts:

iggypiggy · 22/01/2010 10:28

Honestly I wouldn't...

But that is cos my parents got a BC and she is lovely but nuts... she loves us tho.

But on the down side - she doesn't like children, loud noises, she needs constant mental stimulation and she's 13 yrs old now!

I do love them alot - but i would only get one if I was planning on working it/ doing agility or giving it some other 'job'. They need alot more effort that some other breeds... that is why I picked a lab!

Bella32 · 22/01/2010 10:30

Sorry to hear about your lurcher.

This is a topic that does divide people, but I wouldn't advise taking on a border collie with 3 dc unless you've had the breed before. They are the most intelligent of intelligent dogs and imho do not generally make good pets: they are working dogs.

I'm an ex vet nurse and rescue worker and have had dogs all my life - all boisterous and with varying levels of intelligence - and am a SAHM but I'd never have a border collie.

Plenty of good pet material awaiting rehoming in rescues.

HTH

MummyElk · 22/01/2010 10:33

i would but with good research, they do need good walks and good stimulation, they are super intelligent (which is great in many ways) but they can be super sensitive as a result.
if you and the 3DCs are prepared to put in lots of time with it, give it space when it's needed, and like all dogs, respect it (i wouldn't leave any dog alone with kids) then go for it and enjoy it. They can be a bit nutty but treated right and given the right stimulation they are fantastic dogs.
just reread your post - your DCs are already good with dogs so that's good!
Good luck

MummyElk · 22/01/2010 10:41

quick add to this- we have had our bordie collie for five years from about 12wks, she's delightful, intelligent, would protect me and my DD (and my DH) to the ends of the earth, she KNEW i was pg both times before i did (got all arsey every time a stranger approached us) and, MOST of the time, she's patient with my 2yo.. (like all of us?!!)
Just thought i'd add some really positive things about collies, i think a lot of people see the end result of bad treatment of such an intelligent dog (shifty eyes, bad temper etc) and judge the whole breed, but if you start out well with lots of patience and training and activity, then you should be ok, with years of fun ahead of you

Simply · 22/01/2010 10:51

I have a BC and I'd struggle to find anyone who would call my dog intelligent! Pretty, yes. Loyal to dh and ds and other males only; women are 2nd class citizens in her eyes! Very ready to make friends with all and sundry.

She gets on with some dogs and not with others but she has been attacked viciously once so that's understandable, I guess. She is quite jealous of the cat we have but then the cat is deliberately provocative a lot of the time. She very much dislikes horses and swans. She had a falling out with a swan at a National Trust property once and now thinks all swans are nasty creatures.

She loves long walks but is happy to have a short walk to the post box or whatever, also. She goes orienteering with dh and loves doing that. She also loves the beach though she doesn't go far into the water. She likes boats and has been on a RIB going very fast with us and loved it.

She is happy to live with neighbours when we're on holiday but then we've taken her to loads of places and she has socialised with people near by and further away since she was little.

She doesn't have a clue what to do with sheep and cattle as she has never been trained (though both parents were working dogs) and she shows no interest in them unless they're on the tv! She likes watching tv and now recognises the voices of at least 3 tv presenters incl David Attenborough.

She chases things with wheels given half a chance i.e. wheely bins being moved or the hoover. She doesn't chase car tyres but lots of BCs I know do.

So.... that's what my border collie is like! Hth and good luck.

sb6699 · 22/01/2010 10:57

We had a border collie. He was lovely - super-intelligent, obedient, easy to train, affectionate, good with other dogs/people. Couldn't fault him. He was a bit anxious at loud noises, in the car but that could be any dog tbh.

They do need loads of stimulation though (proper training, maybe agility classes or something) and I think you really need access to fields so they can have a proper run - parks full of people, cyclists, etc where they cant get to full pelt just isnt enough.

I would deffo have another one in the future but my lab is hard enough work for the moment

GrimmaTheNome · 22/01/2010 10:57

The other word of caution I'd give is that - and this may be statistical fluke - just about every case I've come across of a dog being badly bitten by another dog, the perpetrator was a BC.

Just wondering why you need to decide by this afternoon - it seems like the sort of decision that shouldn't be made under pressure.

Original poster

frazzled74 · 22/01/2010 12:52

I have got appointment to see it at local rescue this pm.I wanted to decide in principle before i go, if a bc is a possible dog for us. I think that with long walks (have access to fields and parks) and puppy training classes we should be ok. The decision to have a dog has been well thought out, but hadnt considered collie.Thanks for advice.

OP posts:

sb6699 · 22/01/2010 13:09

I got mine from a local rescue too. I can remember the first time we saw him he was just a tiny bundle of fluff

You sound very sensible and have obviously considered the exercise he will need (which was a bit of shock to me tbh).

Good luck.

iggypiggy · 22/01/2010 13:16

frazzled just to be clear on the exercise/ job thing... My lab needs alot of exercise - so he has approx 4 hrs a day... he is then happy and easy at home.

My parents collie could be walked within an inch of her life (for hours) - and still not be mentally tired - she'd throw a ball continually.. That is waht I mean about the 'job' mental stimulation bit - it's not just about exercise with collies unlike labs!

I do say this as a collie lover tho I would just never ever have my own after having had the experience of one

GrimmaTheNome · 22/01/2010 13:27

Oh, well if you've not already gone, I expect the rescue can talk through the issues with you and won't want to pressurize you if you need to research more.
Good luck with whatever you rehome!

moonmother · 22/01/2010 13:28

We also have a BC-yes he is nuts,very clever , energetic,can happily walk 9 miles in 1 walk and then do it all over again, but he's very loyal and adores my Dc.

He is a lot of work, lots of walks, that never fully tire him out, have to keep him mentally stimulated, but we wouldn't be without him.

My parents also have a BC and he's the laziest dog I've ever seen, and he comes from working stock.

As an experienced dog owner, then I would say go for it, they are really the most intelligent of dogs- ours never ceases to amaze us with his cleverness, but make sure your ready to put a lot of effort in to keep them happy.

CMOTdibbler · 22/01/2010 13:33

My parents had litter sister rescue BCs - they were lovely, beautiful dogs. But they really did need to be out lots - really not two walks a day dogs but more two long walks, lots of running round in the garden, popping to the post box, chasing pigeons, waiting for other people to take them up the fields with their dogs etc etc.

They still desperatly wanted to have a ball thrown for them when DH would be worried that they would keel over at any moment.

They were a bit neurotic, and loved to hunt things, but it was hysterical to watch them round up the chickens

minimu · 22/01/2010 18:46

Really really think carefully about this. I have two border collies.

The exercise is the easy bit if you like walking for several hours everyday. You really can not miss a walk or shorten it for any reason.

Then they need constant stimulation - training, agility training, tracking, obdeience, sheep work etc.

I do search and rescue with one of mine. We were called out a few nights ago tracked for 4 hours she slept in the car for 15 mins and then wanted her walk.

They need to be kept busy all day everyday.

If you love dog training all day every day, love long walks for hours then bc may be for you. If you have to see to kids, work, have OH any kind of social life not including dogs, or any other kind of life maybe they are not the best breed to have.

Original poster

frazzled74 · 24/01/2010 18:29

well we wnt to see the border collie who turned out to be a cross breed collie /lab .She was so sweet, we couldnt not have her.She will be with us wednesday, so wish us luck.thanks for all the honest advice.

OP posts:

Bella32 · 24/01/2010 19:07

Aw, congrats

I have a border collie x in my menagerie and she is fab.

How old is pup?

Original poster

frazzled74 · 24/01/2010 19:55

14 weeks and very lively!

OP posts:

Bella32 · 24/01/2010 20:19

lol - yes, I'll bet

iggypiggy · 25/01/2010 10:10

frazzled I do actually think a BC x lab is a nice combo as have met some really lovely ones

nooka · 26/01/2010 04:06

We wanted a lab collie cross, but there weren't any around when we were ready to have one. My mother had a collie when I was growing up, and he was fab. Very beautiful and somewhat neurotic, could happily go for long hikes, but was generally fine with two 45 min walks a day in the local path (but he was a mad retriever which certainly adds on the mileage). Very sociable and only fought with his brother (over my mother who they both adored).

Anyway, I hope your pup is lovely, with the intelligence of a collie and the steadiness of a lab (that's what I was aiming for anyway!)

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