Anyone with experience of Blue Merle Collie x Huntaway? (Pic included)

[FlankerMum]

Hi everyone
I’m thinking about getting a Blue Merle Collie x Huntaway bitch puppy. I’ve kept and bred German shepherds for about 10 years but haven’t had any dogs at all for the last 4 years.

German shepherds, from the lines I like, can be a challenge to train and handle, although so rewarding! However, it’s just me in the house now and I’m considering less dominant / aggressive breeds.

I know collie / huntaway would need plenty of attention, activity and training but has anyone got direct experience of having one as a house dog?

Any other advice?

Will post a pic of the pup I’m considering - she is 3.5 weeks old and so pretty!

What is it about that particular cross that appeals to you?

I've only known a couple - all were working farm dogs (mostly moving cattle, with some sheep work).

I can't say I'd want any of the ones I've met living in my house...

@PollyRoulson is the person to talk to about Collies, really.

I walk several - they're very intelligent and need brain games to exhaust them rather than hours and hours of exercise. All have good recall but in all honesty, they generally aren't fantastic with other dogs unless introduced properly and slowly. The blue merle collie in particular is very dog reactive but that's probably due to his formative months rather than anything to do with his coat colour or breed.

Saying that, I've successfully introduced him to several dogs (my own included) and they run, walk and play together weekly with no problems.

Collies are collies - and as a PP said, Polly can tell you about them.

I do know a huntaway (he is used on stock) and he is an absolutely delightful dog, well mannered and good natured. A lot of training time and effort was put into him and he has masses of energy that he gets the chance to burn off between work and walks.

You'd need to be prepared to give those herding drives an outlet. And huntaways are quite keen on barking, so bear that in mind.

The main thing I would say, which has been mentioned by others, is that border collies are generally not great with other dogs at maturity.
I am yet to meet an adult collie I would call genuinely ‘friendly’ with other dogs.
In my experience they either tend to ignore other dogs or are aggressive.

Huntaways I know nothing about except that they are working herding dogs like collies and kelpies.

I’m currently on my second farm bred collie, though don’t know much about collie huntaway crosses.

Collies are in my opinion, the best dogs. Both of mine have been easy to train, very bright and a lovely member of the family. They need plenty of exercise, but not the vast unmanageable amounts I’ve seen spoken about at times on here. They’re not though a dog that you can spend most the day day ignoring. They make themselves known and like to be right where the action is. I make sure I chat to and interact with dcollie throughout the day, whatever I’m doing she’s right there. I think she understands everything I say tbh and tries to chat back.

She can be a bit nervous of loud noises like the hoover, but this is improving as she gets older, old dcollie was never fussed by loud noises, so not sure if it’s the breed or just her. She’s fine with other dogs, a bit barky at times if on the lead, but fine off and her recall is spot on. Both her and old dcollie have been very easy to train waking off lead, both would sit to cross the road without being told and neither would run into the road to chase something. On the whole she’s more into people than other dogs, I think she believes she’s a human.

She lives quite happily with my pair of old lady little dogs and isn’t dominant towards them. If anything they boss her around. She’s also fine being left for a few hours, though she’s never completely alone as my other two dogs are there, I don’t know how she’d be completely alone.

I can only tell you my experience of collies, I’m sure others will be along soon who are far more knowledgeable than me. But if you can give them what they need, they can be great companions.

Thanks everyone for giving me your time and experience.

When I was breeding the German shepherds, my lines carried a majority of German herding and protection blood, so with training, I think I could cope with a herding breed but I know nothing else about this collie x huntaway mix.

It’s not that I’m actively seeking this mix. My friend’s working Merle collie had a much larger litter than expected so I’m thinking about this pup. I’ve met the sire and dam - they both have solid, friendly temperaments.

I need a companion as I’m now alone after being widowed earlier this year and children are now young adults. imapotato - your collie sounds fab! I could talk to my GSDs in sentences too and they would understand completely! I’m also used to high intelligence - one of mine could turn a key to unlock a door then use the handle to open it inwards!

I’m early 50s and in decent shape with mountain walks from my doorstep and I’m thinking of taking up agility again once the dog is old enough. I work from home too, so the dog would be by my side most of the time.

Arrrrggg I just don’t know!! My GSDs were really not great with other dogs (were dominant) and people were scared of them too, especially my big, black-sable male, who looked just like a wolf. The dam of this litter is so friendly and sweet natured, I thought this pup might suit me better than another GSD now I’m older and want to meet people not scare them away.

I should say the huntaways owners are your sort of age and cope fine. He is quite a young dog but great with other dogs so far.

@FlankerMum

My old collie could open the front door! She did it a few times and let her and the two little ones out for a lovely solo walk!! Luckily I lived in a quiet cul de sac with a field at the end!

I've heard that the blue merle coat is linked to health problems so it's important to bear that in mind.

I kind of think with any dog, it's going to go well if you're prepared for curveballs and more work than you were anticipating. I'd imagine a Huntaway x Collie is going to be like a bigger, more powerful Collie, with a herding instinct on crack. But a bit less intimidating-looking than a big ol' black wolfish GSD ;)

My personal opinion of GSDs from any line is that even when they're high-energy and a handful, they carry a certain majestic wisdom? With a Huntaway x Collie, that majestic energy is probably going to be replaced with a lot of "intensity". But if you're able to put in a ton of time, it could be just the situation you need, given what you've gone through. It doesn't sound like you'd be bored - put it that way!

As a sidenote, The Fates led me to adopt a working Cocker this year. I wanted a GSD or Collie. Haha. Obviously a Cocker has different drives to a herding breed, but both have strong instincts in their own areas, and tons of energy. What I'd say is that despite never having considered this breed before, being flexible and being willing to accept the gifts he offers me (e.g., the need to be outdoors more, the ability to love unconditionally, the ability to have fun and appreciate his uniqueness) has made the experience as rewarding as it is challenging.

It's also really hard to predict what an adult dog will be like purely based on breed. Cockers - for instance - are usually hyper-friendly with kids and strangers, yet mine is terrified of kids and super wary of strangers. Even reactive, at times. With a Huntaway x Collie, you'd just want to try to move the odds in your favour by giving some really solid, brilliant socialisation and catching any issues early.

I say if you're prepared for a challenge, and a LOT of exercise, go for it!

Some great advice here, thanks!

dustifneptune - ha ha you did make me laugh and you’re right about the ‘majestic wisdom’!

imapotato - omg what a nightmare!

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman - That’s nice to hear about the young huntaway, thanks.

There’s no pressure just yet. I’m going to visit the pups a few more times before I make up my mind and I have a few little temperament tests that I used to use with my GSD pups, which will also help me decide.

I’ll update and let you all know

I would check the health back several generations with the merle mix but as it is your friend that should be easy to do.

Collie and GSD have many similar traits, they want to work with humans, the herding instinct etc and I can say this as a collie owner the slight "specialness" of the collies

My experience of huntaways is their love of barking - they have a fab bark with spaces between each bark which means they can bark for hours and hours if they are allowed to. Huntaways were breed from collies and other barking breeds to increase their ability to bark whilst herding so do be prepared to live with barking

Herding obvioulsy is instinctive but if you can find a positive outlook for that you will have a happy dog. Collies can be noise phobic and quickly have "issues" if they are not treated with care.

Collies/Huntaways can generally be aloof to other dogs so not the dog if you want to go on loads of group dog walks but well socialised and well bred they will mix sensibly with other dogs- just not loon around with them. Although all the huntaways I have known have had no issues with dogs (just some collies!)

The collies need some exercise but not loads and loads although they will not say no if you offer it to them. However what they do need to brain work on top of the exercise. So be prepared for your 2 hour walk (or less if you prefer) then some brain work later on in the day. This may be herding games, could be scentwork, or agility, trick training something to get them thinking and relaxed.

A collie that does not get what it needs mentally will be stressed overaroused, lungy, barky, maybe nippy and very hard to live with.

Collies need calm, positive training and lots of time and they are fab dogs. Be careful though if you have one collie you will never have another dog again

What a beauty!

I’ve had a couple of border collies and also many GSD over the past 10 years and to be honest found the GSD easier than any of the collies or even collie cross. None of the collies have been amazing with other dogs, they have tended to prefer to do their own things much the same as the GSD and I think they are also quite owner focused and and driven much the same as the shepherds.
If I wanted a toned down version of a GSD I don’t think a collie would actually be any easier in terms of being less prone to issues. I’ve ran in quite a few training circles and as lovely as the collies can be, many of them are also nervy and sharp and prone to reactivity with people/dogs and traffic.
I would think something like a show line collie may be quieter than this sort of mix.

I know exactly what you mean with the issues surrounding shepherds though. We have one left and as lovely and sweet as she is she still has those deep down guarding tendencies and is always alert and wanting a job wheras other breeds have a much better off switch. I won’t be having another after this one as I’ve realised I prefer a bit more of an allrounder temperament wise.

As it happens I moved onto leonberger and now am a total convert. Much easier, love everybody dog human and animal with almost no effort, they seem to come out happy . 0 prey drive, don’t bark. Happy to exercise all day but equally happy to sleep for 23 hours if I need them too. They are intelligent but not clever enough to outsmart you either
My idea of the worlds easiest dog compared to the dogs I’ve always had

@PollyRoulson - Thanks so much for that, it’s very helpful! I’m very happy giving a dog brain work and used to it! I found with my GSDs that they loved helping me and it took such little time to show them what I was doing and how they could join in. Two of them used to help me bring logs in from the wood store and drop them next to the fire for me to stack! Another (very strong one) once saw us trying to dig out and pull up a tree root, watched intently for a bit then added his strength to the pulling. .

Barking excessively for no reason for long periods would annoy me. I would have to train in a ‘bark’ and ‘stop bark’ as soon as I could, I think. Do you think that would be achievable? I don’t mind barking from joy or excitement and a barking dog is a good deterrent to no-gooders!

Roselilly36 - yes, she’s gorgeous isn’t she!

I've always had a soft spot for huntaways, after meeting a few through farm work. They don't strike me as a suitable pet dog as such, similar to the collie, but with plenty of occupation could be a fantastic dog.
My collie mix does a bit of agility as well as canicross, and absolutely loves to bark when he gets excited watching other dogs work. In agility in particular it is a pain in the neck as he gets himself wound up watching other dogs on the course. We don't compete or anything but if that was something you wanted to do I would say yes definitely teaching a quiet command would be essential!

*@FlankerMum * Your GSD sound fab Yep collie/huntaways will find work to do with you.

The barking of the Huntaways is usually (i realise this is a very sweeping statement) when they work.The bark originally was breed in so the farmer could tell where the dogs and flocks were. So although they bark when working or herding they are less likely to bark at intruders like a guard dog would.

My opinion is that as they were breed to bark it does seem a little unfair to not allow them to do so. It is instinctive to them to bark and they will need to do so to be calm, stressfree dogs. So the environment where they live needs to accommodate barking. I am sure you can train around it but it is an inbreed instinct. You need to be prepared for barking although of course barking in appropriately would need to be worked on. But our idea of inappropriate may not be the same for the Huntaway.

Traditionally huntaways literally do what there name says and herd the flock away up the hills or onto the land in New Zealand so they will travel vast distances barking at the sheep to drive them away.

Whereas collies are bred to bring the flock to you so interesting to see what a mix does

UPDATE: I’ve decided to go for it and get the pup! I visited her last weekend and today. Also spent lots of time with the mum and dad, which reassured me that although they both do work, they are lovely, calm temperaments and can chill and relax too.
She recognises me already - looks me in the eye when I arrive, wags her tail and tries to get to me!
Pic from today attached.
Thanks everyone for helping me with all your info and experience!

Oh and she’s now 6 weeks so will collect her in 2 weeks time!

Are those puppies kept in a barn/stable? I wouldn’t want a puppy that hadn’t been raised in a home and socialised well in those formative weeks. Are you sure it’s not a puppy farm?

Exciting update! Do you have any idea about the parents' genetics on MDR1, etc? If not, I'd bite the bullet and do an Embark test or similar. I like Embark for the amount of testing they do for 300 dollars, especially considering your pup is a cross.

@CovidCorvid

Are those puppies kept in a barn/stable? I wouldn’t want a puppy that hadn’t been raised in a home and socialised well in those formative weeks. Are you sure it’s not a puppy farm?

They are in an enclosure in a barn, which is clean and spacious. Pups have a warm, cozy ‘room’ and an enjoined, much larger space for running around. The family (including children) interact with them many times a day - they are close neighbours and friends and definitely not puppy farmers!

The pups are confident and curious, none of them shrinking away etc.

I have around 15 years experience breeding German Shepherd Dogs, which I took very seriously and had an 18 month waiting list for my pups. The time for the socialisation you speak of is ideally from 8-12 weeks, which my pup will get when she comes to me. Weeks 6-8 are crucial for learning interaction / body language / social rules between dogs - from their mother and litter mates. During this time, also, these pups are being exposed to random farming noises, so sudden, sometimes loud, animal and artificial sounds become normalised and not something to fear.

My little pup’s character is emerging and I’m very encouraged by what I see!

Haha. Now there's a surprise. It's obvious from your first post you were in love with her.

She’s sooooo pretty. Wishing you many many happy years with her.