Border collie for first time dog owner?

[zippyswife]

I have never owned a dog and don’t know much about them.
Dh has owned a dog but works so the training and excercise etc will be down to me.

I’d love to get a dog. I have the time (work part time one day a week which is usually from home). I excercise daily- either walk run or both- generally in woodlands or fields. I have 3 children; 6,9,11.

I love the physical appearance of the border collie, and from what I read tends to be easier to train than some. I see that it requires a lot of exercise, but I believe I can commit to that.

Is a border collie too full on for someone like me- an inexperienced owner/with children?

Ideally I’d like a dog that makes a great pet- good and gentle with children/easy to train/enjoys activity and excercise. Is this a border collie or am I seriously off the mark here?

I’m not someone that usually goes on appearances but I just can’t help being drawn to these! I know I sound superficial- and normally I’m not.

A whippet would love all the outside time you have.

Vislas are bonkers

You're looking at this the wrong way @zippyswife
Realistically how much walking will you do on a dark cold December evening?
How much spare time do you have
In term of lifestyle how often do you go on long outdoorsy family hikes?

How do you realistically spend your time NOW?

Habit is the biggest predictor of future behaviour, so you need a dog that suits your life not a dog you like the look of, or an aspiration

@Undisclosedlocation

OP, what lifestyle do you want with a dog? How much exercise,training, grooming etc. can you comfortably commit to?What personality traits, prey drive, herding instinct etc etc can you happily accept?

You might get more help starting from that point and seeing what breeds fit

Good questions… Excercise- an hour a day- (2 hours some days) Training- I’m willing to commit to this but cannot afford personal 121 training- so I guess group training/I would pesevere with training. Grooming- I’d like low maintenance, am not interested in taking it to the dog groomers I’m not a fan of cutsie/designer pups.

Personality traits- dream dog would be chilled and lazy and cuddly, good and gentle with children, but enjoy walks runs and play too. I would like a cat too so I guess no prey drive! I’m afraid I don’t have experience of herding instincts but I don’t have little children that could get easily knocked over, if that makes sense. I’m not interested in a dog that barks or guards.

I’m not sure if a dog exists that ticks all this.

@zippyswife

This is probably (another stupid/novice question) but are cats a definite no with lurches/greyhound/whippets? I’ve always had cats and would like to get another at some point (probably should have mentioned this up thread!)

I’ve got a whippet and a cat, trained the Whippet to be respectful and not touch the cat and cat is taking advantage of this, teasing dog often, it’s so silly. But I read a few scary stories on here that suggested it wasn’t a good idea.

It may be worth looking at the border collie rescue sites. There are quite a few around the country who have websites and loads of dogs for rehoming. There is a big variation in temperament and some can be very sweet and good natured. The rescue place will be honest with you about this. That way you know what the temperament of the adult dog is like. It’s more a gamble when you take on a puppy. Some borders are really very chilled and easy going. They were bred to work, but they are bred to be a companion too. Always very eager to please and they like lots of affection in reward for their loyalty.

you need a dog that suits your life not a dog you like the look of, or an aspiration

This. I'd get a whippet or a staffy in your situation, but for me I'd get a JRT.
Look at the dog rescues - they sometimes have dogs that are already trained and aren't nervous etc

What about a Bearded Collie? Although they retain the intelligence of a working breed (and there are indeed Working Beardies), they’re slightly less demanding / driven than a Border. Still need brain games but the drive to herd isn’t quite as strong. Beautiful coats too.

It's like having the smartest, most excitable and noisiest toddler in the world. If you do not cater for their inbuilt desperate need for mental stimulation, challenge and activity, I can only describe them as becoming borderline psychopaths on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

There was one that lived in the next road to me who was so bereft of stimulation, when he got his lunchtime walk - they didn't take him out first thing because of the following - he screamed all the way to the park and back. Every step. And then he was so wired, he was shouting for the next five hours in the back garden/house for more whilst working out new and exciting ways to escape a ten foot fence to get back to the park, which was half a mile down a main feeder road and alongside a three lane overpass. He needed so much more than his owner gave him. What he didn't need, however, was a seven and a half tonne lorry to be coming down the overpass just as he sprinted across the road.

You're dealing with a four legged genius. And like most smart kids, if they're bored, they find things to entertain themselves which you may not like very much.

Yeah, they look great - but they're essentially working dogs who need to work all day long. To have one and not give it what it needs is cruel.

Thought of another! Size of dog? Bonus if you don’t care, but 3 kids might make a large breed tricky to squeeze in the car/ tiny house etc so might all impact your preferences.

Not a very common mix but honestly one really worth looking into is a lab crossed with a kelpie ( Australian sheepdog ) . They look like smaller labs . Short haired , food driven ,v clever so easy to train , affectionate, non reactive to other dogs . Loves lots of walks but will equally chill . We are on our second as I really couldn't think of a breed to match our old dog . There aren't many about thou the common mix seems to be a kelpie/collie .

Just looked at a local dog rescue site and they have a few sighthounds.

Relative has a border collie - poodle cross and it needs a lot of stimulation and exercise and clipping. Nice dog but I wouldn't recommend one.

Get a bitch not a dog.

We have a collie, my DH grew up with them. They're great dogs if they get enough excercise and are very intelligent and therefore receptive to training. So if you feel like you can be consistent with training and it sounds like you're very active.

We have a bitch, and she is great with us and our todler very calm and respectful. She isn't a huge fan of other dogs.

Yes, bitches rule!

How about an English Pointer? They are under appreciated I think. Fits your description…

We rescued a collie/retriever and we really got the best of both breeds! He's v intelligent, was super easy to train (collie) but also playful, dopey, fantastic with kids (retriever) - absolutely loves them!
He's 9 now and I still say he's a very smart dog with zero common sense

My dog is just like your want list.
She is a Springer Spaniel x Miniature poodle.
She has loads of energy on walks and can run and run.
She is friendly.
She is clever and biddable - we enjoy dog agility.
She is lovely with children, and is adored by my kids.
She is generally relaxed at home and sleeps on the sofa or in her basket.
She is gentle with our cat (although will chase the cat if she runs). Cat very much has the upper hand and will eat the dogs food, sleep in dog's basket, while the dog looks on.
She barks at postman etc, but I wouldn't call her a barky dog.

Generally I think both poodles and spaniels make great pets, and we adore our cross.

I had a jRT x whippet probably a bit of patterdale as well and she was lovely not good with small children, very very clever, very cuddly. They are easily available at most rescues as they are breed for poaching small game. She would walk for miles and sleep for England! Not the greatest recall though.
If you go for a lab definitely working not show but they need to be a good working strain and not field trials dogs. Got two ex working labs asleep in the kitchen. Black labs are calmer than yellow labs.

Most greyhounds are ex racers, they have been bred and trained to run after small furry things very fast. I wouldn’t want to risk a pet cat.

Having said that when we were kids our next doors had an old deaf greyhound who used to come round to our back door every morning because my mum fed him crispy bacon rinds. Our cat hated him and used to hide behind the door and swipe his nose, he never learned, and to do him credit never chased her either!

The trouble with a mix is that although you may well end up with the best of both breeds, the genetic lottery could also provide you with a dog who only has the downsides of both breeds!

Some breeds which may suit your circumstances which spring to mind immediately (not an exhaustive list by any means)
Lab, goldie, toller, staffie, cocker spaniel. All show bred, not working to keep them the chilled end of the spectrum. Many of the smaller breeds could fit too, although terrier often = high prey drive so I’d maybe avoid those if you want a cat later

For a first dog, you need to choose a breed for temperament and trainability, not looks. I would recommend a breed that doesn't need long walks in all weather too. Something small like a wiener/ sausage dog, or a westie might work.

My first dog when I was little was a collie cross Labrador. He was a lovely dog. Not quite as full on as a regular collie, not quite as food inclined as a lab! He had the eyes and markings of a collie, although a little more portly.

Do your research on the breed before getting one, and don't just go for looks.

Consider breed traits and health.

If it tells you that the dog breed can be destructive and not easy to train, they mean it.

A bored dog is likely to be destructive

Ok an hour a day of exercise rules out most bigger or more active working breeds. That's not a lot of time.

Greyhound, whippet, miniature poodle, border terrier, staffy, German shepherd, english bull terrier, cavalier King Charles, shitzhu, cairn, westie, might all be contenders

Basically you need a companion or utility type breed. The hounds/retrievers/true shepherding breeds realistically will need a lot more time/training than a novice with an hour of exercise a day can give

We have one. Best dog ever. But she gets 25 hours off lead walking a week. Minimum.

This is all brilliant advice and much needed.

I have held off getting a dog during the pandemic as I wanted to see life settle back and whether it’s something we can commit to.

You are all very right in saying it’s the temperament and personality that I need to be looking for. It’s common sense- and I’m more than glad to have that pointed out to me.

As some have suggested I’m going to look locally at rescue centres as they appear to be very honest with temperament- ajnd see if I can see one that fits. I think- while the beauty of the BC is tempting, this seems like a more sensible idea!