Crazy to get a border collie?

[Byfleet]

I have wanted a border collie all my life but held off because I have been incredibly busy most of my adult life with kids, work and caring for elderly DM. DM has now passed away, kids left home and I am semi retired. However, I have read so many threads here about how border collies are particularly demanding. Would it be sensible? Here are pros and cons.

Pros

• sorry to blow my own trumpet but I am very fit and active and really love walking (and running). I am a lecturer and love teaching/training
• I am semi retired. We have a big garden and a couple of parks nearby
• DCs live nearby, love dogs, and claim they would contribute to works/dog sitting etc.

Cons

• I am very fit (marathons etc)but I am 60 and need more rest than I used to
• DH is not very fit and doesn’t really enjoy outdoor exercise
• we live in London. We have parks nearby but I am wary of letting any dog off the lead. There are some scary dogs (and owners) around.
• We have a biggish garden but I am a little precious about it ie. don’t really want dug up lawn and flower beds
• I am a little precious about the house too ie. Not keen on scratched or chewed furniture.

Any collie owners out there? Am I a good fit?

Collie owner here.

If you can't let your dog off lead do not get a collie.

Collies need a lot of attention as well as exercise
They will need to have off lead exercise about hour and a half a day.
They will not have a walk and then stop for the rest of the day, they will need brain work and a job to do.

Collies that are not correctly entertained will go self employed and could easily dig up your garden and find other annoying things to do.

There would be easier and better fit dogs for your lifestyle than collies

Not in London, not being able to let a collie off a lead is not fair and they need a job. An unemployed collie is a self employed collie which is a euphemism for: they’ll trash your house. Most of the under exercised and under stimulated ones I know are reactive, nervous wrecks

Maybe if you can describe what it is about collies you like, people may be able to suggest more suitable alternatives for London? (Also, from what you've said, will this be your first dog?)

I have an energetic working breed dog and have never had issues with furniture chewed or (since puppy days) flower beds dug.
As long as you can give her plenty of brain work as well as exercise you will be a good fit. Before you make your mind up, look up cani-cross, fly ball or agility groups near to you.

We often walk along the prom and I love to see a collie arrive at the beach and take off like a rocket!

A collie is really unlikely to be happy in London and certainly could not live without going off the lead. They have nervous tendencies and life could end up really miserable for all of you. Why do you want a collie particularly? Maybe we could suggest alternatives.

Rescue dog perhaps… depends what you mean by “precious”. My dog never dug or bit furniture.

If you get a puppy you do realise it will pee and poop all over the place? Wake you up like a baby would, do you like your sleep? Do you like staying in bed? It may also very likely steal stuff, destroy it…. At some point your dog will vomit.

It is possible to have a lovely home, garden and a dog- but my God it takes some work.

Never count on other people assisting you.

I have an energetic working breed dog and have never had issues with furniture chewed or (since puppy days) flower beds dug

Over the years I have had hundreds of clients with working dogs in the wrong home with just these issues. Working breeds do need to be in the right environment to thrive

My garden has spent much of the last 4 years auditioning to be a pink floyd album cover - the dark side of the moon. Full of collie shaped craters. But honestly worth every minute. Here is a pic of her stealing my weights and hiding them in the sweet peas. Later the same summer she nicked all the support canes and those she didn’t eat she buried them in the lawn. I sow carrots specifically for collie enrichment as she will harvest them herself and leave all the carrot tops on the lawn, she also differentiates between carrots which she loves and parsnips which, not so much. She does have plenty of exercise but doesn’t want to waste any time on chilling when there is a garden to be played in.

My in-laws have one and it's really high maintenance. Very energetic, needs constant attention, nips, and tries to 'herd' every parked car as they walk along the road.

Never known a collie to be a digger (I'm on my 8th and 9th). But they're not for London. And they need to off the lead. A lot.
They're highly intelligent and if they're bored and unfulfilled they can be bossy and wilful. Not saying it's impossible - for instance if you did agility with her (and a bitch would be more feasible than a dog) but it would take an immense amount of work on your part. They are also one person dogs. It's demanding stuff being owned by a collie.

Thanks so much for all your replies!

This would be my first dog as an adult but I grew up with collies (farm) so I know how active they need to be, and not just running around, but with a job to do. I am very fit and an active person and have a fairly realistic idea of what collies need to be engaged with on a daily basis ie. Not just fetching balls. I have the time and energy to make sure a dog is busy for several hours a day. I am also well aware that DCs claim to be on hand for walking/sitting can’t be relied upon!

I guess my main issues are:

1. Damage to garden
2. Damage to home
3. Realistic reservations about time off lead in local parks given what I have seen of local dogs and owners

I think that a collie who had limited off lead exercise at best would be a very unhappy doggy

No please don't get a collie if you live in London. My friend has one and they need so much exercise and stimulation. What about a cockerpoo instead? Intelligent dogs but much more low maintenance than a collie.

If you have lived with collies before are you really considering that a collie in London with on lead walking is a good idea? How would your childhood collies have liked that?

Which park would you walk in? Some are not very big

I think you answered your own question when you said you grew up with collies on a farm. Perfect.

London - never.

Also being garden/houseproud with any dog is a recipe for disaster imo as you'd be stressing continuously unless you get a chihuahua which isn't a proper dog 😁

Nope. In fact, if you are house and garden proud I would seriously consider if a puppy is going to work for you full stop.

Damage to garden

Any dog will probably damage your garden, at least when it’s a puppy. A collie who isn’t off the lead enough/at all might not grow out of this.

Damage to home

As above :)

Realistic reservations about time off lead in local parks given what I have seen of local dogs and owners

Collies need plenty of time off lead on walks, every day preferably- limited amount of opportunities for this from the outset isn’t a good starting point at all.

I think you should look at other breeds, there’s so many out there there will be a much more suitable dog out there for you :)

I don't think your location would suit. There are loads of other breeds out there, get one that will have an amazing life with you, not one that's going to be a compromise just because you have nostalgia for the breed. Go for a dog that suits your home, DH and city surroundings. You sound like you'll be a fantastic dog owner for a lucky pooch.

I had a collie in a city and used to be nervous about letting him off lead. I ran with him each day doing a 10k and he loved it! Extra training sessions for toring his brain out and an on lead walk in the evenings, then trips to a nice park for huge games of fetch when we could and he was absolutely fine.

So easy to train and pleasant natures , i dont see why you couldnt do it

It depends on the London park. Victoria Park for example is 5k round the edge. If you did a couple of loops of that off lead twice a day I reckon you'd be fine. You could jog with the dog. Or Hackney Marshes would be good.

I have recently lost my beloved border collie. We absolutely loved her but she was high maintenance. Needed lots of off lead exercise , occupation and attention. She also shed bucket loads of her gorgeous coat, and dug many holes in our garden.

Miss her every day though.
We have a spaniel puppy and although she is lively I can already tell she is somewhat easier.
Collies are amazing, but not for the faint hearted.

Such beautiful dogs, this was my girl

Wrong dog for London sadly.

I grew up with a collie in a family home in a nonLondon city. She was a beautiful dog and I adored her, but with everything we could do for exercise she was a neurotic, unhappy and understated creature. I would never get a collie unless I could feasibly give it plenty of space to run and a job to do, either a proper farm job or the equivalent in agility/flyball.