New here! Collie poodle

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Hi hi hi! I'm thinking of getting a puppy which is a Welsh collie and poodle mix. Anybody have any experience/advice/top tips? Have had a lovely collie before but never a poodle and never this mix!

Thank you

Unless you live on a farm don’t do it.

Both are highly intelligent - and collies are working animals. They’ll be miserable in a big standard family home, nip at your children and probably be incredibly destructive. The combined brains of the two is probably a disaster waiting to happen!

Why on earth would anyone in their right mind mix a collie and a poodle together?

Christ, no! Two potentially highly strung breeds combined

That's exactly what I was going to say as soon as I saw the title.

Unless you are a farmer, and even then a pure collie would be more suited, that's a whole can of worms waiting to be opened.

Absolutely not. Poor dogs.

As someone on here once said when this was suggested before, it'll figure out how to hot wire your car and drive it off.

Are they literally trying to create the most manic dog ever?

Dont do it. Have a look at Yorkshire Tofties which are a cross between a rough collie and a welsh sheepdog but are more rough than Welsh. They’ve been bred to increase the genetic diversity in rough collies and to remove problematic hereditary conditions from the breed so they’re more a sub category of rough collie than a straight mix. Rough collies are very calm, loyal and easy dogs.

I know someone with one, haven’t spent a huge amount of time with it as it’s just someone who used to work with me.

It’s coat is a nightmare to deal with, some bits are curly, some straight, mats as soon as you look at it but also sheds. It also ate a couch, I assume out of boredom as it wasn’t a puppy at that point.

Why?

There are plenty of dogs in shelters currently. Please don’t get a puppy, I always re home dogs. There are so many out there since the lockdown flurry and now the cost of living situation.

The shelters will be able to give you information on the dogs characters, please give one a home 🙏🏻

One of the daftest combinations I’ve ever hear of !
are you equipped to deal with a highly intelligent ie needs constant brain stimulation , high exercise need ( my friends collie does 10km daily - well he does 10km. Dog loads more , off lead ) and high separation anxiety dog ?
add to that the coat issue - may be non shedding and need lots of grooming , may “just “ shed and need brushing min daily.

I assume you want a full time job ?🤣

i get thry are cute puppies , but all puppies are cute. Get a poodle , or a collie. You even get a choice of size with a poodle …. At least you know what you are getting.

intelligent dogs are a really challenge - you can’t just walk them and hope they sleep … and if you don’t occupy them they will occupy themselves - probably by destroying your home. The same dog that now does 10km daily could open the bloody crate as a 6m old

😆😆

I grew up on a farm and we always had Collies, they're my favourite dog, but there's no way I'd want that energy as a domestic pet only. I don't know much about poodles, but I have a mixed dog (Springer and Cocker) and they can inherit 100% of character from one, rather than 50/50.

Good god no - what a mix! @cloudtree my RC is the opposite of your description- noisy, hyper and needy. Never again - will stick with borders!

I always laugh when I read about poodles and how intelligent other people's poodles are. My poodle is the daftest dog you've ever met. He is the Homer Simpson of dogs.

He does have separate anxiety though and is incredibly needy.

Unsurprisingly these make fantastic agility dogs.
Because they are extremely intelligent and need a job.

Yes they have become a popular agility dog but that's because they are driven and also intelligent! Both breeds suffer inherited problems so I'd want a barrage of tests before I went near one. Hips, elbows, eyes, patellas all can be a problem in both breeds.

If you want a high drive intelligent but needy cross to work in a sport (and that means something other than agility if it's not right for the dog) then go for it but if not I'd steer clear.

Welsh collie - do you mean welsh sheepdog? Or Border Collie from Wales? Sheepdogs and collies are different and work in different ways.

My instant thought on this was, "Gosh, that's an awful idea"

I really really wouldn't do it.

It isn't really fair to have a collie as a pet in the standard household.

Poodles are also very bright, active and intelligent.

Unless you are a farmer and will be working with the dog, or are retired and spend most days hill walking or similar please don't do this to yourself or the dog. Get a more suitable breed.

What do you call them -- a pollie? Or a coodle?

@cloudtree one of the original Tofty breeders is the breeder we got our rough from. He is the calmest, easiest dog. I am fairly sure at lot his temperament is down to the breeding though.

@haggisaggis yes I fully believe my polish RC is a fake but she was a rescue anyway so didn’t matter. Love her to bits but too vocal for me.

@Whatevershallidowithmylife our (also very vocal but calm!) boy. He's 10 now

Thank you everyone for your advice and wise words! The dog will be a pet for an active family, not a farm dog. I think I was looking for a hefty dose of rational and realistic thinking to calm my excitement at the possibility of a dog being the mix of my two favourite breeds! Will start the search for something more suitable...

Any other top tips for buying a puppy from a breeder? Have only ever had a rescue dog previously

I have a 7-month-old Welsh Sheepdog, by coincidence, she is from one of the original Tofty breeders, probably the one mentioned.

Welsh Sheepdogs do herd differently, more upright and vocal with a bit of nipping for good measure.

She is energetic but our 3-year-old springador wins that race at the moment.

The sheepdog has a very good off switch at home, is very clever so picks things up quickly but is very independent.

As someone else mentioned have a Facebook search for the Yorkshire Tofty and friends group. I think a Tofty may suit.

The breeder is also doing extensive testing to keep her dogs PRA, CEA etc free.