New Fur-mumma

Thanks so much, really appreciate the links. I'll check them out.

Thanks Tassie will do, I;m sure the camera will be working overtime!

Hi all I pick up my new border collie pup in a few weeks (we are VERY excited!). I know how important socialisation and basic training is at this stage so I want to enrol the pup (and my young daughters) into puppy school but need to ensure we attend one with properly qualified trainers - there are so many puppy schools around and reading these forums, there also seems to be quite a few horror stories of puppy socialisation gone wrong due to under qualified trainers. Can anyone recommend any good schools on Sydney's north shore? Thanks so much!

Aren't they beautiful! I've never heard of them, I'll check them out. Thanks!

Wow thanks so much for your recommendations everyone, it really means a lot to have a band of experts giving us advice on this. My take-out from this is that the right breeder will be crucial in breeding and choosing the right BC for us, and we are happy to wait as long as it takes. It seems the right trainer will also be really important to ensure all of us start (and continue) in the right way. Thank you also to all the Aussie fans, what a fan club! Unfortunately a BC stole my heart 10 years ago (RIP beautiful Barney) and I have not been able to look at another breed since - I love their big personalities, quick thinking, loyalty and huge hearts (take a backseat Lassie!) thanks again!

You are too funny!! Are you toilet trained?

Hi everyone I am considering a Border Collie as a family pet and have run into some quite conflicting information as to whether this beautiful breed is the right dog for us. I've done a heap of research online and read Aus/US forums (BTW the DOL Breed 101 questionnaire that owners/breeders posted was invaluable…thank you!!) and I plan to talk to several breeders once I have opinions from here. I've heard a lot of stuff that scares me (2+hours walking required, destructive/overly anxious behaviour, biting) but then a lot of forum info, particularly from owners, contradicts this - if the dog is mentally stimulated and trained well. I love dogs too much to get it wrong so basically I want to ask the experts (owners) - are we the right human family for a BC and is a BC the right fur-child for us? Our Circumstances We are a family of four who live in suburban Sydney with a well fenced medium sized back yard with swimming pool. My husband works from home and I am a stay-at-home Mum so there are only a few hours in the day when no one is around. My daughters are 5 (who I think must be part Border Collie, she does not stop) and 4. I have owned a Beagle when younger and we are all avid dog lovers, this dog would be an inside dog and part of our family. We can commit to 30mins-1 hour walk per day and/or 30mins-1 hour of chucky ball/frisbee/swim in the backyard, with a few long romps at the dog park/beach a week. I plan on doing puppy training and then obedience training with the dog. Given that we are home quite a lot and have kids, the dog will get lots of attention and games (5pm tag around the dining room table is a family sport). We dog-sit my sister's 5 year old lab occasionally and have no problems with his exercise/mental needs. My Questions 1. Is a BC the right breed for us given our circumstances? 2. If so, are they safe enough with younger kids if trained correctly? I don't want them biting my daughters if they are not being good 'sheep'. 3. Is there any significant temperment differences between the sexes? (my daughters desperately want a girl but I would prefer we get what's best for us) 4. I've read that show bred dogs are calmer and more suited as family pets as opposed to working bred dogs, is this the case? If so, does anyone know of any good responsible breeders in NSW/ACT that specialise in show bred dogs? Thank you so much for any words of wisdom you can provide - it would end weeks of internal confusion!