Is A Border Collie For Me?

[Perry's Mum]

The amount of exercise you are thinking of is plenty for a Koolie but they also want to be indoor dogs and to be with their people. Shortcoated Koolies have the same temperament but look different - here are some at a recent sheepdog school.

[Mystiqview]

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!

If I was sent an email containing the above, I would be happy to contact and talk a possible pup. Your situation is pretty much fairly standard with most of my puppy enquiries.

The important part is picking the right breeder and the right animal to suit your preferences. Generally speaking, show bred dogs can be calmer than farm bred working dogs. In saying this, there are always exceptions and some "show" based lines and breeders concentrate on breeding performance dogs. Even then, not every pup in the litter is going to go out there and be the next top winner. Find a breeder who really knows temperament, training and their lines. Also make sure they do all the recommended health testing for a border collie. None of the tests available are mandatory, and some breeders don't test for everything there is available to be tested.

Any dog can be good or bad with children. Some individual animals of any breed may not be suited to a family containing young children. Boys tend to be more affectionate. Teach them from 8 weeks correct toilet behaviour (ie not to pee on every vertical surface on a walk etc) and they can be just as clean as any girl. The best advice is to keep your options open and choose the best animal at the time rather than just go for a girl or boy.

Border collies like all dogs do not do well just left in the back yard. They need to be part of the family. Basic obedience and manners training is essential for any dog, it makes them so much easier to live with. Some need to have a job. Some are quite fine to just be a companion. I have had both and certainly have bred both. You don't so much need to take them for marathon walks, just do something with the brain. This can be trick training. All dogs need some exercise, but many think border collies need to have this marathon run twice a day or be working all day. Find a dog with the right temperament and drive to suit your needs. I have had lounge lizards whose major activity was looking for a comfy spot on the couch to ones who just love to run all day.

Have a look ok DOL puppy pages.. Just best in mind though that to advertise on there, a breeder just has to be registered with their state controlling body. Care still needs to be taken on choosing a good ethical breeder. You should not pay more for colour or sex. It costs the same to raise a merle pup or a black and white pup. No colour is rare so be careful of any who claim a certain colour is rare. I would also be careful about any who want a deposit on a litter before it is even conceived /born yet.

[New Fur-mumma]

The amount of exercise you are thinking of is plenty for a Koolie but they also want to be indoor dogs and to be with their people. Shortcoated Koolies have the same temperament but look different - here are some at a recent sheepdog school.

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

[raineth]

I have little experience with BC's but have raised two kids whilst owning a large dog. My advice would be to try take that walk everyday to see if it is do able. You are about to get very busy with two kids starting primary school. You will taxi drive to sports and social occasions. I chose my dog from the SPCA on the advice of the staff. He was a calm, slightly aloof dog. He tolerated but did not approach strangers. He spent hours on the side of football fields, swimming pools and tennis courts. His aloof but bombproof nature meant he never annoyed people, never snatched a passing sausage sandwich and paid no attention to annoying lunging kids. He was my jogging buddy and ran 50km a week but if life meant he didn't get a walk he was ok with that.

I would definitely be looking at getting an adult dog whose temperament is known. Getting it wrong in the very busy stage of life you are about to enter into could be very difficult.

So much like my Digby HD. How blessed we are to have had such dogs in our lives :)

[KJJ]

I thought I might add my perspective, as I have a very similar family situation (although my kids are older). My first BC was from working dogs and was well and truly a mature dog when we added human babies to our family, there were no issues with nipping or chasing once the kids were at the running stage, and if she had enough of boisterous children she would just remove herself to under a chair or bed and the kids would be told to leave her alone and not bug her. She sadly passed on when my kids were about the age yours are now. Our current BC is a xbreed from the pound, again no problems with the kids (who are now 9 & 12). I think that it is as important to train children how to behave around and treat dogs as it is for the dog to be trained.

My experience has been that while they are certainly an active breed, mental stimulation and spending time (in my case most waking and sleeping hours :p ) with you and your family is more important.

One thing I found with both of my BC's is that they tended more towards being focused on one person (ie. me) and whilst happy enough with the rest of the family did not tend to share the love around as much as our bull breeds.

Good luck with your search for a puppy - and I hope to see plenty of cute pics posted once you get it :)

[Vickie]

I don't see any reason why a BC wouldn't suit your family :)

I've had 8 BCs now, 7 of them grew up/are growing up with my children. 2 show bred & 6 working bred. Of the 8, one did not have a good temperament with children and honestly if I had known more back then, I would have recognised that he would be unsuitable by viewing his parents. It is really important to spend time with the parents of your puppy. Any signs of nervousness or obsessive type behaviours & you should walk away. Puppies are the product of 2 things:

the parents genetics... anything you like or don't like in the parents will likely be reproduced.

And the way you raise them.

None of my BCs have ever rounded up or nipped my children. This is due to 2 things, I manage both. My children have been taught since the time they could walk how to act around the dogs. I also insist on the same from visiting children. I also don't allow any undesirable behaviours to start in puppies. Sometimes things that are cute in a puppy will not be so cute in a fully grown dog, so snything I don't want to continue, I stop.

BC's can be a wonderful family pet & they love to be part of your everyday life. Re show vs working, you will find suitable & unsuitable temperaments in both, it really comes down to personal preference. I have a 6 month old working bred pup at the moment. I have done very little training with him, he really only has a recall, but he goes everywhere with us, is wonderful with my 10 year old son and really quite a calm little boy. He likes to have a run around, like any puppy, but so far he is the perfect family pet. Both his parents work on a property, but they also spend days a week, where there is no work to be done.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Vickie

[Perry's Mum]

The amount of exercise you are thinking of is plenty for a Koolie but they also want to be indoor dogs and to be with their people. Shortcoated Koolies have the same temperament but look different - here are some at a recent sheepdog school.

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

They also come in solid colours. Koolie Rescue often have young dogs available. You can contact them on 03-5486-5370 or check out their page on Facebook. Both mine came from them. They don't charge for their dogs but most people give them a donation to cover their costs.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Perry's Mum

[VizslaMomma]

You could also look at an Australian Shepherd which has a similar look to a Border but in my experience can be a little less intense.

I have heard that Australian Shepherds may not have a high tolerance level...that's just what I have heard, that they can be a little temperamental.

Yes I wouldn't recommend an Aussie with small kids in general. Some would be fine though, but in general.

I don't know why people recommend them as "easier than a border".

I agree. My Aussie gets a bit freaked out by little kids.

I get freaked out by little kids. Must be difficult for dogs.

:)