Been a long held wish of mine to have a Border Collie and Mrs S has finally agreed to us getting a dog. I’ve done my reading and the consensus is that there is no consensus. Some people say wrong dog as they need endless exercise and entertaining and not suitable for a young family, others say great dogs.

We have kids aged 8, 6 and 4. Only two days of the week when both adults are out of the house all day but I can come home at lunch time. Will be able to walk 30 mins in morning and 1 hour in evening, plus endless time at weekends. I have owned dogs before so know they require work, need to be realistic though I’d a BC is right or not.

Dog will come from local breeder who trains her dogs for agility. Obviously I will be having long chat with her also.

So, BC owners, what are your thoughts?

You’ve summed it up in your question I think: it might be great, it might be awful.

I’ve experienced both. My current dog is a collie-x and is amazing.

But we tried to foster a pure collie and it was disastrous. Long story but we ended up taking him back to the Dog’s Trust (where he came from) for re-homing, which was a very sad day indeed.

If you have dog experience (definitely essential with a BC) and choose your pup from a good breeder, I suppose you are minimising the potential risks.

30 mins + 1 hour is nothing for a collie. Trouble is, no amount of physical exercise will ever be enough – the key, and the problem, is keeping them mentally stimulated. It’s boredom that leads to trouble. Giving them something to think about tires them out much more quickly than a run or exercise – the more of that they get, the more they want. They can run 100 miles in a day quite happily.

But giving them something to think about is hard if you’re not there with them.

I am a hopeless border collie fan, but I wouldn’t let myself have another — and I work from home 90% of the time, with my wife here 90% of the time too.

On the other hand, if you do get a pup … post the pics!

My parents got a Border Collie when I was about 11 and my little sis 8

Sorry to say, she (the dog, not my little sis) wasn’t walked everyday, nowhere near it and she was probably left quite a few times inside all day too (although, not all day, everyday)

The dog was brilliant… a super friendly bundle of fun that both my sister and I enjoyed very much

Edit … Just a little story… My dad bought her from a farm in the lake district for £15 and got a half a bag of dry dog feed throw in!!

That’s the thing. It just depends on whether you want to take the risk.

I think border collies are the first- or second-most rehomed breed of dog, because they are so demanding, and probably because they can be quite bitey: that being their method of disciplining the sheep.

they need endless exercise and entertaining

True, very intelligent dogs and can be very mischievous if not kept stimulated. 90mins is a warm up for most collies who are primarily working dogs.

We are on our 4th BC now. The new boy was returned to the pound 4 times before we took him, but he’s the best dog I’ve ever had.
They can be a bit neurotic, I’d recommend a collie cross, but then I’d not recommend any purebreed.

I’d look at a different dog. Border collies are going to need way more than an hour and a half walks each day.

We had a pure collie when I was a young teenager to young adult. A brilliant dog, so intelligent and loving, with a strong hurding instinct so he really cared for the whole family.
But it worked so well because we were able to walk him and play and give him lots of attention. It wasn’t perfect, he wasn’t happy when we were at school and my Mum sometimes had to do a bit of work so while she was able to take him with her, he was bored.

I know he wouldn’t be happy with 30minutes walking in the morning. He needed a very good walk in the mornings, a very minimum of a hour off the lead running around, more usually more. He was not happy if he didn’t have that and it sometimes meant some very early mornings. It was also quite a bind, because of his strong hurding instinct there was no way were could leave him so holidays abroad were out of the question.

They are also long living dogs, our lived till 16. I couldn’t have another because losing him was so tough.

[video]http://vimeo.com/67476747[/video]

collies are ace.

you’ll never wear one out but the idea they need masses of exercise everyday isn’t strictly true. some days spike gets a 20min walk, some days he does 10 miles with me on the bike. He’s happy.

Best dogs ever.

They don’t like being left on their own though, that’s a good reason to get two!

We’ve had ours for over 9 years and every moment has been amazing. She’s been my companion on countless adventures on bikes, boards and skis in all conditions and has given me so many wonderful memories already.

But, no kids here and my wife and I basically dedicate our lives to messing about in the mountains which is perfect for the dog. Without that sort of stimulation they can be a real ball ache to keep as they are very needy dogs and will pester and cause bother if left for too long.

I wouldn’t be without one but they certainly aren’t for everyone
Hope it works out whichever way you choose,
Dan

Ps. A bunch of photos of mine on the blog I did through the last winter
http://www.cheekynorthernmonkey.blogspot.it

Border Collie bit my daughter completely unprovoked a couple of years ago – I’m not a fan.
This obviously means nothing and you could get one and it might be the best pet everer.

As others have said. We nervously rehomed ours from the local farmer as she wasn’t as good as some of his other dogs at sheep duties. Without a doubt the best decision I’ve ever made though. She is a little timid (coming from a one man hill farm) but will happily run for two hours with me on the bike or conversely, will happily sit around sun bathing all day if needs be.

Her favourite place is in the back of the land rover though. A bit of an annoying habit – as soon as the door is open, she’s in.

I read all the horror stories of them being a real hand-full, and whilst they obviously have substance, not all dogs are the same. Luck of the draw I guess. Lets call it the “Great Collie Lottery”!

A mate had one. Very interactive dog. Fine if you have the time. When my mate’s got bored he’d go to the pub. The landlord would kick him out at closing time and he’d come home.

Lung cancer got him in the end (this was pre-ban).

They don’t like being left on their own though, that’s a good reason to get two!

This is possibly the worst Idea. They are loving dogs and if they have another dog to play with they will misguide each other into michief. they will bond more closely with one another than with you leaving you with a whole host of issues re obdience etc.
Our collie doesn’t mind being left alone for short periods of a couple hours. There is a misconception that collies need constant stimulation – this will make them neurotic. They need stimulation, yes but if you let them play unchecked for hours and hours they will not know when to stop. Collies are ace. mine makes me laugh every day. he’s been brought up they way I want him and I think that getting a re-homed dog is generally asking for trouble as you are letting an unknown quantity into your life. it’s very hard to break habits in dogs like collies so if you are going to get one, get a pup (it doesn’t have to be from a breeder, in fact I’d recommend NOT getting one from a breeder) so you can mould their behaviour to how you want it from an early age. My only regret with ours is we didn’t keep a check on his chasing instinct.

My advice is – Do it if you have the time and patience
don’t if you don’t!

Border Collie bit my daughter completely unprovoked a couple of years ago – I’m not a fan.
This obviously means nothing and you could get one and it might be the best pet everer.

Without putting too fine a point on it, it probably wasn’t the dog’s fault she was bitten. That’s not to say it was your daughter’s fault either. The owner (of both the child and the dog) are mostly to blame for that sort of behaviour.

They don’t like being left on their own though, that’s a good reason to get two!

This is possibly the worst Idea. They are loving dogs and if they have another dog to play with they will misguide each other into michief. they will bond more closely with one another than with you leaving you with a whole host of issues re obdience etc.

I have always kept two at a time, never had a problem establishing the pecking order. He who controls the food supply sits at the top!

Though other peoples experience may differ!

I’ve always had Collies as pets and for years I was involved in Border Collie Rescue
Here my view for what it’s worth
Collies make great pets by and large. Most dogs we rehomed were due to problem owners. Don’t get me wrong you do get rouge collies like any breeder or people come to that
You will never tire one out through exercise, but you don’t need to as long as they they need to be stimulated. If bored they are more likely to be a problem. I think you should be alright with 30mins and an hour. More would be better when you have time.
They need training, they have to know who is the boss. Any local dog class should be adequate. If the breed does agility there will be loads of help there
I wouldn’t recommend one, or any dog for that matter, to a home where people are out all day every day. But I worked shifts and found ours were OK left on their own one or two days a week
That is where having two is an advantage. The problem can be that they are more interested in each other than in listening to you. I would say get another later rather than have two puppies together
A collie is a great dog for kids providing they understand how to behave around each other. Collies have a natural herding (hunting) instinct that can be misinterpreted
You’ve had dogs before and you are buying from a reputable & knowledge breeder I think you’ll be fine
ps nothing smells like a puppy ?

We had 3 border collies when I was growing up in Wales.

My experience with them has been fantastic- the first came from a local farm and was my 8th birthday present and was probably my best friend growing up in a very remote rural area. He was affectionate, daft as a brush, and fiercely loyal. I still miss him.

A couple of years later we added a white BC bitch from another local farm. She was probably the most intelligent dog I’ve ever known – a proper character with real problem solving skills (she habitually waited for my mum to go bed before jumping up on the sofa and plumping up the cushions to make a cosy nest for herself, and would put them back where she found them if she heard my mum coming down the stairs – my mum was none the wiser for years!).

Last one came along a couple of years later as a stray we adopted after one of our neighbours found her cowering in the back of his truck after delivering to a hill farm in Snowdonia. She was probably a couple of years old and had clearly had a litter of pups already. She’d been badly mistreated and didn’t trust humans at all. She wasn’t houstrained and was horribly incontinent due to being so nervous around people. My dad took her in and fed her up and after about 6 months she was a completely different dog – she was a long haired tri-colour so a beautiful dog, incredibly placid and loving. She had a litter of lovely pups sired by our eldest dog which all went on to good homes locally.

They do need plenty of exercise but not as much as say a Springer. They love mental stimulation and problem solving and as already mentioned that’s probably equally important as exercise – hence why they’re used a lot for agility trials and the like. Ours were happy to be left for a few hours but there were three of them so they kept each other company – the eldest was a bit chewy when he was on his own and got himself in a few scrapes until the others came along.

Ours loved the water and would happily spend hours tearing along the beach / into the water after a tennis ball which my Dad used to hoof out with a raquet.

Only possible downside is that they are very much pack animals and can be fiercely protective of family members (I read somwewhere that genetically Border Collies are closer to wild dogs than other breeds…not sure how true that was?) – our eldest would bare his teeth and raise his hackles at anyone he thought was likely to harm us (raised hands etc) and had a big problem with authority figures – basically he’d go mental barking at anyone in a uniform – but he never went for anyone.

We also had to carefully train ours to behave around animals – as above their instinct is to round up anything that has 4 legs or wings. In fact our eldest in his younger dafter days would also try to herd motor vehicles until he came off the worst in a tussle with a mark III Cortina… he was fine afterwards apart from a bit of a limp which would be strategially deployed for sympathy / treats. Ours were all eventually fine after training and would happily walk to heel around sheep.

Nova scotia duck tolling retriever. Would be a great lower energy alternative!

I’ll get shot down for this as I have don’t have a link to scientific data, but as a claims inspector, I previously worked on behalf of a pet insurer and their stats for underwriting purposes showed that border collies were the “snappiest” breed, based on bite incidents per insured numbers. Whether that was due to breeding, environment or temperament was not broken down. Just a pure data analysis.

^^^what beaker said^^^^

I’ve had Cass for 2 years now. She was my uncle’s dog and he’d taken her 90% of the way through sheep dog training before he passed away. I inherited her as i was looking for a riding dog and brought her home from Ireland. Honestly, the best thing I’ve done (apart from meeting the missus, obviously!): she’s obedient, good natured, fast, energetic, intelligent, kind and loving. Being a collie she can be quite naughty – to the point of being vindictive – so when the missus moved in, Cass decided she’d move her back out again. Every time we went out without her, she’d go find some of her things and take them outside: pants; socks; shoes; hats; t-shirts – they’ve all found their way back into the garden.

The herding / stalking instinct can be a little difficult to deal with but we’re getting there.

She gets about an hour of walking every day and will happily run about 18k in a trail centre session.

Boredom, intelligence and agility are your main enemies: I thoroughly recommend a decent dog flap but she’s almost at the point of being able to clear a 6′ fence and my m&ds collie-x worked out that it could could jump from one shed roof to another and then make his way over the perimeter fence that way.

Could I suggest a hound of some sort?

They are happy to lie around all day snoozing so long as they get a decent run at some point. They come in all sizes. (Currently got a Wolfhound/Dane X)

If I was able to take a dog everywhere I’d happily get a working dog like a collie, or more likely, an Australian cattle dog.

Really helpful stuff, thanks a lot.

I know the breeder so will have a long chat with her and trust her judgement, I know she will not allow any dog to go to a home that she does not feel is suitable.

reading this with great interest as we have a pup arriving on monday, mrs has had a bc before but I have zero doggy experience, is it easy to train one to run/ride with me? run xc loops of around an hour, mtb up to about 4hrs…. obviously won’t be expecting her to do these at 8 weeks 😉 mrs runs too so with kids walking her exercise shouldnt be a problem! oh and the family have one left if anyone in N Wales is after one!

teach them to heel properly when they are small and the riding/running bit is easy.

is it easy to train one to run/ride with me?

They practically come with that pre-installed; that and catching a frisbee, if mine is anything to go by.

No running before 18 mths though!

I started to compile a list of all the words my dog knows, got bored at about 100.

Amazing dogs, I love them.

They’re very sensitive – so no shouting. You’ll have to practice letting him know he’s done wrong without getting cross yourself. Very difficult. Firm but patient, consistent and fair.

It’s making me want that spare puppy. 😕

Nova scotia duck tolling retriever.

Quite interested in a Toller myself as it goes, bbq – any more info about your ‘ownership experience’?

Oops

Quite interested in a Toller myself as it goes, bbq – any more info about your ‘ownership experience’?

Without going into too many details dont want to hijack the thread. Ours is 8months old and he is a wee legend! No trouble at all. You wont regret a toller! They are hard to come by. We drove to Bristol to pick up Coby(we live in Aberdeen).

this is probably no help at all, but our family had one (Shandy, crap name but probably me or my brothers idea) when I was a kid. He was completely bonkers, always out the house chasing cars up the main road. Some irate driver would always bring him back. Loved him to bits though.

lovely dogs but I wouldn’t have one as a pet. If you do, go for a agility bred dog rather than one from working stock.
My lurcher has 1/8 border collie, 1/8 bearded, that’s enough brains for me. Don’t want a dog smarter than I am. The rest is greyhound and whippet so she’s bloody lazy!

As SprockeJockey said

Only possible downside is that they are very much pack animals and can be fiercely protective of family members (I read somwewhere that genetically Border Collies are closer to wild dogs than other breeds…not sure how true that was?) – our eldest would bare his teeth and raise his hackles at anyone he thought was likely to harm us (raised hands etc)

and Rockhopper70

for underwriting purposes showed that border collies were the “snappiest” breed, based on bite incidents per insured numbers

I’m not a dog owner, (usual stw caveat – sorry op!) but its these traits and stats that i’d be aware of. I’m probably biased as I attracted some bother from a pack of 5 and was finally bitten by one of them last year. They were clearly defending the owner/owner’s farm but I was stupid and stubborn enough to think I could get through seeing as there was a bridleway through there.

However, I’ve always likes the idea of a border collie – the fitness, intelligence, ride companion etc – but any traits that get in the way or can threaten or injure others would make me think twice. If all this can be trained out of them, then go ahead. But for me, despite their charm, this is one of the breeds i’m most wary of.

I have a 4 year old, the first year (had him from an ickle pup) was murder. barked me awake every morning at 5am and wanted to run daft all day long then would torture us at night.

Now he sleeps all day and wants to play with his toys at night.

What did calm him down was when we got him the snip. Not the snip, but the cone went on at night. We think he narked once and it acted like a megaphone and deafened him. He never barked me awake at 5 am again.

I’ve never known such an inteligent dog, he has the memory of an elephant. I never seemt to tire him out. Best thing i ever got was a tennis ball thrower, half an hour of that gives me a lot of peace, but he never knows when to stop.

I’m sure it’s the same with all dogs, but he really dotes on my wife and can tell if shes upset or ill. Very regularly curls up at her feet.

Sure he can be a royal pain in the backside, but I don’t regret a moment.

What everyone else says – exercise, mental stimulation, and can be quite nervous. Ours is 4, had her from being weeks old. Here’s a few photos.. We got a short-hair but she still moults like hell!!!

Frank

No idea on collies except when I was a kid my mates’ family had one – and you never turned you back on him…

But if you change your mind and fancy a lab or spaniel, try the Arthurshiels Rescue Centre just off the A68, after the Charlesfield junction. We got our Working Springer from there, and he’s a cracking dog.

We have a 7 year old he is daft but also love attention. Can be a bit of a knob, charging out the house or pulling the lead when he gets taken out at first and then he calms down and can go on forever. He is clumsy though, bowled me over on crutches last month.

The pup is very friendly and still trying to get him to do his business outside all the time but he is getting there. Can be a pest trying to steal food off the eldest. Both are great fun. But they both struggle with the current warm weather. Ace dogs, love um to bits, always happy to see us and very protective.