Border Collie vs Australian Shepard

[KeenKitty]

We recently lost our beautiful BC, Chloe, who we miss very much. Our home is now dog-less for the first time in a very long time!

 

We are planning to get another puppy (or maybe two:) and would like some more info and advice. We've read and heard a lot of different info and opinions on BCs and Aussies (sometime conflicting).

 

Please offer any advice you may have on the pros & cons and/or the differences between the breeds. We'd love to have the opinions of Aussie & BC owners before we make our final decision on picking a pup.

 

Quick background on us-

We are a young married couple with no children -yet (maybe in another year or so)

We have two very sweet kitties who actually get along with dogs! They've even played together!

We have our suburban home in SC with a 1/2 acre fenced yard.

We are willing and able to train and exercise our dog(s) but have yet to figure out any "work" for them to do. Our dearly departed Chloe thought it was her "job" to fetch tennis balls We also go to the lake (DH parents home) every couple of weeks and it's great for pups to swim & chase tennis balls

 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[HoosierMike]

You will get many more knowledgable answers from the

vast number of more experienced people here regarding

BC vs. Aussie, but the one thing I can definately answer

to your questions is "one puppy at a time is plenty!!!"

[BustopherJones]

You might this recent string of interest: Australian Shepherd vs. Border Collie My vet has an Aussie; according to the vet, her dog (and I am not alleging that her dog is representative of all Aussies) is as intense and hyperactive as a BC, but not nearly as intelligent. (Not surprising; in a ranking of dog intelligence, BC's are #1, while Australian Shepherds are #42.)

 

As for me, Annie is my first BC, and Missy was a BC mix (otherwise know as a Borderline Collie); now I can't imagine ever owning another breed...

[MicheleS.]

I have a 7 year old female aussie and a 17 month old male BC. I can only offer my personal experience with the dogs that currently own me. My aussie is not as intense in anything she does as my border collie. I'm not sure if it's just the dog that she is or it's a male/female thing...? She is certainly willing, ready and up for any kind of adventure and is very biddable. She has a very nice off switch although she was a handful when she was younger but directing her energy helped. She is an agility dog and also competes and achieved advanced obedience titles easily. She is definitely my partner and constant companion. Right now, I do believe that she is smarter than my BC in a very intuitive sort of way. Could that be a male/female thing...? Not sure. Although I knew she had something special from a very young age.

My BC... hmmm.... love him to pieces and wouldn't trade him for anything, although he did come with major sensitivity and shyness issues. I was bad and didn't do my homework and he came from a less than reputable "breeder". He's only 17 months old, he's my first BC and definitely very different from any dog I've owned. (I've also owned german shepherds.) He certainly is intelligent, picks up everything I teach him very quickly but doesn't seem to have the intuitiveness that my aussie has. I guess meaning we're not partners.... yet...? He does love interacting with me and is very willing to learn. He's very athletic, very playful but very intense in his play. I enjoy taking him to agility and competition obedience class and we're also doing a little bit of herding. He seems extremely immature, for his age but like I said, this is the first BC I've owned so I'm not sure if this is normal or a product of where he came from, or again, a male/female thing? He's a very funny dog, he makes me laugh throughout the day, just by the way he carries himself or even enters a room or the way he tilts his head. Even though he isn't what I would call *the perfect* BC, he has made me fall in love with the breed and I would for sure love to have BC in my life.

 

Oh, and my BC is very lovable and cuddly and my aussie likes to be near me but not cuddly like my BC.

 

I would also definitely have another aussie in my life and I would definitely own another female. I haven't seen too many male aussies that I would like to live with. Most males that I've seen and known personally seem very hyper and many I've known have dog to dog aggression issues. Just my personal observations although I have seen nice males but few and far between.

 

You are very smart to do your homework on the different breeds before choosing. Do you homework on where they come from too! I also 2nd what someone else wrote here, "one puppy at a time is plenty!!"

I'm sure you'll get valuable input from others here. Good Luck and so sorry for the loss of your BC.

Michele &

Gypsy (aussie) &

Chase (BC)

[theshine]

I have an aussie and a border collie and they are very similar. I have no idea how much of their differences are breed related or individual, but my aussie is every bit as smart and actually more energetic than my bc...she's downright hyper at times The main difference is that my bc is more serious. It's hard to explain, but everything is work to my bc, even when I haven't given him a job, while it's all fun and games for my aussie. My aussie is ball obsessed and my bc is "whatever you want me to do" obsessed. They're both shelter dogs and I don't know anything about their breeding, but they both have nice temperaments, like other dogs and kids, good off switches...my aussie is a little guardier (if that's a word) with strangers.

[BCjetta]

I have a BC and my DH has an aussie. I've noticed my BC is way more focused and intense on things (ie when she's fetching she runs full speed to get it and skidds along the ground when she dives on it because she's giving it her all). The aussie runs to get the ball but he'd rather come halfway back and then eat the ball. The BC wants anything she does to be interacting with me - she won't play on her own. I am the most important thing to her. She's a lot calmer in the house and around new things than the aussie is. She's got some nervous issues with men and kids, and isn't great with other dogs at times. The aussie absolutely loves people but is protective/posessive of DH. He doesn't listen as well as the BC and is a lot more hyper and anxious in general. As for learning, for some things the BC is quicker, other things he will catch onto faster.

I prefer BC's from what I've seen. To me aussies seem less focused in general and a bit more goofy (or maybe its just a male/female difference). Like theshine said, my BC is a lot more serious/wanting to work for me and the aussie is more goofy and all about play.

[Pam Wolf]

I have had BC's for 30 years, but have been keeping 2 Aussies this past year for a friend who is deployed. I think they have calmed down here. Teh BC's taught them to stop the body slamming and soem of their rough play, but their barking is still going on. They are definitely more barky and compared to my BC's more 'needy' in the attention department.

 

I think that either breed could be desirable, but check out the breeders and check out SEVERAL of each. hang around their dogs. Go to a trial with each

breed if possible-their working styles won't matter if a pet, but you should see many examples of each. You will find AS owners prefer that breed and BC owners prefer their breed. You will need to choose which you prefer.

 

I will agree with the idea that only 1 pup at a time. It is VERY difficult to raise multiples at the same time. But whichever breed you choose, seek out a good breeder-even ask references and if possible, check out those dogs/owners. And do the dog a favor, go to a GOOD puppy class and follow up with trainin. Doesn't have to be for competition, but give the dog's mind a workout.

[Ooky]

So sorry to hear about your BC who passed on but glad you are looking forward now to new family members. Welcome!

 

I third or fourth the advice about only doing one puppy (especially a high energy breed like BCs or ASs). I just raised a BC puppy and while it is very rewarding he needs a lot of attention, exercise, structured activity, and training all delivered one-on-one.

 

Several of my coworkers recently got AS puppies. It does seem that they are less intense and barkier, but other than that I don't know! Both types of puppies are criminally cute.

 

My main advice, though, whichever breed you get, is to watch closely for any puppy "herding" behaviors towards your two cats, and be sure not to tolerate any scenario where the puppy seems to be controlling the movements of or chasing your cats. It is good your cats like dogs but your main concern will be raising the pup to respect the cats, even if for whatever reason he/she grows up to not really like them. My young guy is great around cats now, and is great friends with our cat Benway, but he probably would not have been if I'd let him continue herding our other kitty back when it was cute and he was the same size as them. It didn't seem like a big deal then, but setting the ground rules young that the cats are not to be harassed goes a long way later, and is much easier than fixing similar tendencies in an adolescent pup who could be very dangerous to the kitties. If you are diligent, you should end up with a cat-friendly, and most importantly, cat-safe BC (or AS)!

[Pam Wolf]

Additionally, check into health problems. I know cancer is a major problemin AS. One of the 2 I have had both mother and brother die at about 6-7 years from different forms of cancer.

[hsnrs]

Sorry to hear of the loss of your beloved pet. We have Aussies and they are very intense but with a off switch too. Good luck in your search.

[SoloRiver]

To me Aussies seem more guardy and much less focused. That said, they are generally the same type of dog and for pet purposes I am guessing they are somewhat interchangeable, although the guardiness might be a drawback.

[TrishD]

I agree that for pet purposes they are pretty much interchangeable. I've had three Aussies and one BC. ALL of them have been intelligent, biddable, and affectionate, but each dog had his/her own quirks and charms that make it virtually impossible to recommend one breed over the other.

[Aussiedawgs]

I have 4 Aussies and two BC mixes so...I can't really comment on BC's except in halves and in some BC foster dogs I've had. But I will say - based on what I've seen, Aussies tend to be more "guardie" - they were bred to be ranch guards as well as stock dogs and they retain that - as a result, I think they need more conscientious socialization. I also think they tend to be more one-person/one-family dogs then BC's. I've found my aussies to have "off switches" but when they are on, they are on pogo sticks! When my Cowboy is excited, it is boing boing boing in place...pretty high sometimes. Aussies also seem to have more of a tendancy to really rough house - shoulder and hip slams...using you as a backboard. Both are great breeds but it is so important to research the breeders.

[TrishD]

I would definitely agree that my Aussies have been more "guardy". They've definitely been the first to bark at strangers and Sonic went berserk when the mailman came onto the porch. However, I never saw the rough housing that others have mentioned. Hinckley and Sonic (the first two Aussies), though, were kind of like two only dogs in the same household. They never played together and after their initial tussles over who was alpha, they didn't really interact. Tessie (the Aussie I have now) spends all her time herding Cobi (the BC) and other dogs at the beach and has little interest in any sort of rough house play. Chances are, though, my Aussies have been the exception, not the rule.

[MicheleS.]

I'll add that I do think my aussie is a bit guardy and typically the first one to bark. She too is a body-slammer with the other dogs (which I do not let happen). But if she gets the opportunity, she'll try.

 

Miche

Gyp & Chase

[BustopherJones]

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Here's a message from Chloe, not about what kind of dog to get, but rather where to get one...

 

Sorrow fills a barren space;

you close your eyes and see my face

and think of times I made you laugh,

the love we shared, the bond we had,

the special way I needed you -

the friendship shared by just we two.

 

The day's too quiet, the world seems older,

the wind blows now a little colder.

You gaze into the empty air

and look for me, but I'm not there -

I'm in heaven and I watch you,

and I see the world around you too.

 

I see little souls wearing fur,

souls who bark and souls who purr,

born unwanted and unloved -

I see all this and more above -

I watch them suffer, I see them cry,

I see them lost, I watch them die.

I see unwanted thousands born -

and when they die, nobody mourns.

 

These little souls wearing fur

(some who bark and some who purr)

are castaways who - unlike me -

will never know love or security.

A few short months they starve and roam,

or caged in shelters - nobody takes home.

They're special too (furballs of pleasure),

filled with love, and each one a treasure.

 

My pain and suffering came to an end,

so don't cry for me, my person, my friend.

But think of the living - those souls with fur

(some who bark and some who purr) -

And though our bond can't be broken apart,

make room for another in your home and your heart.

 

~ Caro Schubert-James

[Aussiedawgs]

I'll add that I do think my aussie is a bit guardy and typically the first one to bark. She too is a body-slammer with the other dogs (which I do not let happen). But if she gets the opportunity, she'll try.

 

Miche

Gyp & Chase

 

That body slamming is very much how my aussies play with each other - in fact I've seen them run up, flip around and give a hip slam to the other dog. I usually have to watch them very carefully playing with non-aussies because sometimes the style of play is misunderstood and it's easy to get out of control.