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It actually wouldn't have to do real pulling for more than a few seconds, and not on its own; I have a power-assist motor on my chair for that kind of work. I do need help to get over thresholds in doorways, though, and that's the use-case for the pulling. In motion where I'm actually deriving propulsion from a dog, it's counterbalance, which is generally not detrimental to the dog and can be performed by a dog half the size of a small BC. Yes. Actually half. That is worth considering, I hadn't read a lot of that from BC owners yet. What is that like compared to a terrier, say?

Okay, lots of things to address! First off, to Liz: I live in Los Angeles. Though I understand that AKC-related things are frowned upon by the ABCA and this board, I'm planning to go because I want to meet as many different Border Collies as I can to see if we click as well as I think we will, and there are not as many opportunities for me to meet a large number of working-bred dogs. If you have suggestions on that front, I'm happy to hear them! As for washout, it would depend in large part on the dog's age and our fit. This is a discussion I intend to have with the breeder, who would be taking the dog back if I rehome it, as most breeders do. If the dog and I fit well together socially, my lifestyle is reasonable for a pet BC, if not ideal; I'm relying on the mental stimulation of service training and work to satisfy the BC, and if I got a service Retriever, say, I've heard that their goofy sociability isn't the best match with the BC's refined social sensibilities. Gonetotervs: My tasks are pretty run-of-the-mill for wheelchair users. I would be looking for a dog that would pick up dropped objects, retrieve items like a bottle of water from the refrigerator, open doors/cabinets/drawers, do context-dependent medication reminding (in other words, a retrieve triggered by sitting down at the dinner table). Some light pulling work when I get shoulder or wrist problems, but mostly I can maneuver my chair independently. I have a degenerative disease, so I will continue to train tasks as my needs multiply, but nothing like the kind of heavy bracing work a larger dog might be asked to do. I'm not seriously concerned by a BC's ability to accomplish any of those tasks, which is why I put temperament/ability to accompany at the forefront of my concerns with the breed. I'm also very aware that I don't need a BC in order to do agility, and that labs and goldens can be very successful in all sorts of sports. Very likely I will have to get a Retriever of some kind, just for the bombproof temperament issue. At this point, I'm in the research stage of exploring breed options, and I wanted to come here to make sure that I got a realistic idea of the BC, rather than the "YOU NEED TO DO HOURS OF MINDLESS EXERCISE WITH THEM AND THEY'RE SUPER HYPER ALL THE TIME" that general dog forums associate with the BC.

I am a wheelchair-user looking to owner-train a service dog, and I am seriously considering a Border Collie. I am aware that Retrievers are a more common breed for this work, but I know part of the reason they’re common because they are successful at transferring bond from the service dog trainer to the client, which makes them more suitable as program dogs, while BCs and other breeds can be more traumatized by the program approach. However I know a few programs that have produced successful collie teams. I’m also interested in the BC because I also very much want to start competing in agility, and the BC seems like the best dog to do BOTH service work and agility competition. I fell in love with the sport while training my mom’s dogs, and I want a dog that’s as into it as I am and has the focus and determination to take the sport as far as we can go in the NADAC Physically Disabled division. Lifestyle: I live in a small apartment in a big city with no other animals. I may one day have kids, but not for five years or so. I work in an office full-time, but as a service dog, my BC will be expected to come with me; once it’s passed its CGC, it will not spend a lot of time alone. Outside of work, I love, love, love training dogs, playing fetch or frisbee, and running agility courses. On the weekends, I would be interested in handcycling with my dog or experimenting with wheelchair-joring. I find the sensitivity of the Border Collie appealing as a working companion: as someone with training in orchestral conducting as well as ASL, I like to communicate using subtle hand gesture and would enjoy the silent interplay of directing a dog from hand movement alone. As a training style, a soft dog like a BC suits me well. I project laid-back authority comfortably, but really getting in your face with a hard dog is not my style. My mom’s Border Terrier is pretty biddable (or as biddable as terriers get), and that works well for me. An even more biddable breed would suit me even better. My concerns are: 1. Will the motion- and sound-sensitive tendencies of the Border Collie interfere with service work? I play wheelchair rugby, which makes a lot of banging noises, for instance. I’m also an opera singer, so the dog needs to tolerate or enjoy musical sounds. For the most part, I live a pretty quiet life of office, outdoors, and home, but once or twice a week there will be substantial noise, and I don’t want to unduly stress my dog. 2. Can I reasonably expect to develop a truly next-level “bombproof” temperament from a BC, such that it would be capable of handling difficult public access situations? I accept that there’s a risk that any dog might just wash out of service work or become reactive for any number of reasons, but I don’t want to be inconsiderate to a dog that just isn’t cut out for this kind of work. 3. I read that Border Collies can become one-handler focused to a fault. To me, this could be a great virtue in a service dog (versus Retrievers that get distracted by other dogs/people because they’re so sociable), or it could end up becoming a problem. Do you guys think that a Border Collie would flourish in such an environment? 4. What’s the best way to find a breeder of the appropriate kind of dog? I’m going to be visiting my regional BC special to meet more BCs and get a better feel for their personalities, but I don’t know what to look for in a working line or how to find the right working line breeder. Or even if working lines are appropriate for this work! Apart from BCs bred for agility or flyball (almost certainly too hyper for public access), is there anything I should particularly avoid when searching for breeders?