junebugs

Hello. I am considering getting a puppy from On the Lamb which is a working farm in CA run by Robin Elliott. I am not interested in herding personally but rather sport (casual agility) and hiking focused, but want to get a pup from working parents. I was wondering if anyone could share experiences and whether they consider this farm to reputable. They seem great, they health test, know their dogs well, etc. Feel free to PM if you prefer. Thanks.

I live in the SF Bay Area, and I'm not looking to get my Border Collie for a couple more years (I'm a college student!) but I really want to start making contacts and forming a network. Partially to hear about upcoming litters, but also just because I want to invest in a BC network. I'd love recommendations of any herding classes or instructors in the bay area, or any breeders, trials I should attend, or honestly, anyone I should talk to. The breeder I love only breeds every 5 years or so and her next litter is looking like late 2018, and that is likely too soon for me, so I'm just trying to make contacts for pups and in general, talk to people, and expand my BC knowledge!

Thank you so much everyone for the advice. I think you're right and I should wait, although it's not what I want to hear. I don't want to regret taking advantage of the travel and job opportunities now. I'll revaluate in a year or two.

Hello! I'm a third year at a university in the SF Bay Area and really want to get a Border Collie. I'm experienced with working dogs - I competed and titled my family dog, an Aussie mix, in high school in agility and trained 8 GSDs and Malinois in schutzhund. I've fostered for my local BC rescue and GSD rescue.

I live in an apartment with roommates who like dogs but aren't super knowledgable about them. They just adopted a 1 year old BC - looks purebred to me but is very quiet luckily. She is still a BC though and they were completely unprepared for her - she is a car chaser, reactive on leash, and has separation anxiety. I worked through these issues with her and she's now a great little frisbee dog, but after I move out and stop running and hiking with her and training with her I'm not sure what will happen.

Training my roommates dog has convinced me that having a BC in college would a great thing for my mental health and happiness. I keep telling myself I should wait to get a BC until a few years after college when things are more stable, but it just feels like that's just postponing my own happiness. I miss dog sports, and I'm really interested in Search and Rescue, although the time commitment is pretty extreme. I've talked to 2 different people about pups - one is Cheryl Williams who I know is spoken of highly here - and the decision is really mine at this point. The thing is, I'm considering moving to London or NYC for a year after I graduate. I would absolutely bring the dog and still do the same sports and training etc, but I don't have a lot of experience with having a BC in an urban environment.

I would love any advice on having a working BC in college and/or having one in a big city.

I live in a very urban neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY called Gowanus. I live in an apartment that allows dogs and have been wanting one for some time. I owned a rescued BC for several years before she passed away, and she was my adventure and cuddle buddy and running partner. Ness would not have thrived in NYC - she didn't like being touched very much and startled easily by strange sounds. I loved teaching her tons of tricks, and we did agility as well as dabbled in herding. (I dabbled, she was very serious about it)

I'm a distance runner and love urban hiking. I have enough time for a dog now and can afford to do agility here. I've considered getting a dog that is more traditionally adapted to an urban environment but I hate small dogs and you can't trust a Greyhound off leash.

Would it be cruel to keep a BC in NYC? If not, is it better to get an adult (hard to do, most rescues like Glen Highland will not place in the city) or a pup that can get used to the sounds and bustle?