BC as Service Dog?

[carolync]

I couldn't agree more on looking for an adult dog. I have a 16 month old that was originally adopted out at 5 months to be a therapy dog. Her personality and temperament seemed perfect for it at the time. She was returned 2 months later a completely different dog, she's highly reactive to sound, movement and fearful of people. I've had her since she was around 7 months old and she's a work in progress, I'll be lucky if I can ever walk her down a busy street or in any sort of crowd.

 

Don't hesitate looking into rescues. The BC rescue I volunteer with currently has a lovely BC/lab mix. Contact a local one and let them know what you are looking for.

 

Good luck in your search.

 

If you do decide on a bc, your best bet would be an adult dog, between 1 and 2 yo, so you could assess temperament and ability to do needed tasks. I personally prefer to get a pup and train it from scratch, but I don't have very specific requirements that have to be met.

[Root Beer]

A rescue Border Collie/Lab mix could be just the thing!!

 

I ran a Border Collie/Lab mix in Agility and we had a blast!! She was agile, trainable, and had all the energy we needed for the sport, but she was a dream when it was down time. Great temperament, perfect with people, and she was strong as an ox.

 

Something to consider.

[Gloria Atwater]

A rescue Border Collie/Lab mix could be just the thing!!

 

I ran a Border Collie/Lab mix in Agility and we had a blast!! She was agile, trainable, and had all the energy we needed for the sport, but she was a dream when it was down time. Great temperament, perfect with people, and she was strong as an ox.

 

Something to consider.

 

 

I've met a couple rescue BC/lab crosses and they are awesome! A friend of mine has one and she is an utter jewel. She has the border collie smarts, coloring and semi-fluffy coat and the lab's sense of play and goofiness. Nothing phases that dog and she's incredibly smart.

 

But in any case, I'd second or third the idea of an adult (1 year or better) rescue. That way you'd get a far more solid feel for the personality and temperament. There's really no way to tell if a border collie, regardless of how it's bred, may grow up to decide it's scared of weird stuff like ceiling fans or the sounds made by florescent lights. It would be heartbreaking to raise a pup only to find that it lacks the temperament to be a service dog.

 

~ Gloria

[diane allen]

I don't have a lot more to add here - no experience with service dogs.

But I think you should find someone who has a REAL service dog (not one of the new "fake" ones...sorry, but it's true) AND does agility. There is some overlap is skills needed - but it seem to be (again, disclaimer, no expert here) that there is enough difference that it might be tough to find a dog to do both, even reasonably well. I could be wrong (not the first time!).

 

Also, I would recommend the rescue route - older, even a mix, might be just what you're looking for!

 

Best of luck, and keep us posted!

diane

[Pam Wolf]

I placed a dog with Freedom Service dogs in CO many years back. she ended up being their demo dog. The owner's husband was a paraplegic and Toddy (the dog) helped him in all things. I am not sure if she pulled the chair, but I think a BC of decent size could pull a chair. However noise sensitivity can be a big problem with the breed. You might do OK with a pup, but check out the lines for noise sensitivity before purchasing. And go with a working dog. For all intents and purposes the show dogs they call Border Collies are not the 'real thing'. There are many well bred working dogs out there that could serve quite nicely as a service dog. The hyper activity of the dog is frequently a result of owners hyping the dog up. Yes working dogs have drive, but doing service work is WORK and a properly bred working dog can do just fine

[kingfisher7151]

I'm late to the party, but I'll still chime in.

 

I fully agree with all that had been said. I have some experience with chaotic city life with a fairly bombproof BC. I've been a music major for the last 4 years, and my dog has spent more hours in the practice room than most freshmen. I'm a flutist, and he is more than comfortable with upper register playing, sectionals, brass instruments, the theater shop kids and all the sound they and their machinery create, and pretty much everything else that comes with that life. I go between my school life in the city and my family life in the country. I was very proactive in acclimating him to the sounds of the city, and he handles it beautifully. He is the most unflappable BC I've ever met.

 

And yet, I still think you'd be fighting an uphill battle with a BC. If you have a strong enough reason to want one, then I don't think its at all unreasonable to have a service dog as well. In fact, I saw a BC service dog with a handler in a wheelchair in the airport a few months back. But there's a reason the retrievers are most common. They just suit the style of work much more consistently.

 

My BC is very confident and would probably be considered hard compared to most BC's. And yet, he still hit the floor the second I had to yell at my mother's terrier today. And as he's getting older, he's becoming more aware of things that never affected him before. He flew in my lap the other day at the first big clap of thunder (while I'm on the toilet, of course...). He very suddenly became terrified of some of the flooring in the music building after having been in the building daily for 8 months. It took me weeks to find out that he suddenly developed an aversion to the elevator (something he experienced regularly) and he was convinced that the tile flooring on the upper two floors would suddenly start moving. BC's are just meant to be reactive, and that can mean that they suddenly start to offer weird behaviors to things they've seen a million times before. I think 'inconsistent' is a fair word when describing BC's. It's not a bad thing for most people. But for somone needing such a specific temperament for a very important task, I think it's a decent risk.

 

I think you'd be able to find what you desire in many breeds, and some will require less guess work. I've seen lots of goldens, flat coated retrievers, GSD's, and even some Belgian breeds that excel in sports as well as service dog work.

[painted_ponies]

How about a border collie/LGD (livestock guardian dog) cross? I have two, one of whom goes to work with me every day. All the smarts of a BC but about half the reactivity. Mine are crossed with Great Pyrenees and weigh about 70 lbs, although I think the bitch will mature to slightly larger. Well able to pull your wheelchair, I would think.

 

This is a cross that winds up in rescue fairly often. I think of them as sheep farm love children. If I were looking for one, I'd keep an eye on both the LGD and the BC rescue websites. I've seen BC/LGDs on both.

 

They make a really cute cross - sort of a giant fluffy BC. I'd post pics if I could figure out how to do it. Used to, I just copied and pasted a photobucket link. Now it's telling me I'm not allowed to use that extension on this board.

[chene]

He flew in my lap the other day at the first big clap of thunder (while I'm on the toilet, of course...).

 

I'm dying.

[Pam Wolf]

not all BC's are highly reactive. Do your homework and you can find a very nice rescue or pup. But take the time to search and don't be impressed with glossy web sites. After all the web pages are advertising and that means the people want to sell you a dog and more often than not don't care if it is the 'right' dog in spite of what they say in their ads.

 

You can find working bred dogs with a sound mind , sound body and low reactivity if you search. Take your time because this dog will be with you 24/7. And if you get a puppy remember the early experiences will make or break the dog as a service dog. Learn as much as you can about the parents, grandparents etc. Temperament will be extremely important. Proper rearing and socialization can overcome some things, but not all.

[GentleLake]

if you get a puppy remember the early experiences will make or break the dog as a service dog. Learn as much as you can about the parents, grandparents etc. Temperament will be extremely important. Proper rearing and socialization can overcome some things, but not all.

 

This is, of course, why people are recommending looking for a year or 2 old rescue, no matter what breed or mix Chaiale chooses.

 

Even when bred and carefully raised specifically for service work, a very high percentage of dogs fail during the training stage.

 

To my mind, it makes a lot more sense to stack the deck with a young adult who's been screened for the right temperament. It's still no guarantee, but it would be an advantage.

[Ttiffany20191]

My border collie is a service dog. I too live in an apartment. She is very sensitive to notice, etc but I think it is a matter of finding the right match vs ruling all border collies out. I don't know what I did before I got my girl. I'd just emphasize finding the right match no matter the breed but I'm living proof it can work! I wish you all the best!

[Ttiffany20191]

*noise