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Should I get a Border Collie pup?


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I had two Border Collies about 25 years ago. They were amazing dogs, but they did require a lot of time but I never regretted owning them. After the 2nd one passed I decided to purchase an Australian Shepherd. She was a great dog also and was pretty mellow, but quite a bit more reserved around strangers. I had to put her down a couple weeks ago and now I'm trying to decide on what to get next between the two breeds. I work from home quite a bit as does my wife. We also have a 14 year old son and 3 cats and live on a 4 acre lot.

Border Collie
More snuggly than my Aussie
Better with strangers
Some have no off switch
My Borders never ran off, but I also never left them outside unsupervised.
 

Aussie
Less work day to day
Mine never bit anyone, but she did jump at a couple people in a somewhat aggressive manner when they went to pet her
LOVED going to doggie daycare a couple days a week
My Aussie was affectionate when I came home, but then she would not snuggle up afterwards.
Would chase deer constantly.

Has anybody had luck with finding a somewhat mellow Border Collie? Mine were actually pretty good, but I've read some are on 24/7. I'd do some Agility/flyball, but more as a hobby. I wonder if a Border Collie pup would drive the cats crazy.

Has anyone else here owned both breeds? Anyone here take their Border Collie to doggie daycare? 

Thanks

 

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My answer to your question ~ I've got my 4th border collie right now, got the first one in the mid 1990's. They've all had different personalities and levels of wanting affection/closeness.

The first one was very sweet, a bit shy, but warmed up quickly. She was the type of dog that people who really didn't like dogs liked.

The second one, well, we called her Squirrely Girly. Scary smart and very independent. She'd been treated very badly for a few years, so who can say how much of her personality was shaped by the bad years.

Third one was soooo outgoing, never met a human he didn't love. And looooved our cats. He had some trouble with dogs he didn't know, but with people he was a total love bug.

Current bc is almost a one person dog. He's taken to my roommate very nicely, but roommate took time from the beginning to play with him and pay attention to him. This dog is a bit more stand-offish with people he doesn't know, but once he knows you he's fine. AND, he looooooves puppies and small dogs. I have to drag him away. This dog has also snapped at a couple folks who moved towards him too quickly.

None of my dogs have been allowed to roam freely. All my dogs have gone to daycare and been boarded. They each behaved well, interacting with the other dogs according to their nature. The second dog, oddly enough, took a shine to males and ONLY males at boarding/day care.

Your best bet as far as getting a personality that suits you is a good rescue. 

Good luck!

Ruth & Gibbs

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All border collies are different, just like all aussies are different. Some are mellow, some are not. Some want to run around all day, others have a brilliant off switch. 

If you find a breeder, ask them about your pup's parents. If the parents were hyper and had no off switch, the puppy will probably be like that too. If the parents were mellow, so will the pup. And of course you can also look at rescues.

43 minutes ago, maxtosh said:

I wonder if a Border Collie pup would drive the cats crazy. 

I have a 12 week old BC puppy and a cat, and they're fine together. They do usually avoid each other, but yesterday I caught them curled up together on the bed. My cat is allowed in all parts of the house, but the puppy is not, so the cat always has somewhere to go if he has enough of her. I never really introduced them myself, I just let the cat come and approach her on his own once he felt ready. It took about a week for him to actually come face to face with her though. 

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I've owned both breeds, and the breed differences in disposition are insignificant compared to the personality differences between individual dogs regardless of breed.  If I were you, I would contact legitimate rescue groups and breeders for both breeds, and describe the personality you are looking for.  If you are worried about getting a hyper dog, ask for a lazy one.  There are puppies of both breeds from working parents that just don't inherit the drive necessary for high level stock work or dog sports.  These can be perfect companion dogs!

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Every one is different, each has his or her own personality. I don't think there's any way to say that Aussies are more or less XYZ than border collies, or the other way around. I have had a number of border collies come through my home as a foster home and I have seen the gamut of personalities. As for off switch - that is a training matter. I have known a number of aussies although have never had one, and have seen a very wide range of personalities in that breed as well.

Get your new dog from a rescue and you will have the best chance of getting the personality you seek, of either breed. An adult dog is already showing his or her personality right away and the person who has had the dog as a foster will be able to tell you all about the dog. 

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On 10/21/2019 at 12:20 PM, D'Elle said:

Every one is different, each has his or her own personality. I don't think there's any way to say that Aussies are more or less XYZ than border collies, or the other way around. I have had a number of border collies come through my home as a foster home and I have seen the gamut of personalities. As for off switch - that is a training matter. I have known a number of aussies although have never had one, and have seen a very wide range of personalities in that breed as well.

Get your new dog from a rescue and you will have the best chance of getting the personality you seek, of either breed. An adult dog is already showing his or her personality right away and the person who has had the dog as a foster will be able to tell you all about the dog. 

Getting a dog from a rescue is the safest bet by far. You never know exactly what you get with a puppy. As a rule, Aussies tend to be barkier than border collies, but I have a BC guy who makes you wonder about that rule. After a procession of BC fosters, I can vouch for the fact that every one has his or her personality. Aussies are fun and I have had good experience with them, but they simply don't have the enormous personalities of a BC. Someof them are "too much dog" for some people, I admit, but if you are experienced with BCs, then all I can say is contact your nearest BC rescue.

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