Advice on buying border collie please General Chat

A member of my family would like to buy a bcorder collie, he would like to show the dog as well as do agility and obedience. He is very active enjoying long walks and hill climbs so the dog would get lots of exercise, however he also has two young children aged 3 years and 1 year also owns 3 cats and an 8 year old springer spaniel bitch. Do you think this is the right time for him to buy a border collie, how can you tell if its a good dog to show (is it possible at 9 weeks old eg) what price is approximate for a bc. Advice needed please as family member although used to dogs has no idea what to look for in a bc just knows he has loved them since a young boy! thanks you in advance

There are lots of different lines, but if he wants to breed show then he will have to get a "breed" BC, There are lots of lines now that are MULTI talented, If he looks on some websites you will soon see which breeders do well in the show ring & promote the sports. If he tells the breeders he is interested in showing they should be able to pair him with a show potential puppy

Thank you, have been looking at sites for advice, can you tell me what are the main points to look for when buying a puppy or is it like most breeds very hard to tell until a few months old!!

IMO I would wait a couple of years. BC's are VERY high energy dogs that take a lot of time and commitment in the initial few years...so do young preschool children!!!!! I would wait until the children are in school myself, so there is nore time to devote just to the dog. Our BC was 3/4 by the time we had my son and we knew his energy requirements well by then so it worked. BC's can be VERY good around children, but they can also have a tendency to 'herd' them, which isn't good for the dog or the child.
It's great your relative wants to do lots with the dog, but this is a breed that will do hill walks on a daily basis, then 10 mins after you've collapsed, throw a ball in your lap. They don't stop. That, with 2 young children could be too much IMO. Better to wait a couple of years.

If they decide to go ahead,then they need to gather as much info as possible from breed societies, clubs etc and look around a few breeders. BC's are very much over bred from and are certainly massive victims of puppy farming. He needs to be careful and talk to as many people as he possibly can.

Sorry not to be more positive, it's just this breed can be very underestimated and I hear so often people saying 'we love going for long walks so it would be a good dog for us' this dog does love being out yes, but ALL the time!!!!!

Correct me here if am wrong but if he does buy a dog for showing from a breeder who is doing well in the ring with there own dogs then that breeder is going to make sure the pup been sold is right for showing as that dog will carry there affix and shows there breeding lines.Also for information try the Border Collie Club of Great Britain www.bordercollieclub.com they have links there for everything collie and about the breed as well, but as Ramble says with two young children i would wait a while. Also you must take in to account that the pup is CEA/PRA clear and TNS clear

i dont necessarily agree, having young children doesnt have to be a problem, if you get the right dog from the right breeder, and the children have been brought up correctly around children (hopefully will have been as have an adult dog), it can be a rewarding relationship for all!

I agree Kicks, my son has lived in a 3 dog household from the age of 3 and 4 at points...one of which was a BC BUT introducing a young BC is, IMO different, they are a high energy breed and to be perfectly honest incredibly hard work. I have most of the school day to devote to my dogs and I know I haven't got the time required to look after a BC properly so will not be getting another one for a long time(if ever). With 2 children under 4, I just think he would be as well to wait a while, that time could be used finding out all there is to know about the breed, getting in touch with the right people, going to shows etc....

Ive never found my collies,overly demanding on the exercise front, they tend to take as little or as much as i can give.
That said they do not have a routine,as i believe a routine can cause them to be pushy!!!!! So we get up at different times, go to bed at differet times, & they are walked & fed at different times, as a result they just Chill out until i decide to do something........then all hell breaks loose!!!!

mY BC was like that from the age of about 5. Before that he would walk most of the day....

To be perfectly honest I would advise him to wait until his youngest is at least at pre school/nursery school & preferably at school fulltime.

A BC puppy needs masses of socialisation & education, they are not just pretty faces(well the good ones aren't)It takes time & patience to channel them into what you wish them to do.

A good BC breeder will have all their breeding dogs hip & eye tested(also DNA's for CEA, CL & TNS), they do not breed from bitches/dogs under two. You can pick out show potential if you are experienced from a very early age. I have never breed a BC litter(yet more on another thread)but my beardies I chose at birth(before they had suckled) & the choices were confirmed by very experienced breeders/Beardie experts at 8 weeks & later by their results in the ring. My GSDs were chosen at exactly the same time.
You may or may not find a breeder who would entrust a show prospect to a novice, who has had no experience of BCs

similar to mishflynn neither of mine are demanding exercise wise, yes Bc's are smart but they are also good pets children or not, and i dont think people should rule them out for this family whilst not really knowing the circumstances - it would be for a responsible breeder to decide, many families i know with young children have collies be it their tenth or their first. all are well stimulated, happy and dare i say it winning dogs!

My advice comes from owning(or being owned by)Border Collies for over 36 years.

It's not the exercise but the socialization & stimulation that takes up the time

i agree that if the bc is from lines that are bred for agility or any sport then they will take up a lot of time. my bc puppy was form a non working um and dad they were both pets she ican get quie excitable but she is also very calm and very well behaved. im no expert but i would say that a bc not from sporting lines would be better roud kids. i could be wrong though i have only owned one for 10 weeks haha

True Kicks, BCs can be amazing pets, but puppies are hard work, BC puppies are no different (infact in some ways they are harder). Having a 1 year old and a 3 year old child is also incredibly hard and time consuming....
Ultimately yes, it is up to the family and the breeder, but the OP asked for opinions and I just gave mine. I didn't say never to get one, just to wait awhile...

Not all working bred BC's are work obsessed, but as your puppy gets older you will find that life is not a bed of roses if you don't put the work in

Nearly all obedience/agility/flyball etc dogs are pets & then working dogs They need mental stimulation as they grow up. There are some very laid back obedience dogs & lots of hyper pet bred ones.

If you are seeking a BC then you really need to do lots of research & meet lots of different BC's from difference bloodlines until you find the ones that suit your lifestyle.

I don't like hyper BC's but I do like them with the ability to do the job the breed was bred for 100's of years. That ability can be channelled into a thousand & one things. Without the working ability a BC isn't a BC

sorry jodee as i said my bc is only 10 wks old. im no expert i only know what i have researched on the net. she has her 2nd injection on thurs and i have alread got ther booked in to puppy obedience classes so i am weel aware of the work i put in i am also aware due to the amount of research that we did b4 getting a bc that if you do put in the work they are very rewarding dogs. i do think every dog is an individual though they have there own personaltiies. if a baby is born to two criminals doesnt necessarily mean it will be one as it is older if it is brought up correctley.

Not a very good analogy as children born into families(as in generations) of criminals often end up on the wrong side of the law or perversely the right side of the law(ie the police), but rarely in the middle

Border Collies have bred in traits that even after they have been messed around with by some breed people are still there. I was not talking about "personalities"but innate working ability that can be seen as early as 4-6 weeks. take that away & the dog loses it breed character.

i understand where you are coming from and you obv have far more expereience than a lot of people i do understand about the breeding traits and when we researched getting a bc we did read several times about the dogs herding kids and cats and cyclists.

surely if i get her in puppy classes and am willing to put the time into her surely this would subside?

im not having a go am generally interedted in your advice

Your puppies working instinct won't subside as such:smt001 but with the right imput socialisation and training you will be able to channel it into activities that you wish to .

I have to agree about waiting for now and using the time to go out and see some BC's in action weather that be at breed shows or agility etc.so they can see the type of dog they really like and then do the research on there breeding so that when they are eventually ready for a puppy they have an idea of where to go to and who to speak to.

I totally agree with this. It's a bit of a minefield out there looking for a quality puppy from an exceptional breeder when you are looking for a breed that is fairly rare...but when you are looking to get a breed like a BC, it's even more difficult as there are SO many breeders and SO many things to take into account. They are victims of their own success and popularity unfortunately and so it is vital to get out there, talk to people that know the breed well and do your research. I wouldn't like to be faced with doing that as it's a pretty phenomenal task!