Border collie experts/enthusiasts please

BBP

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I am still doing my research on a dog to join my family and am looking into both sides, a puppy or a rescued older dog. After a lot of thought my partner and I have decided that we really would like a collie (plenty more research and planning to do before we decide for sure). I may have a lot of questions to post on the board in the near future!

Firstly though, I have found a place not a million miles away from me who are advertising BC puppies, I was quite interested to go and look but but now have concerns that I have misunderstood their set up and whether they are actually linked to puppy farming (I have not enquired yet). I wondered if someone in the know about collies would mind me messaging them the name and could give me their opinion? Or alternatively if anyone has any recommendations of breeders?

Many thanks
 

Clodagh

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Although I cannot help with breeders, if you go for a pup there is a world of difference between the show and the working borders. You may have known that.
If you go for an adult a reputable rescue should be able to find you one with the energy levels suitable for your lifestyle.
There are loads of young BCs rehomed as people underestimate them.
 

RubysGold

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I currently have 8 border collies, have had 11 before. They are a super breed to own as long as you do your homework ��
There are a lot of young collies in rescue, often under a year so you could get a young rescue.
The working collies and the pedigree showing type collies are like two entirely different breeds. Though that's true of many breeds. I personally prefer the working type. I can't help in terms of names of breeders but I hope you find yourself a lovely dog ��
 

tda

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I'm not so much an enthusiast, but I took on my mum's elderly border collie when she had to go into a home
. Fly is now 14 years old, the brain is still willing and active but she suffers for it afterwards.
Very very clever dog, and they definitely need something to do. My mum taught her to fetch a ball as a pup, that has been the dogs reason for living ever since �� since she came to live with us we had to stop the ball fetching as her legs aren't up to it

We have terrier, but would have another collie
 

BBP

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Thanks very much all. The puppies I have been interested in are kept in a house and socialised with people daily, the owner has 3 collies of her own and 2 of a relatives. They can be seen with their mother who they have said is very placid and laid back for a collie. (I had a collie as I was growing up and she was from a bitch who had been badly abused and was very nervous, this temperament and distrust definitely seemed to have rubbed off on my dog even as a tiny puppy, she was a fantastic dog but quite a reactive type of collie. she was another obsessive ball and frisbee chaser and could hypnotise anyone into throwing one within seconds, without them even realising they were doing it!). They are not registered with ISDS or KC (I don't know how important that is). The breeder has said i could come to visit weekly until they are old enough to be rehomed so it sounded reasonably ok to me. But then i saw some others advertised by a different person but on the same places facebook page that made it sound like they source their puppies from welsh farms, rather than bred on site, which confused me and made me a little concerned. But otherwise they sound like nice family types who have had a good start in life.

Does it matter if a puppy is not registered?
 

Moobli

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My husband is a hill shepherd and currently has 11 working border collies. I am happy to have a wee look over the advert for the litter if you want to send it to me?

With collies much depends on why you want a collie and what you will do with it. There are working, sport, show and pet lines. There are breeders that do all the health tests and farmers that do none, and everything in between. Some breed for work only, some for colour, size or speed (agility/flyball type homes).

If you haven't yet seen it, have a look at this excellent article written about collies, their temperament and what to expect.
https://www.agilitynet.co.uk/training/bordercollie_suekitchen_leewindeatt.html

As well as some excellent breed rescues up and down the country, there are also usually plenty of collies in all breed rescue centres (especially those in more rural areas) and there is also a FB page dedicated to finding homes for working bred collies that show no interest in sheep. I saw an ad for a collie bitch just yesterday, and she sounds a steal for someone ...

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10160241686840268&id=697700267
 

Moobli

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The fact the puppies are not registered is not necessarily a bad thing, but does mean it is unlikely either parent will have had any health tests (eye testing is compulsory for registration with the ISDS). Does the breeder know the lines either parent is from?

What does the breeder do with her collies? Are they worked on livestock? Take part in agility/flyball/obedience? etc etc
 

JFTDWS

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I'd be concerned about health testing mostly if they aren't registered. I went to great lengths to source my collies from a good breeder - one who takes great care in her matches and has an interest in genetics. My current one is bred from agility lines and is the soppiest lump of a collie ever. He's an excellent dog though, and a delight to have around. Previous one had more working lines on one side and was much more active and bonkers (but still a wonderful pet).
 

BBP

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Oops...the below was meant to be a PM so I have removed the link o had put in it! Not good at forums on my phone!

Hello, thanks very much for your replies. As far as I can tell the breeder has them as fun pet dogs doing agility at home rather than doing competitive agility. I haven’t asked about the parents lines and her knowledge of them or health testing, I will ask on Saturday. Would not doing health tests be a reason not to buy from her? I guess it’s a bit of a lottery if the parents lines are not known. The puppies are not advertised yet as only 4 weeks old and she said she tends to wait to advertise them, but I saw their pictures on a Facebook page linked to this Place and it’s the wording on this ad that makes me question if it was a puppy farming type enterprise they were linked to. It’s such a big decision, I don’t want to support a breeder who is in it for the cash rather than love of the breed.

I have seen another ad too which is tempting. It says both parents can be seen, one reg KC and ISDS and one unreg but both health tested and they seem particular about homes which I like. But as direct from working lines I’m not sure if I could fully keep up with them! I worry a collie will be too much, but I do like walking, running, lots of time up with the horses and my partner is very active too and keen on the obedience learning side so I think we are probably as active a pet Home as any so may be worrying too much. I just see how many are up for new homes and wonder if their owners are like me and thought they could cope. The agility net article described my old dog to a T.

I’m still looking at rescues too as I certainly don’t have a rose tinted view of puppies, I remember how much hard work my last collie was as a puppy!. My main hesitation is how safe an adult dog would be with the cats. I now they say they often ‘cat test’ them but it still feels like a big risk if the dog is unsettled when it arrived. A puppy can do them a lot less damage than a grown dog if it snaps. That’s my hesitation really as my cats are really important to me.
 
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BBP

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I'd be concerned about health testing mostly if they aren't registered. I went to great lengths to source my collies from a good breeder - one who takes great care in her matches and has an interest in genetics. My current one is bred from agility lines and is the soppiest lump of a collie ever. He's an excellent dog though, and a delight to have around. Previous one had more working lines on one side and was much more active and bonkers (but still a wonderful pet).

Hi, thanks for the reply. Am I right in thinking that one of yours was/is an Astra dog? Your current dog sounds like just the sort I would like (not that I mind bonkers...afterall the BBP is basically the border collie of the horse world!)
 

JennBags

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BBP I saw an 11mo dog looking for a new home today, based London. Not sure I can send you a link as it's in a closed group but I can screen shot it if you're interested?

I always said I'd never have a border as they needed too much exercise but when I got my Woolfie last year I discovered that they tire from good mental stimulation as much as from physical exertion. I completely fell in love with the breed.
 

BBP

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I would run a mile from the place in the link. It sounds very much as though they source their pups from Welsh puppy farms :(

That was my fear. They seem to have lots of happy people posting on their Facebook page with updates on their dogs so I initially thought they bred them themselves. I think the puppies I was looking at are not being sold by them directly, but the owner sourced her bitch from them, or something like that. I have already arranged to see them so will go and see what information I can get about the whole thing.
 

BBP

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BBP I saw an 11mo dog looking for a new home today, based London. Not sure I can send you a link as it's in a closed group but I can screen shot it if you're interested?

I always said I'd never have a border as they needed too much exercise but when I got my Woolfie last year I discovered that they tire from good mental stimulation as much as from physical exertion. I completely fell in love with the breed.

If you wouldn’t mind I would be interest to take a look. My parents are already excited at being dog grandparents. They quite fancied another dog after our old girl died but don’t want anything other than a collie and they know they aren’t up to having one themselves for the lifetime of a dog, so they are looking forwards to dog sitting instead!
 

JFTDWS

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Hi, thanks for the reply. Am I right in thinking that one of yours was/is an Astra dog? Your current dog sounds like just the sort I would like (not that I mind bonkers...afterall the BBP is basically the border collie of the horse world!)

My previous one was by Astra Mars, yes. Current one isn't! Neither were difficult to fit in with my lifestyle though, and I'm a lot lazier than you - I wear them out mentally rather than physically as much as possible. They have both been great with cats, both being beaten up by ours as puppies - I do think having them when they're small makes a huge difference there. They're great dogs - but I really would go for a decent breeder who health tests and all that :)
 

Oenoke

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I've owned Border Collies for 22 years and have had 6 Border Collies in that time.
For me the parents would have to be dna tested or genetically clear by parentage for CEA and TNS and hip scored at a minimum. I prefer them to be registered so I can see the pedigree and hip scores of other dogs in the lines and relatives and research if there is any known epilepsy in the line.
I am getting a Border Collie x puppy, both the parents are Border Collie x Whippets, I know both parents really well, they are owned by my flyball team captain, I have met 3 of the grandparents and know the lines they come from.
 

BBP

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I did some further research and asked some more questions and i won't be going to see the dogs I had been interested in. The breeder has said that she has not done any health tests (just annual vaccs for her dogs) and that the lineage of the dog and bitch is not known. She got them from the person in the link I had posted, and they came from Welsh Farms where the parents are not known/recorded anywhere. So whilst she might be a nice lady and they are probably lovely family dogs, it is not the kind of breeding I would like to support at £500 a puppy.

Instead I have gained some personal recommendations of people who breed nice lines that are said to be more suited to being pets than a lot of the working lines. Names that have come up are Bryning, Rosmarinus, Sheltysham and Passim amongst others. If anyone has any views on any of these please message me. I am also in contact with a lovely KC reg breeder who is not breeding this year so has nothing to lose and who seems happy to give me advice on any puppies I am interested in. None of the breeders I have contacted will have puppies before June so it gives time for me to explore the rescue dog side in the interim to see if the perfect dog is waiting for us somewhere. Thank you all very much for your input.
 

BBP

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Oh dear. I may have gone and done it. I was happily waiting for Summer puppy litters that the above breeders have told me about when I enquired. And then I saw an ad that ticked the boxes for everything we wanted, approved breeder, raised in the home, show lines rather than working, well socialised, right colour and sex for what OH was picturing. They are real little chunks, much less ‘pointy’ than my old working type and very very fluffy! They are also ready to go right now as their lined up homes fell through (they are actually 10 weeks old), so I have a puppy joining the family on Friday!

What have I done??!! 😄😄
 

BBP

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He’s not home yet so being cautious, but given you asked, here’s a sneaky peek...
27973770_10159890746865431_7412011124568820230_n.jpg


It’s very hard to get a picture of a busy wriggly puppy!!
 

Slightlyconfused

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BBP I saw an 11mo dog looking for a new home today, based London. Not sure I can send you a link as it's in a closed group but I can screen shot it if you're interested?

I always said I'd never have a border as they needed too much exercise but when I got my Woolfie last year I discovered that they tire from good mental stimulation as much as from physical exertion. I completely fell in love with the breed.

That is the trap non working collie owners can fall into.
My collies, and my kelpie, never had anymore that 40 minutes walk/run a day but we did loads of brain games in ten minute imtervals throughout the day to get him mentally tired.

Over walk and under train a collie and you have a big problem
 
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