Dog advice needed

I don't have time to go into details but the borders i know(quite a few) have all had problems with either the amount of excersise required and that they can be territorial around the children etc.

They were never really bred to be family pets but then a you could say the same about a lot of breeds. My mum has a border and they live on the beach, he is walked an hour first thing 30 mins at lunch and an hour in the afternoon and he still neeeds more. I find if they aren't active enough they become bored and start to chew things at home etc.

But all dogs are different and as i've never owned one myself i can't really be sure. They are a working breed though and most working breeds need to have their brain kept active(agility etc) in order to be a calm house dog x

How about looking into a rescue older border collie who has previously lived with children or you know the history. There are loads of dogs and brilliant advice available on

Good luck x

I agree that an older dog that is known to be good with children may be a good idea. My sister has a border collie and he is absolutely fantastic with their children (and visitors) - he is a lovely, affectionate dog. But, as Scottish terrier said, I have heard that as a breed they can be harder to keep as pets as they need so much exercise. Mind you, at least your 14 year old could help with that!

We have a Weimeraner and German Shepherd Cross and had both dogs for a few years before our son was born. They adjusted really well and the only difficulty was exercising 2 big dogs whilst pushing a pram so H took on more dog walking responsibilities!

(edited to add - we also have an aged cat who was resident before both dogs and gets on fine with both of them)

Good luck!

I can't recommend either way but I can tell you of my experience of border collies. We had one when I was about 8-10 years old. He was an older dog (not rescue, not quite sure where he was from). He was a very laid back dog and never growled or barked how ever much me and my (younger brother) played with him. He fathered a litter of pups and we got one of those - a ***. She was much more bouncy. Dad had an allotment at the time and would take her there daily (so she would have 1/2/3 hours of running around up there) but she never got regular walks and didn't seem any worse for it. My brother and I played with her and our games involved her pretend growling and snapping. Definitely playing even on her part as she NEVER as much as nipped us. She was a lovely dog and, if I ever had a dog of my own, it would definitely be a B&W border collie.

We had Border Collies growing up, and I would echo what others are saying - they are a working dog. If they are a house dog I would have thought 2 hours fairly rigorous daily exercise, consistent and clear house rules and daily structured play and interaction (to satisfy their need for mental stimulation and challenge) would be minimum requirements. If you were planning on doing dog trials/heelwork/agility etc all the better. The only incidents I've ever heard of with collies (biting, aggression, destruction, inappropriate territorialism etc) were clearly stemming from insufficient work and pack hierarchy (boundaries and rules).

They are fabulous, fabulous dogs, but their working heritage needs to be respected. With enough exercise, boundaries and stimulation I don't think you can get a better family dog, but the work involved can be similar to that of a young child. An older dog with a known personality could well be the best way to go - but exercise and stimulation will still be needed. I do love them as a breed - loyal, gentle, intelligent, happy, hard working and great companions.

Thank you all for your advise. I'm going to call a couple of Border Collie rescue centres this week and get further advise from them.

Deedee - your dogs are gorgeous! Thanks for posting photos.