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In reply to the discussion: What is your favorite dog breed and why? [View all]Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)All of them were different. Some had strong herding instincts and some did not. All were very smart and were easily trainable.
However, there should be a warning attached to all of them. There's a reason you'll find so many of them at the pound and the reason is they are not compatible with many people. Some of them are escape artists who can and will find a way out of any and all attempts to restrain them. Some of them will heard small children (they will also try to heard strange adults). This can be very frightening to some small children and annoying to those with frequent guests. Some will chew up everything in your house, including the house itself. This happens with many dogs when they are in the puppy stage, but they grow out of it. Many border collies will never grow out of it. My current border collie is over 10 years old and I can't use a normal dog bed with her because she even shredded a kevlar dog bed I bought that was allegedly chew proof. They will constantly bark if left outside alone, and they should never be left alone. They are even more social than other dogs and it's best not to get one if you only plan on having one dog.
Most of these problems have a solution, and the solution is border collies need both physical, but more importantly mental exercise. They need tasks to perform. Sometimes this can be satisfied by daily walks, but with some it can not and they need more intensive exercises like problem solving. In short, they are high maintenance dogs. Like most breeds they are purpose bred, but in this case the purpose is complex and intensive. They need that level of activity to keep them happy. If you want a dog that will lay around the house all day and be satisfied, get a golden retriever. Those dogs are a better fit for people who are going to dedicate their lives to maintaining them and that commitment is going to be higher than for most other types of dogs.