What does it take to have a Border Collie pup?

Do you have at least 2-3 hrs per day to ACTIVLY work with the dog?

Do you have a big garden?

Do you have experiance in training dogs?

Do you wish to participate in dogsports?

Do you realize border collies won't just be nice because they are smart? They can be MONSTERS if you don't know what you are doing.

If the answer is no on any but the garden questions (you can find a way arround that) the BC is not your dog.

I'm sorry if you really dreamed of getting one but a border collie that doesn't work is not the dog you want, believe me. A lot of people think that because they are smart, they are easy to train but those people end up with ADHD ping pong balls. I really like the dogs 101 video about the border collie, check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igy3zMfilFs

Border collies are the #1 ranked dog on the energy list. A border collie is NOT a breed to suits everyone. It's breed to work and it has a very special personality. Border collies CAN be great dog, the best there are imho but only if you really know what you are doing and if you plan to work with him on a daily basis. If you can't do that, the border collie is not the dog you are looking for.

Border collies are a working breed, they do NOT do well as pets that just sit around all day and go for a walk or two. People who choose border collies need to have VERY active life styles and get their dogs enrolled in obedience classes, followed by keeping them in whatever dog activities they most enjoy - agility, flyball, obedience, rally, herding, tracking, etc.

So no, not good pets for people who don't plan on doing anything with them.

And no dog sheds all year long, shedding is usually twice a year; of course, dogs still lose hair when its not shedding season. If hair's a huge concern, maybe dogs aren't right for you.

My dog is half Border Collie. Had him since he was a pup. Bought him at a mall pet store. They could not tell me what the other half is. But he is a very smart dog. Learned house training with little effort. Also he was very protective of me and our property, and not friendly with strangers at all. But he was not as over-active as what people say Border Collies are expected to be. As all medium to large dogs need space, it's good to have a large fenced-in yard and a lot of daily attention. My dog does shed a bit over the winter and spring, and a lot mid-to-late summer! My opinion, he is not a great "family" pet, more of a one-owner companion. Very loyal to me and only me!

:::Why would someone give this a thumb down? You don't know me or my dog.

I wouldn't recommend getting a border collie. They need to be active everyday. And that means about 15-17 hours a day. You might be interested in a GoldenDoodle. They dont need that much. Just love (: