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I adopted from a rescue & was told that our gal Niamh was a Border collie/Australian Shepherd mix. Obviously with rescue places ...it's hard to tell, to say the least.

 

But here's what is giving me a giant question-y face: Niamh is teeny. She was the runt of the litter for sure, but she was 10 weeks (we were told) when we got her & at her vet visit that week she weight 4lb 5oz. Poking around, I'm not really seeing BCs that small - but what do I know! I wanted to see if reddit had any insight here: do we really have a BC/Aussie mix (or something there in)? or is this a MYSTERY DOG???

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Border collies come in all shapes and sizes. However, she is pretty small. But if she is half smaller breed and half border collie, then her size makes sense. I have a bc mix and he is obviously border collie but we have absolutely no idea what else he can be. His ears are slightly longer than what you typically see with a bc and not that long as a typical border. I think with time, you will have a better idea what the mix is made up of. Not just by looks, but personality. I see that your pup could have some border collie in her but time may reveal something more. You never know with rescue pups when their background isnt completely known. BTW she is super adorable!

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ADORABLE little puppy. At 10 weeks it can be extremely difficult to distinguish physical features of different breeds.

 

That said, I think there's something other than a border collie at work here. I absolutely see some type of toy breed influence. The shorter muzzle, the bigger eyes, they lead me to a toy breed. I could be totally wrong, but that's just my guess. 4.5 lbs. is very small for a 10 week old BC. Not unheard of, but definitely uncommon.

 

What about her behavior? Many border collies prove themselves to be fairly hard-eyed and stalk-y from a young age. Not to mention whirlwinds with teeth.

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She may also be a Sheltie mix. Or a BC x Sheltie. We once rescued a puppy that we thought was a BC pup, but she never grew past Sheltie size. She does agility! It is really hard to tell when they are babies. You mostly have to see them grow and watch how they behave and how they herd (if they herd). At any rate, she is absolutely adorable! Have fun with her.

 

Kathy Robbins

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She is adorable.

 

I don't have anything different to add. I agree with the other posters that as she ages, her physical and behavioral characteristics will better reflect the breed mix. Puppies are all pretty much the same at such a young age.

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Thank you! She is super cute, isn't she?! :D

 

Her behavior is actually really hard for me to peg. She learned 'sit' in like - a HEARTBEAT. She doesn't seem to want to herd my cats, but she sure does want to play with them. She will play a sort of abridged 'fetch' -- hasn't really learned 'give' very well. Her teeth are sharp little buggers & she's started to nip at my fingers and toes (we have our first training session Sunday), but I don't get the sense that she's trying to herd me. She doesn't gather her toys & put them anywhere, just likes running around with them.

 

As for the hard eye...

 

I have never seen a dog do it, so I couldn't ID it if you paid me. Thus far, I don't THINK she's done it (and we have cats, so you'd think she'd give it to them if she was doing it). There are times she does stare at them, but she usually sits down and just watches. She does 'stalk' her toys sometimes instead of galloping after them.

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Welcome to the Boards and congratulations on adopting your very sweet puppy. Niamh (pronounced Neve for anyone unfamiliar with it) is one of my all time favorite names!

 

Reddit?

 

As others have said you probably won't be able to get any clear sense until she's closer to a year old. I adopted what looked very much like a border collie puppy when she was 6 months old. She grew up to be a lurcher. Perhaps part border collie (definitely as smart as one) but unquestionably part sighthound (and as willful and independent as one of these). That part wasn't at all apparent until she was around 8 or 9 months old.

 

Border collies come in a wide range of sizes, but I'd guess maybe something smaller in the mix as well. Maybe border collie or Aussie mixed with a smaller breed.

 

ETA: There was a thread not too long ago where people were tracking their puppy's growth rates. May have had a subject like "puppy Growth Rate" or something similar. You might do search and see how Niahm fits in with others.

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Yup! I posted on Reddit & here - just looking for answers, wasn't sure where I'd find 'em.

 

Niamh was my mom's suggestion and the boyfriend & I love it. I'm sure from the avatar you can tell: I'm pretty Irish.

 

Sounds like I'll just keep an eyeball on her and see what happens (this feels like those Tamagotchi things from FOREVER ago, remember those??) -- we did order a DNA test just for fun. I'll look for that thread too! Thanks for the lovely welcome!

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She also could be younger than you thought, though rescues often deliver the pups so would know the age. I also saw a bit of Boston Terrier in the face area, but who knows?

 

(My girl in the avatar was dubbed "terrier/BC mix." She's almost 100% NOT a BC mix. They never really know! I just hold onto the rescue designation because it gives me rights to post here LOL.)

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Well, she's a cutie, whatever she is. I would agree with others that behavior will probably tell you more than anything else. Please post the results of the DNA test for us, though. I am very interested to see what it says. I have been wanting to DNA test both of my small dogs, who are mix breeds, but don't know how reliable those tests are as yet.

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I had a foster puppy for a very short time who I had a suspicion that she was younger than people thought she was due to body shape. Her age was correct, she was just small. We knew mummy was a border collie (might be a bit of a mix) As she "grew" it became very obvious that daddy was something small. I don't have a picture of her, but if you just see her head she looks all border collie, the whole dog reveals what can only be dachshund parentage!

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I adopted from a rescue & was told that our gal Niamh was a Border collie/Australian Shepherd mix. Obviously with rescue places ...it's hard to tell, to say the least.

 

But here's what is giving me a giant question-y face: Niamh is teeny. She was the runt of the litter for sure, but she was 10 weeks (we were told) when we got her & at her vet visit that week she weight 4lb 5oz. Poking around, I'm not really seeing BCs that small - but what do I know! I wanted to see if reddit had any insight here: do we really have a BC/Aussie mix (or something there in)? or is this a MYSTERY DOG???

 

 

What a cutie!! I don't think she looks 10 weeks old - more like 6 or 7 to me. But if she's part Sheltie or some other toy breed, that could explain the tiny size and baby face. Impossible to say until she's larger, though - but whatever she is, she's 100% adorable! :wub:

 

~ Gloria

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  • 2 weeks later...

Oh lord.

 

This lil DNA test said german shepherd & ..pit bull. And some herding / possible "companion dog" breeds, but that American Staffordshire Terrier terrifies me. :/

unsure emoticon

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Well, the great news is that everyone will think she's a border collie, so she won't walk through life with people scared of he Staffiness. (Plus... there are loads of sweet-as-sugar Staffies around!)

 

I wouldn't put too much faith in the DNA test. She's a mixed breed dog and could end up having any personality. My sister has had four American Eskimo dogs, and the latest addition acts SO MUCH like a border collie it cracks me up: she has "the eye," and when she wants to play, she stalks my little terrier with that creep-lie-creep thing that BCs do on sheep. She's more BC in nature than my old BC boy was.

 

Got any update photos?

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Oh lord.

 

This lil DNA test said german shepherd & ..pit bull. And some herding / possible "companion dog" breeds, but that American Staffordshire Terrier terrifies me. :/

unsure emoticon

 

Even if the DNA test is correct (which isn't a guarantee), the American Staffordshire Terrier in there is nothing to be terrified of. Get to know and love the dog you have. There are lots of super-sweet pitties out in the world, as well as some jerky border collies, or golden retrievers, or any other dog you name. Your dog is an individual, not just a breed.

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I don't put any faith in DNA tests. Any test that thinks your dog, who will clearly top out at 25 or 30 lbs., is a GSDxBully mix is crazy.

 

If you end up with a bully mix, don't fear! They're fantastic dogs! But I'd be much more likely to guess SheltieXToy or BCxToy based on those photos and your description of her.

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I really wish that we could count on DNA tests. I don't care what my two small dogs are, but I think it would be really fun to know if my guesses are even close to correct.

 

To the OP: Who knows if that DNA test is accurate or not. But really it makes no difference at all, in any case; she's your dog. Most of us have known "pit bull" type dogs who are as sweet as cherry pie. As small as your puppy is, there's a chance there's no bully breed in there at all, but if she grows up big and bully, so be it. You will love her anyway, and I believe that when it comes to dogs nurture is at least 50% responsible for the personality they have as an adult.

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