Companion

[Millard-Gray]

I have a 6 year old BC girl.

I also have a 5 year old little girl. She has never been close to my little girl so I wanted to get my little girl a puppy but wondered what breed would be best? I have read that labradors are compatible but wondered if any of you have any companions for your BC? 

[Michael Parkey]

All dogs are individuals, and disposition varies greatly even within the same breed.  Under good circumstances, most dogs quickly bond with a suitable human.  I suggest taking your daughter to a well organized adoption event and the let the dog and the girl choose each other.

[urge to herd]

^^^^ What Michael Parkey said. I've got my 4th bc now and they have run the spectrum in sociability. One loved everyone, one was shy but warmed up nicely and really liked kids, one had been badly treated and she remained stand-offish around people she didn't know. My current guy is careful around new adults, and I just have a feeling he wouldn't do well with kids in general.

The suggestion of taking her to an adoption event is excellent. And in your shoes, I'd be okay with a kid friendly bc mix.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

Ruth & Gibbs

[gcv-border]

I will be the third one to suggest looking at dogs in rescue. But I am going to suggest researching rescue groups that use fosters. Fosters can provide a real life evaluation of the dog's personality and how the dog may fit into family life. Sometimes, there can be surprises with respect to a dog's personality when they are stressed out in a shelter/kennel environment.  Also, most rescue groups will allow a trial period during which you can return the dog if it isn't fitting into your household.

[diane allen]

What they all said!

Plus...don't expect two dogs who come from different backgrounds to instantly get along.  They say it takes three weeks for a rescue dog to "adjust" to a new home; that, obviously, varies with the dogs involved. But it definitely takes time!  I've had various combinations: 

1) two dogs in my home, who were buddies.  #3 came along, pretty mellow.  But neither of the two "original" dogs ever played with her, and in fact, really did NOT get along. But after about a year, they all pretty much ignored each other.

2) a different two dogs, #3 comes along.  #3 is mr. mellow, loves everyone but isn't a pain.  #1 pretty much always ignored him.  #2 took a short time, but #2 and #3 became best buddies.  

All of the above were fine with most people.  So - it just depends!  I know that's not particularly helpful, but just realize that "first impressions" aren't always accurate.

Good luck!

diane

[Rosalee]

Not much help as far as what breeds get along well with border collie, been wondering something similar myself for the future.

 

i just wanted to reiterate what was mentioned above about looking for a rescue from a foster home. Especiall6 with young kids involved. We took a dog through a rescue in a foster to adopt situation. She was a lovely dog from a shelter, pretty shut down in the shelter. Shelter said she was good with dogs, cats, kids, etc. Important for us, we have a very senior cat and two small kids. We got her home, she was very timid and shy at first. Long time to decompress and start to come out of her shell, apart from chasing the cat. That she wanted to do from day 1. As far as the kids, she was terrified of them at first. Once she got more comfortable it because clear she wasn’t suitable around young kids, very mouthy with them, knocked them down, etc. Pretty much like an overgrown puppy, but being a 3 year old coonhound wasn’t good. We ended up fostering her a couple months, worked on her training and were able to give a much more detailed report on her behaviours and needs and she found a lovely suitable home. 

 

The point of my story, lol, is that a foster based rescue can tell you lots more about a dog in a home situation and give you a better idea how it will fit into your home than a shelter can. The foster home will often work on basic training with the dog as well. Important when you have young kids you need to consider. We are looking at getting another rescue down the road when our current dog is a bit older, will definitely look for one already in a foster home this time.

[GentleLake]

On 8/27/2021 at 11:54 PM, diane allen said:

They say it takes three weeks for a rescue dog to "adjust" to a new home; that, obviously, varies with the dogs involved.

Quite a few years ago a Karen Pryor Academy faculty member who worked extensively with shelter/rescue dogs told me that on average, it's more like 3 months before a dog can really be expected to acclimate to a new home. This seems to be catching on in people's understanding of the time we need to allow a new dog to start to feel at home.

As to the right dog for your situation, add me to the list to endorse a foster based rescue for all the reasons mentioned above. In many cases you'll have an opportunity to meet the dog in their current home environment or at least with whomever their current caretaker is, rather than in what might be an exciting or hectic atmosphere of an adoption event. (The rescue I volunteer with stopped doing adoption events for this reason.)

There are more individual personality differences within most breeds than there are between breeds. While some border collies don't do well with young children, others absolutely adore them. Chances are a puppy raised with your daughter will bond with her. There's also a good chance that if you're patient you'll be able to find a kid friendly post adolescent border collie through a rescue if that's what you want. The advantage there is that you'll have a better indication of what the adult temperament is.

Anyway, good luck with finding a dog for your daughter.

[D'Elle]

I love that image and chart. It will be helpful to people who don't understand why the new dog is not instantly behaving well and feeling relaxed.