On the topic of Border Collies...

[Shai]

Originally Posted by Lizmo

One thing I would like to point out - with the working side of the breed, those dogs are versatile. I do get a little flustered when people say they wished the breed was more 'combo' between the two worlds. Why does it need to be that way? If that's what *you* like, that's cool. But I get a little frustrated when they people say they need a combo to excel. I've seen many working bred BCs go on to excel greatly in the world of sports. They have brains, they have speed, they have agility to move. This is what they were bred for in working, so it carries over when you take them into the world of sports.

I'm not saying you shouldn't breed a mix of show/sport/working, and I'm not putting down anyone for how they choose to cross lines, breed whatever you'd like. There will be people who appreciate the combination of those 3 worlds. But I feel like you can get a good, solid dog who will excel out of what the breed was original bred for and sometimes it confuses me why people say you have to get a combo of sport/show/working to get a great dog.

One thing I do find interesting in all these different crosses is the difference in temperament, however.

I fully intend to get a BC with primarily a herding background. I've played with and run a few in agility and I just love their attitude, their versatility, and their talent both on and off the course. Not to detract from any other type but for me they seem to be the best fit.

If any of my statements were read as detracting from that then I apologize. And if the proof is in the pudding, well, Mira is from gamekeeping lines, which makes her the dog she is, and she could not be more perfect for me and has already proven herself as a fine and versatile partner.

[Lizmo]

No, Shai, your posts have been nothing but polite and nice! As has everyone. It's just reading lately some seem to come off as combo being the only way to excel/be well-rounded. So it seemed appropriate to voice my opinion in this thread.

[Linds]

I hope mine weren't like that either Lizmo! You know how much I like working bred dogs and the versatility that comes with most of them!

[Flyinsbt]

Originally Posted by Lizmo

One thing I would like to point out - with the working side of the breed, those dogs are versatile. I do get a little flustered when people say they wished the breed was more 'combo' between the two worlds. Why does it need to be that way? If that's what *you* like, that's cool. But I get a little frustrated when they people say they need a combo to excel. I've seen many working bred BCs go on to excel greatly in the world of sports. They have brains, they have speed, they have agility to move. This is what they were bred for in working, so it carries over when you take them into the world of sports.

Well, the BCs I tend to like most come from herding lines, though I have no intention of ever owning one, if I did, it would probably be from a herding background. However, the one thing that does come as a drawback is that BCs do sometimes have ETS (early takeoff syndrome; a jumping problem which appears to be eyesight related, and inherited). There's no reason for a herding dog not to have this issue, it doesn't affect them in their traditional work. So, if you want to do agility, and you get a herding line dog, you just have to hope that it doesn't have ETS.

If you get a dog that is from a line of dogs that do agility, you can see how the relatives jump, and have a better idea of whether the dog is likely to have inherited this condition. You can't count on the breeders to breed away from it, but you can at least see what they are producing.