Toller/Border Collie

Although I do not own either, from my understanding both are VERY, VERY high energy breeds that need LOTS of stimuation.  If I were to get one of these dogs, I would make sure that I have a good way to provide this stimuation and exercise daily.

They are VERY HIGH energy. They need a LOT of exercise and mental stimulation or else they will become destructive.
Check your local shetlers - we had a pure Toller recently, but she was labeled a Golden Retreiver. You just have to go in and look. You would be suprised what you can find at a shelter, most of the dogs are purebreed.

Wow those are both very high needs dogs!  Notice I said high need, not high energy.  Lots of people think, oh, I run ten miles a day, so I'll get a BC.  They don't realize that the BC will eventually get used to ten miles of running but his brain will still be craving training!   And then the backyard will be torn to shreds, the barking at airplanes, the digging, the escaping . . .and the trip to the shelter.  Not saying this would happen to you, because I don't know your situation - just because I do rescue and I've seen it many times.

I believe the Tollers are very similiar. 

Are you interested in competitive sports like flyball, or traditional activities like water retrieval or herding? 

I have a Toller/Border Collie mix and she is a wonderful dog, but I have a feeling that if anyone but me had her that she would've ended up in the shelter a long time ago do to her insane amount of energy, high intelligence level, etc. I don't know many people who can handle either breed which is why I am first going to ask you why specifically you want a Toller or a Border Collie?
 
Tollers and Border Collies are both VERY active, high energy, almost too intelligent for their own good dogs. Like I said, most people cannot and would not handle either breed easily. Tollers and Border Collies are similar, energy wise. But, they are also different in a lot of ways aswell. I'm not a Border Collie expert, but I know a fair amount about Tollers seeing as I've been researching them for 10+ years...waiting for the day to come that I can have my own (200. I adore the breed, and will never be without one.
 
The NSDTR originated in and around Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia and were bred to retrieve ducks and otehr water fowl in the icey, cold waters of Nova Scotia. They should have a thick, water repellent coat that is medium to long in length. A coat such as this does require consistant grooming. Reguarding size, male Tollers are to be between 45-51lbs, and are 18-21 inches tall at the withers (19" being the ideal) with females being slightly smaller at 37-45lbs, and 17-20 inches tall at the withers (18" being the ideal). Tollers are not miniature Golden Retrievers as many people unfamiliar with the breed seem to think, nor were the originators of the breed trying to create a mini Golden. Tollers were bred to toll (which means lure) ducks and other water fowl within the hunters shooting range by playfully retrieving sticks at the waters edge. The birds were intrigued and curious at the sight of the Toller and swam closer to 'check the dog out' and see what it was all about. Tollers were bred to resemble that of a fox. The Toller is a very playful, high energy, active, outgoing, intelligent dog. They are always on the go and ready for action. Tollers can be somewhat reserved around new people and tend to save most of their exuberance for family and close friends. Tollers do need to be socialized a lot when they're young, or they can become shy and unsure of new situations. I know a few who weren't socialized enough and they are now fear barkers and are capable of biting in new situations.

The Toller needs something do. They require exercise (and tons of it!) every day, as well as mental stimulation. If this is not given, Tollers can and do find ways to entertain and amuse themselves. They can become barky and destructive if not given enough exercise and such. They are content to lay around on the couch when you feel like watching TV aswell, but that isn't something they like to do all day. Tollers love to work, they love to please. However, that being said, they do get bored if you repeatedly do the same thing over and over and over again and they thrive on learning new things. Tollers can also be pretty stubborn and often their intelligence can do more harm than good...they're almost too intelligent for their own good so you always need to be one step ahead of them. Owning a Toller is like having a 2 year old child for 12-14 years or more.
 
If you do have any specific questions about the breed, feel free to ask and I'd be happy to try and answer them for you. Also, not sure if you've ever seen this link before:
 [linkhttp://ca.geocities.com/ontoller@rogers.com/DoNOTBuy.html]http://ca.geocities.com/ontoller@rogers.com/DoNOTBuy.html[/link]
 
But I think it is full of great information about the breed and it's not really meant  to scare you away from the Toller, but a lot of people, after reading it do not feel up to everything that the Toller will require.