Border Collie (mix) Question

AngelDog, I think you may want to really dig in to what you are REALLY looking for in a dog, and what type of life YOUR PARTICULAR lifestyle will offer to a dog - and find a breed according to that. From reading your posts you seem to be very concerned with size, but I think you would also benefit from being diligent about a dog's characteristics, moreso than size. Even if you find a SMALLish BC or BC mix, you may find that its personality is awful big for your small abode, and for your lifestyle. []

Well, Zoey will never be a working dog-even if she had the right genetics- there are no sheep in the suburbs!  But I do love the pictures of your dogs working and I also very much enjoy watching herding on TV.  Way cool!

I have a border collie chow mix.  She has short legs like a chow and weighs about 55 lbs.  She never had the energy of a Border collie  though.  She is smart like a border collie but has the energy of a chow. None!
 

Yes, I am actually looking in both temperatment(sp?) and size. It just that size concern more to me than the temperament. Both are important to me, and those are what I look into.
I'm still doing research so I'm just trying to find what is best for me and the family.
Thanks for the reply!

It just that size concern more to me than the temperament.

 
Yikes!! Trust me, temperament is WAY more important than size.  You can easily adapt to a dog's size. Dealing with a poor or less than ideal temperament is much more difficult.  Roscoe is about 20 pounds bigger than we originally wanted for a dog.  But he has the nicest, sweetest, most gentle temperament that you can imagine.  Totally worth the 20 pounds, IMO.

HEHE, Ok I should rephrase that, Both size and temperament of the dog are important to me and i did stated that i look into both of these features. (I think in my other thread, I'm not sure)

My dogs/furry kids are both border collie mixes.  One is about 35 lbs., the other 65 lbs.  Neither of them are excessively hyper, very nice temperments.     

Brookcove, what would your opinion be of a border collie crossed with a chow chow?  That's the mix I have and I have always thought it's a pretty weird combination.  BC's and Chows are opposites in almost every way, aren't they?

lisak, is your dog's tail really curled?  Like a husky/chow/pom?  I'm convinced Tasha has some husky or other spitz in her because her tail curls way up over her back and is her normal carriage.  From the pic you posted, looks like your dog's tail also does this?

faol, there are some characteristics that would mesh well - loyalty and an awareness of what's going on.  There are Border collies that have more of a my-way-or the highway attitude and that would pick up the same in the chow.  Basically, the chow is one of those breeds that I would simply expect the [breed] on expresso effect.  Border collies are such a genetic mish mash that they really don't add much except to tone down any physical extremes.  Border collies have a sort of "average dog" physique that moderates heavy coat, head shapes, size extremes, etc. 

What Laura says is definitely true - the famous Border collie smarts and trainability can trainwreck pretty fast when watered down - the genetic package that makes these dogs so cool is very fragile, which is why we are so hardnosed about keeping it together with breeding only with the working standard in mind.  Border collies bring some very scary things to the table - reactivity, lack of bite inhibition, lightening fast reflexes, and the smarts to manipulate even the most experienced trainer.

BUT, BC mixes can make very nice dogs - my point is that you just can't "shop" for a BC mix and bring any specific expectations along for the ride.  Always spend some time with the dog and its caretakers if possible, and think in terms of what you need, not what you expect from the dog given it's supposed genetic heritage.

When I decided I wanted to share my life w/a dog, I researched different breeds and went to dog shows, etc...and absolutley fell head over heels in love with the BC; however once I started reading about the breed and talking to people who own them and examining my lifestyle I regrettably realized it was not the breed for me. 
 
I found Romeo who according to the shelter is a bc/corgi/sheltie mix (all herding breeds) and he is everything I was looking for in a dog and more, he is extremely smart, (he could be the ceo of any company) maniacal about tennis ball (actually bought a tennis ball machine so it can do the job that my arm can't after throwing the ball for him for a couple of hours) and when Romeo does not want me to go anywhere he will hide my purse and he will throw the keys in the pool looking angelical the whole time.  He loves to herd anything and everything that moves, as soon as my life gets back in order I am going to try him on sheep and see how he does, but he also knows how to become the biggest couch potato in the world and if his momma is right there next to him, he could sleep for a while, and then I wake up with tennis balls lined up all around me and with a dog on top of me staring and burning a whole in my head, he will stay like that until I wake up and do his will.
 
After having shared my life w/Romeo for 2 yrs, I am glad that I did not get a BC the poor dog would have been frustrated with me.
 
Good luck!

Thanks Brookcove.  When I adopted Bear, I wasn't looking for a particular mix, it's only been recently that I've taken an interest in the breeds that went into him, namely the Border Collie and the Chow Chow. 
 
I noticed with Bear that whenever I would sit down to do basic training with him, he'll anticipate what I want him to do before I can say it!

I agree with some of the others,it depends on what she's mixed with. I would also be very careful  BC's have a ton of engery and need alot of room to run. So I hope you plan on alot of trips to the park and frisbee /ball playing!!