Border Collie Dog or a Bitch?

[molly]

I am going to view a pup this weekend. It is a dog and is last of the litter of six. The father and mother are good working sheep dogs. I would have preferred a bitch as have heard are better around children and I have 2 young ones. There are conflicting stories about which is the better sex. Can anyone enlighten me on their experiences with dogs and bitches around children and sheep. My niece went to view it on my behalf as it is up west. She said out of all the pups, it was the quiet reserved one.

[Tilter]

Mollie, I think it's just personal preference. Some people always have dogs and some always have bitches. I'm not an experienced dog-handling person at all, but we've always had bitches except for one dog. He was a Dalmatian, therefore large - excellent with my kids, who were aged 6 through 18 when he was alive, and he didn't bother sheep. He had a tendency to get stroppy with other dogs - I think maybe that's the main problem with a dog rather than a bitch.

They say bitches are more biddable, but I think it depends on the individual dog. Dogs or bitches can be outgoing, bouncy, dominant or shy, intelligent, whatever. I don't think you can generalise too much. I've known lovely boys and stroppy bitches.

Re sheep, I believe a sheepdog's desire is to chase and presumably eat sheep (like any dog) and you are merely controlling that instinct so that they herd instead. That's what I've read, but the more knowledgeable can set me straight. (My current dog could never be trusted around sheep as she would like very much to play with them. If she was bigger she might want to do more than play.)

Long post and I don't think I've helped, except for saying look at the individual pup's characteristics (insofar as you can at 7 weeks of age but there's no guarantees).

[Tilter]

Duh. Sorry Mollie, I just read your post again after posting myself and saw that you specified Border Collie. I was talking dogs in general.

[landy]

we have just had a litter of seven borders ,five have gone off to working homes.of those 5 ,4 were dogs and all showing good instinct the other was a bitch and she prefers the couch.the two i kept,the dog loves the couch but the bitch is already working along side my sheepdog.so it all depends on the pup as an individual,like us really.as for borders and kids,both bitches and dogs are fine with them,as long as you spend time educating and stimulating them so they know their place in your pack.a dog is never born bad but can be made bad.hope this helps,just go with your instinct when you meet the pup,if you dont click then walk away,there are always more pups to look at.good luck and let me know what happens.caroline

[Raven]

We have two Border Collies, both dogs, one is 10, the other one 1. They are absolutely brilliant with the kids. We had no problem with them and the kids whatsoever. Mind you, the young one is a bit energetic which could be a problem if you have very young kids.
He also is very interested in sheep, which we avoid him to have contact with as we are not sure what his intentions would be.
The older one is not interested in sheep at all, not even when they see him and run off in a field.
I would advise also to have a good look at t he pup and then choose if he is the right one for you and your family or not...
Yes, let us know what happens!

[cuddlepop]

I'm with the others when it comes to choosing dog or bitch you really need to look at the pup and disregard its sex.

My experience has been very varied with collie dogs and bitches.

What I would say is that its the owners that "mould" and "constrict" a dogs behaviour and attitude and not the dog.:D

The best collie we had was a dog and my young son use to cuddle up beside him on the dogs chair.

Heaven help anyone who approached the pram though if I wasnt there.:eek: