Aussie or Border Collie? Which is your favorite and why!?

[ShrekDawg]

Title basically says it all but I want to know for those of you that have either breed, or even just fans of the breed, which is your favorite and why? And if you have them, what made you choose one breed over the other?

I love all the herding breeds and am considering one of these two breeds for my next dog. It’s between a herding breed or a retriever. If I went with a retriever, it’d be a Golden or Lab. My top two choices right now are probably Aussie or Golden but I love all 4 breeds so it is making it very difficult to decide.

So I’d appreciate any input on either breed or the other two. Good or bad.

I’m also not opposed to mixes if there’s a good blend of any of those breeds or a different breed.

But even if I don’t get either, I just love herding breeds and dogs in general so either way, I’d love a discussion about the pros and cons of both breeds or just pictures/information on your dogs or tips or whatever.

Thank you in advance.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I can't decide. I've owned 3 Australian shepherds, and 1 border collie, so maybe the numbers speak for themselves for me.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I can't decide. I've owned 3 Australian shepherds, and 1 border collie, so maybe the numbers speak for themselves for me.

They both seem like excellent breeds.

I can’t decide either lol

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I think it all depends on what your plans are and whether you can provide an outlet for that constant need to herd everything.

I remembered today that I used to wake up to my border collie shoving her ball at me. Now I wake up to a big goofy dog with a duck toy in her mouth staring at me. I probably would get exhausted after a bit with the border collie, although here it can go run the fence but that's not what I like from my dogs.

My border collie wanted to herd. My Aussies want to be wherever I am. So it depends what you want out of a dog. I prefer the constant companionship. I just needed to remember the downsides.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think it all depends on what your plans are and whether you can provide an outlet for that constant need to herd everything.

I remembered today that I used to wake up to my border collie shoving her ball at me. Now I wake up to a big goofy dog with a duck toy in her mouth staring at me. I probably would get exhausted after a bit with the border collie, although here it can go run the fence but that's not what I like from my dogs.

My border collie wanted to herd. My Aussies want to be wherever I am. So it depends what you want out of a dog. I prefer the constant companionship. I just needed to remember the downsides.

That makes sense!! That constant companionship does sound nice.

But I do love how crazy smart Border Collies are and how fast they learn.

But I feel like that compulsive need to herd everything that most seem to have would get annoying fast haha

Especially since we have the cat and chickens. I don’t want the cat constantly herded LOL

Could probably be controlled but still.

 

[SueT]

I went to a herding dog trial. The border collies there were superior to the Australian cattle dogs at herding cattle. They were sharper, faster, more precise and responsive. Our neighbor has one of each. She says the border collie is the smartest dog she's ever had. This could be good or bad, depending on what you want from your dog.
I think if you were to get a border collie, you should make sure it has a job.....

 

[ShrekDawg]

I went to a herding dog trial. The border collies there were superior to the Australian cattle dogs at herding cattle. They were sharper, faster, more precise and responsive. Our neighbor has one of each. She says the border collie is the smartest dog she's ever had. This could be good or bad, depending on what you want from your dog.
I think if you were to get a border collie, you should make sure it has a job.....

Thanks!! This is very interesting!! I do see there are more and more breeders breeding BC for cattle now. It makes sense because they really are such wonderful dogs and fantastic at their jobs. They just have to breed for a bit more tenacity. Although there are several cross breeds and variations now that seem pretty popular for cattle. Like the McNab, Texas Heeler, etc. I don’t think those have BC though but still. BCs do seem like great dogs. But yes, insanely smart hah Almost like living with a child I imagine

I personally love the thinker type dogs love their smarts and watching them work through problems as well as being able to talk to them and/or negotiate.

But they can definitely be a bit of a challenge just in terms of like always testing the boundaries or finding the loopholes in the rules or whatever and getting bored easily but they’re a lot of fun.

And oh yeah it would definitely have a job!!

I’m just not sure if it would be enough or I really want a dog that has to work a ton daily.

I love interacting with my dogs and will always do anything to make them happy/wear them out even if it wears me out in the process hah and I love training and teaching new things and tricks and problem solving and all that sort of stuff. So I think I’d be okay with one or at least way better than most owners that get them. And I usually train a ton daily anyway and go for big walks and stuff but it’s just sometimes I might not want to or might want to do less or not feeling well or something. So I think I possibly need a dog that’s a little bit more forgiving. And I think Aussies or Goldens better fit that.

But I also want to try agility and possibly nose work as well as of course tons of tricks and stuff and we also have a huge yard and tons of areas to walk on leash as well as walk/hike/run off leash so even a BC would probably be happy here but I’m not sure I’d be happy living with one.

 

[bhaugh]

Mcnabs came from Scotland as well, a separate breed but a kin to border collies. They are a good herding dog and if you didn't want a collie, they would be a good choice. I almost bought one but I really wanted a collie so went that route.
I have a collie. She is smart but I wouldn't say any smarter than some other breeds I've trained. Some breeds are super smart but don't necessarily work like a collie so it's hard to visually see intelligance. Any dog who is bred to be an independent thinker to complete a task at hand has more intelligence imo than breeds who are meant to follow. I've also had aussies. The working part has imo been bred out of them. You still see them in trials and on farms but they just don't compare to the working drive of a collie. ABCA is pretty strict to keeping collies from falling of the ledge so to speak with breeding out work ability. Akc couldn't care less if they can work or not so if you want a working dog, stick to ABCA.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Mcnabs came from Scotland as well, a separate breed but a kin to border collies. They are a good herding dog and if you didn't want a collie, they would be a good choice. I almost bought one but I really wanted a collie so went that route.
I have a collie. She is smart but I wouldn't say any smarter than some other breeds I've trained. Some breeds are super smart but don't necessarily work like a collie so it's hard to visually see intelligance. Any dog who is bred to be an independent thinker to complete a task at hand has more intelligence imo than breeds who are meant to follow. I've also had aussies. The working part has imo been bred out of them. You still see them in trials and on farms but they just don't compare to the working drive of a collie. ABCA is pretty strict to keeping collies from falling of the ledge so to speak with breeding out work ability. Akc couldn't care less if they can work or not so if you want a working dog, stick to ABCA.

My Aussies in general show a very low herding instinct. They will give chase and nip, so driving is more their forte I think. It's probably why they are big lunkheads at times. They seem to think, a bit differently than border collies who seem better at reasoning.

It's cool to watch any dog work out and solve problems. I find it fascinating. Sometimes it's even enjoyable to watch them not figure stuff out, than to reveal the answer to them. We do a lot of mental exercise around here with our dogs.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Given a choice I would take an Aussie. I have known individuals of both breeds, both as a "friend of" and in my classes, and invariably I have found Aussies to be goofy, calm, laid back, friendly yet protective, and with a nice sense of humor. BC, on the other hand, were just too intense and driven to my taste. They definitely need a job to do and it seemed they would do it to the point of exhaustion. One would certainly wear ME out! It would be like having an ADHD kid on acid! Nope, give me an Aussie any day. In fact, I'll take two, please!