buying border collie

Question
me and my family are thiking of buying a border collie. i have children that are 15,12 and 7.we live in a normal house with a good sized backyard and i have a school behind my house and there is a big oval and i can excirse the border collie whould you think that a border collie is for us and if you do how much excirse does a border collie need  

Answer
Hello Tracy,

The question rather should be 'what can you do to fulfill the herding needs of a Border Collie?'  Sometimes straight exercise will not do the trick.

I don't think I'd be looking at a Border Collie in this situation, but rather a Golden Retriever or similiar breed.  Border Collies usually require much more than a good sized yard.

Depending on how much experience you have with dogs in general, the ages of your children would be a good age to teach them how to handle dogs as well.  

Of course my recommendation above is strictly my personal opinion so don't feel disappointed or that you have to follow my advice.  I just know from my own experience that Border Collies require a lot of time and attention that most families are not aware of and will feel overwhelmed by the strong herding instincts of this breed.  Golden Retrievers, on the other hand, are more easily satisfied because most families with children teach their dog to retrieve anyhow.  A Border Collie's idea of fetching is to herding things to you.  This is altogether different and requires different training and attention.

Thank you for your question.

Ann Jordan
Border Collie Coach