can they stay together

Question
Hi,
My boyfriend has a 9 month old male boarder collie and i have a 3 yr old female boarder collie/coolie. His male has started cocking his leg and while we would like to breed them later on we don't want them to do so just yet.
Will they be alright to stay together or will they naturally breed? how long is it usually before a male starts mating? is there anything apart from separating them that we can do.
thanks.

Answer
Hi Lauren. They will only breed when the female is in heat. Until the male has finished growing, keep them apart when she goes into heat for now. Give him at least another year before breeding them. He may be able to produce sperm right now, so watch them carefully. If she was to go into heat right now, he would probably try to breed her. There's really not a whole lot that you can do safely besides keeping them apart. I hate to use drugs to supress a heat. Good luck!