Getting a Puppy

[Barmaid]

I have been thinking for some months about getting a border collie pup. I work from home a lot of the time, so there is no problem with it being unattended. I live in the country, so walks are abundant round here. I also have a completely enclosed garden. I need to give it quite some thought (I realise that a puppy is a massive commitment for many years). Holidays will not be a problem since I always holiday in Scotland and mainly in dog friendly places. My big problem is that I have 2 cats. One cat I think will be fine (he cares little about anything) and was in fact brought up by dogs. The other cat is quite a sensitive (although particularly vicious) thing. Is it best to wait until I don't have cats anymore? I don't want to get a puppy and find the cats and it won't settle after a few weeks giving me a massive dilemma. Anyone done this before? It's been years since I had a dog, and I would just be interested in people's views to help me with my thinking.

[lankeela]

I don't see it as a problem. A young puppy will soon learn to respect the cats, although to put your mind at rest ensure you get a puppy from a breeder who also has cats, so its not a novelty for the pup. Your cats will soon let the pup know who are the bosses.

Couple of bits of advice: choose a reputable breeder who does all the relevant health tests, there are now several conditions that can be DNA tested for in Border Collies, and you need to make sure the hips, eyes and hearing have been tested in the parents. I know some people on here have got collie pups from farms without papers or tests, but they have been very lucky not to have any problems. If a dog is to be with you for anything up to 12 - 15 years, you might as well get the best you can. I am on a couple of Border Collie online groups, so if you want any info on breeders, I can put you in touch with someone in your area.

[Illyria54]

I have kept dogs and cats together for over 30 years, and haven't had any problems introducing them to each other, the thing to remember is not to leave them alone together until you are absolutely certain that things are calm, get a puppy crate for when you have to go out so that they can be near to each other but not too near, remember cats have very sharp claws and they can do a lot of damage to a puppy's eyes, but it shouldn't take too long for things to settle down and yes the pup will probably get the odd scratch that you won't be able to prevent but this is a good learning curve for it and Border Collies are very fast learners, I have what I call a 'Borderline Collie' he is crossed with a Fox Terrier but is very much Collie in his ways and you only have to show him something once or twice and he doesn't forget, he also earwigs on conversations which is really annoying, lol.
Good luck when you get your puppy, let us know how you get on.

[Kleiber]

I totally agree with the others. If you're going to have cats & dogs together, it's best to have the cats first, as they will have established their domain & will certainly let the dog know who's boss! I've had cats & dogs together for over 20 years and they've all got on fine. I would send a word of caution, though, about getting a border collie with cats - it's in a collie's nature to round up everything that moves and that includes cats!! I have 5 cats and 2 dogs, a GSD bitch and a male border collie (he was supposed to be a sheepdog, but he's useless!). The collie, even though he's now nearly 5 yrs old, still tries to round up the cats. One of them just beats him up when he tries it, two totally ignore him (he gets soooo upset!!), one jumps up as high as she can get and the other poor old lass absolutely hates him and is completely paranoid! Her best friend is the GSD, who is gentle and loves her!

[Barmaid]

Thank you all for your helpful answers and advice. I am still thinking about it long and hard because I don't want to act hastily and make a mistake. Still weighing up the fors and againsts (although can't actually see many againsts at the moment!!).

[kita1]

Have a read of this site, they rescue, offer behaviour advice and also breed border collies. They have all ages of dog in rescue. They are also totally honest about the dogs.

http://www.wiccaweys.co.uk/start.html