Am very, very tempted by a little cross breed puppy at a rescue nearby. His mother is a Border Terrier cross and they are fairly certain the dad was a Border Collie type.
I have never had a terrier type before, although I am used to herding/collie-ish dogs as we have a BC/Staffordshire cross and a Cardigan Welsh Corgi. (Corgis are a little terrier-ish though, she likes barking, digging, hassling small animals etc.)
Anyways, I would like to know if anyone on here has got a terrier/collie cross and what their experiences are. The pup is absolutley gorgeous but I would like to know more before making such a big decision!

I have a jack-russell x border collie.
She is currently my oldest at nearly 8yrs.
She is the one who barks the most at the doorbell,
is the only one who is afraid of fireworks,
licks things if she gets nervous,
and eats like its her last ever meal.....
She is also my most loyal,
my most obedient dog,
she loves to be cuddled,
loves to play ball,
is friendly to all visitors,
is fine with rabbits, G'pigs and cats,
she loves to be groomed too.
Not sure if any of that helps, as you can see she can be the worst and best behaved dog I have (I have 4) but, I wouldn't change her for the world
Paula

Hi,
Dont know if this will help but ill try.
We rescued a patterdale x collie around ten years ago. His age was unknown when we took him on, and our decision to have him was quite spontanious as we were not looking for another dog but a friend had stepped in and saved him from being destroyed.
All i can advise if you do choose to take on the pup is make sure he gets as much mental excersise as you can manage. Both collies and terriers of any breed are intelligent driven dogs so with a cross between the two it isnt easy to satisfy thier needs.
We were lucky as my OH is keen on field sports and most of the dogs we have had he has trained and used to good effect. This boy fitted in well and tagged along on many shoots throughout the eight years he was with us. He was happiest when outdoors and if truth be told wasnt the best house dog in the world, this was more to do with his initial upbringing than his breed/s. He never quite got house training 100%.
Its like with any puppy, plenty of consistant training and stimulation both mental and physical will usually result in a good all round dog in the end.
I wouldnt however advise taking on this pup if you live in an urban area and only plan on nipping it round the block twice a day (weather permitting)
Ill finish by saying he was tenacious little chap who was a bit funny looking but was happiest when getting dirty, chasing something or lying on his back on the settee.
Of course my expieriences are of an older dog not a puppy, so wether i help or not i dont know.
He sadly suffered a large stroke, that our vet advised he was unlikely to recover from so we made the kindest deccision to have him put to sleep at home with us around him. Life got a alot quiter when he had gone. Hence the springer addition we now have.

Good luck

I have a terrier X who came from a rescue at 5 months old and he will be the only terrier I ever have He is full on energy wise and we have taken 2 years for him to get to the stage of very basic obedience - on a good day and with no distractions. He is a very loving little dog and absolutely adores my daughter but boy is he hard work.

Every dog is different and Cooper certainly didn't have the best start in life - no socialisation at all and he spent the first 5 months of his life shut in a kitchen- so his situation may be very different to the background of the terrier you have seen so I can only speak of my particular experiences with him. He didn't take very long to housetrain but never asks to go out, I just have to make sure he gets the opportunity at regular intervals. His recall is brilliant - as long as I spot anything on the distant horizon and make sure I call him before he spots it He can disappear in the wink of an eye into the undergrowth and can get very distracted by all the wonderful scents - he wears a hunting bell when off lead in the woods so I can tell where he is and I only let him off in woods where we regularly visit. If I go to a different area he is always walked on a long line. He can bark for England - he used to bark at the grass growing but this is slowly abating, very slowly, but it is getting better. He is very exciteable and can get very over the top when playing with my other dog - he is slowly learning his canine social skills. He is fine with 95% of other dogs but I always put him back on lead when I spot another dog and never let him off lead in areas that are highly populated with other dogs. I often walk with a friend and their 3 dogs and Cooper is fine with them and very mindful of his manners but I would not be totally confident of him around dogs that are new to him.

I do agility with him - just for fun - and he is great and very fast but gets very over excited if he does more than 2 or 3 runs in an evening. He keeps me on my toes and is the complete opposite to my very laid back Golden Retriever. He has been a huge learning curve for me and is so much better behaved than when we first had him but I have also learnt that any dog I have in the future will definitelynot be a terrier I do know quite a few terriers who are the complete opposite to him but he is a terrier through and through and never lets you forget that

I'm afraid there is no blanket rule. Living in rural Ireland this cross is very common and about 40 of them have arrived at my doorstep to be rehomed. And I've seen it pretty much all in those crosses, from Prince Valium to Adrenalin Junkie. Some are happy to be couch hounds, other demand higher activity levels and some even compete in Flyball and Agility. I'm afraid a little pup like that will be a Kinder Surprise Egg .

My Freeway is a JR x collie.  He is by far the smartest dog I've ever had. He is terrier sized but has collie brain and instincts. He always comes to work with me and is great with other dogs and cats (although he would never refuse to chase a cat for sport...he never harms one). He loves his cuddles and would do almost anything I ask him....
He is very vocal and has some neurotic moments chasing shadows (my fault...had a laser light for the cat and never thought to put him out of the room first) he often takes his pent up energy on the lawn...by pulling out large clumps of sod.
But he is such a character and a joy.

I reckon at the end of the day if you get them from a pup and start right away at training (freeway had sit, down,paw and basic heel work by 4 months)...And always keep the mind busy....you will end up with a fantastic dog with characters of both in a small to medium body...

> He can bark for England - he used to bark at the grass growing

ROFL!!!!      

I love it!

I once had a terrier cross.  She caused more damage than any other dog I've ever owned.

Yet I wasn't even working when I got her, so popping to the corner shop was quite a feat, not knowing what would meet me when I got back.   And I was able to spend a lot of training, and fun time with her.

My vet reckons that you have to be a certain type of (odd) person to like terriers.  I adored her, she had so much personality, and she just took longer than other breeds to settle (much longer.)   But I have never regretted having her, she was a special girl, and much loved.

She taught me early on that expensive carpets weren't necessary!  Only ever had one really expensive one, and she chewed around the edges.  When I told my neighbour, she asked if I couldn't just hide it by moving the settee.

No, I said, you don't understand!  She has chewed it ALL AROUND the room, about 12" in from the skirting board!!!

I've only ever had terriers - currently a Border.
I love the fact that they don't grow up !.
I don't believe terriers are the only dogs to cause havoc in a house and my boy, although not always perfect with other dogs, has been and is perfect in the house. We had him at 16 weeks and his breeder had done an amazing job as he was already housetrained. In his 7 years there hasn't been a single accident in the house, not even a tiny tiddle !. I'd warned my husband that we could expect problems with chewing (he'd never owned a dog before) but I needn't have worried. I told husband to never leave his slippers wear the puppy could get them but the one time I forgot my own warning I came home to find them placed side by side near the door (although he'd got left & right muddled up !!) without a mark on them. I wish I'd taken a picture. I was even given a lovely teddy bear for my 40th from three friends. When I moved my presents upstairs I forgot to put it out of reach and left it on the spare bed. I discovered it, completely intact, on top of his toy box !. Maybe we've been lucky but as a puppy I did give him lots of time and he was rarely bored. He knew what he could and couldn't have and he's always been kept stimulated.
I imagine any breed can be destructive if it's allowed to become bored.

I am the same. None of my Terriers every chewed or caused havoc.. now my boxer and our Lab well that was a different story all together LOL pain of naughty girls

ROFL!!!!      

I love it!

You should try living with it   I always wonder what sort of dog he would have been if we had had him from a tiny pup. He was brilliant today when we reached the brow of a hill only to find 3 very large dogs, all on lead, appearing over the opposite side. I carried on walking but turned off from the path, whistled to him wondering how on earth I was going to get his attention from three very exciting looking dogs - and he instantly turned and ran back to me. Wish that was always the way

> I have a jack-russell x border collie.
> She is currently my oldest at nearly 8yrs.
> She is the one who barks the most at the doorbell,
> is the only one who is afraid of fireworks,
> licks things if she gets nervous,
> and eats like its her last ever meal.....
> She is also my most loyal,
> my most obedient dog,
> she loves to be cuddled,
> loves to play ball,
> is friendly to all visitors,
> is fine with rabbits, G'pigs and cats

Have you got my girls twin sister????? You've just described my almost 8 year old collie terrier x to a t!

> Have you got my girls twin sister?

Ha, maybe. If I was a little more technically minded I would add a photo of her but sadly... I'm not LOL
Paula

I find it really odd that most people with terrier crosses seem to blame the terrier bit with any undesirable trait.  I've had GSDs, a cross (lab x?), Boston Terrier, Yorkie and Cairn Terriers.   The GSDs barked as much, if not more, than any of the terriers.  The cross was a rescue and never formed an attachment with people, I think she had been shut in a bathroom most of her young life because she was terrified of bathrooms when she first arrived.  She developed a skin condition and multiple other problems.  One of my GSDs was the "dumbest" dogs I'd ever owned and one of them was amongst the smartest.  The smartest dog I ever owned - both in terms of her ability to learn and her very refined understanding of human behaviour and how to manipulate it -- was a Yorkie.  

The only difference I've noticed that rang true regardless of the breed was that smart or dumb, dogs bred to work under human direction were more reliable when it comes to obeying commands.  They all pick them up quickly, but dogs bred to work independently are more likely to carry on doing so. 

No dog has every made me laugh as much as terriers, so for me as long as I have dogs I will have a terrier ... and as many other breeds as I can manage!   

I am the same, I love a lot of breeds and can see good and bad in them all but for independent cleverness and cheeky antics for me the terrier does all that.   I have one just now that is loving the "Life" show and won't budge from the TV.

I think the terrier group is the 2nd most popular of the 7 groups, second only to the Gundog group so there is a lot of odd folk around.  Approx 40k registered last year and I would hate to hazzard a guess at home many unregistered. 

I have a Mini Schnauzer....does that count!

For all intents and purposes she is a Terrier!!! She loves digging, barking a speciality and loves chasing/harrassing small animals!  She also needs loads of attention, games, stimulation and walks .  We have hiccups and we deal with them, mostly with help from here.  I wuldn't swap her for the world nor would i change anything about her.  Ima is the most affectionate, cleverest and amusing dog i have ever owned.  Her occasional terrier traits can be ignored because she is so very very willing. 

Hard work definitely, now if she was crossed with a BC i'm guessing this would up the ante with regards to training and patience.  Not a job undertaken too lightly!!!!  You would have to love her/him unconditionally lol.  

I think it depends on the Terrier. Not ALL Terriers like digging, barking, chasing things and need a lot mental stimulation. I don't like to see terriers getting bad names lol. Having said that, you do need to do your homework before getting one, especially before getting a cross from a lines you can't check. I have 5 Terriers and none of them dig, and they only bark at things that need barking at! But I have seen countless dogs from the same breeds that have completely different temperaments. I suspect a TerrierXBorder Collie will be hardwork and not something to take on without serious thought as to whether you can provide the correct lifestyle for the dog.