Hi . A friend wants to know where he can get a border Collie pup that has a good Temperament .
Any Advice would be very much appreciated ..

what are are you ?

Do you mean where am i ?? I am in Devon

yes sorry lol............P.MD U

More to the point, where is your friend? what does he want to do with the collie?  Does he know about collies and their habits...ie give him a job or he goes self employed??? what does he mean by a good temperament?  how far does he want to travel? does he want a KC only, ISDS or what the KC call Working Sheepdog?

Have also PM'd you.

> Does he know about collies and their habits...ie give him a job or he goes self employed??

Excellant phrasing and so true!

Hi sorry for not getting back sooner ... My friend has always wanted a BC even though i have said they need plenty of Excercise ..
He just wants one as a pet as he does do lots of walking.. Travelling not an issue ..
Don't think he is planning to get one for about 12 months ( when he plans to retire ) so the BC would always be with him

Whoops forgot to mention he is is South Devon .

Exercise plus mental stimulation is what they need, if he can offer that then he'll be fine.  I suggest he goes and meets a few before he decides they're definitely for him.  As for temperament, you can get them in all ranges.  The more show types may be more laid back (not typical collies), the farm/working types less laid back.  Having said that I have a collie from a farm near St Austell and he's very laid back, although to start with he never wanted to sleep, but he learnt to relax.  Dogs may be more laid back than bitches, but it does depend.  Suggest he talks to a few local breeders and gets to know them - then he'll know if he can live with one or not.  I have another who is wonderful, very laid back, no cross words with other dogs, lovely boy, whose sire was working sheep dog and whose dam is an agility dog.  His half niece is less laid back!  Yet her daughter is.  So it all depends.

Thankyou Makes all the difference to go and meet breeders and of course the dogs x

Just tell him to do his homework and find out how the pups are raised. A good breeder will be looking at matching the most appropriate pup to suit his personality and his lifestyle. Not all BCs have to go to do 'jobs'.

True, but most are happier if they're mentally stimulated and do have lots to do...breeders can only do their best to match, it's tough if they're all livewires and you have to tell someone they're not suitable for them to be owners.  As I said, some of the more showy types who don't 'work' their dogs may be more likely - although each are different, it's impossible to say a particular line would be suitable, or wouldn't.

You just can't tell what your pup is going to turn in to - I'm on my fifth BC - and up until 5 years ago worked full time.  My first three BC were all from working stock and because we are an easygoing household, they turned into very laid back characters from early on.  BUT there was someone home most of the time, so exercise and mental stimulation was never a problem.  When my mum (who lived with me) died, I made arrangements for someone to come in and out to the dogs (I have a rough collie as well).  My fourth BC was a real handful but was from a rescue centre who had him in as a stray.  He never calmed down!  The fifth BC is a pedigree from a breeder and has been the most highly strung and active of all of them but extremely biddable and teachable little bitch.  I've done Obedience work with all of them.  I'll never have any other breed, always usually have a "companion dog" for the BC hence the current rough collie, who is so laid back he is comatose most of the time LOL.
If your friend has the time and energy to give, a BC is a wonderful companion, but you have to be prepared for the mental challenge of a dog that in a lot of cases is smarter than it's owner and works things out before you even realise what it's doing - for instance, I moved house recently and all the doors downstairs are sliding doors, which my 13 year old BC has never seen before.  Within half an hour she had worked out which doors slid which way and no matter how I tried to shut her in a room, she was out within seconds!  They will work out their own games and expect you to understand how to play the game their way, and even teach you how they want to play.  Fabulous dogs but not for the couch potatoes

LOL ..will pass this on ..i have a rough collie ( 2years old ) who gets tired easily ...my previous roughs over the years would loved long walks ,
Roughs are a very easy breed to look after

All that's been said is true-ish, but what your friend needs to do is make sure she goes to a good breeder.

Not all in a litter are high energy, they're not all workaholics, nor do they need to be on the go all the time. They can and do make fabulous pets. If you have an out of control collie and do tons of exercise, then you just end up with a very fit out of control collie. There are plenty of collies that fit quite happily into the very important role of household pet. Yes, they need exercise, most dogs do, don't they? But that doesn't mean you have to do 10 mile hikes with them every day, nor do you have to give them the equivalent of MENSA tests on a daily basis. What you do need to do it make sure you go to a good breeder, one who wants the utmost best for their dogs, knows their dogs and will match the puppy to the owner. By 6-8 weeks old it IS possible to very successfully match up pup to an owner's life style, but not if you go to a breeder who hasn't bothered to watch the development of the puppy, picking out the ones that will go off to do very good jobs (whatever they may be) and the ones who will fit in nicely to a family pet role, and yes some will happily be couch potatoes ... so long as you exercise them a couple of times a day (which surely must be a minimum requirement for any breed?).

I have always had BCs/working sheepdogs, and I cannot imagine having any other breed, despite there being some fabulous dogs out there. But they really do not have to be on the go all the time!

There are also some super rescue dogs out there, the problem with rescues is you do not always get the 'true' story from the rescue centre. An organisation like the Border Collie Trust do fully assess their dogs and place them where appropriate, although I do have some issues as to where they wont place them!

Just tell your friend to do her research, get in touch with a number of breeders and ask tons of questions of them and anyone in her area with a BC. There's nowt better than personal recommendation!