[Lava Lamp Freak]

A co-worker has puppies that are about six weeks old and I'm thinking of taking one. The mother is a Border Collie and the father is assumed to be a Chow Chow, since some of the puppies look like a Chow and the neighbor's Chow is the only unfenced dog in the neighborhood. First, I'm curious how a Collie / Chow breed will behave. I've been around Collies before, but don't know much about the Chow. Anyone here have experience with such a mix? Second, if I pick one of the puppies that looks like a Collie, will it have more Collie personality traits than a Chow? My family has raised dogs all of my childhood life, but this will be my first pet as an adult, so I'm a little nervous picking out a puppy who will be my friend for many years. Its much more difficult than picking out a new computer.

[RAILhead]

Get a cat. No turds in the yard when you mow.

[Mithras]

Border Collies: cute as heck but frcking lunatic
Chow: adorable, aloof, and stubborn

In short, I'd guess this pup will be lots of fun but highly energetic and a little weird around people. As a onetime biology undergrad, I'd say there's not much link between how "Collieish" a puppy looks and how "Collieish" it will behave -- those genes are most likely independently assorted in recombination.

In any case, dogs are wonderful & it's a great joy to have a first pet that's truly yours, so good luck!

[jckalen]

Get a cat. No turds in the yard when you mow.

Or a stuffed animal - no turds at all, very low maintenance.

[KeriVit]

Chows do not like other chows. Trust me. Alone, they can be the best dogs in the world. Put 2 together (especially 2 females) and it's a bloodbath. They are strong willed and can be aggressive.

[Andy8]

Originally Posted by jckalen

Or a stuffed animal - no turds at all, very low maintenance.

Get an Aibo - no mess or fuss, when you go on holidays just take out the battery pack :-D

[Cody Dawg]

Chow = Aggressive

[Oversoul]

Originally Posted by Andy8

Get an Aibo - no mess or fuss, when you go on holidays just take out the battery pack :-D

But Aibos have been discontinued.

[cwosigns]

eBay or craigslist Japan

[memento]

Chows can have the disposition to be aggressive, but not all are. Same with Shar Peis. My MIL had 2 shar peis and they were the sweetest dogs ever.

A mix is VERY hard to determine based on the 2 breeds. You don't really know which combo of traits you will have. A LOT has to do with how you train them and more importantly who the leader is. If you're the leader, then you won't have a problem. Your dog will be obedient and your best friend. But when you let them be the leader, "own" the house, then you will have problems. Either it will be a border collie lunatic or a stubborn and potentially aggressive chow. The real answer depends on you.

[Cody Dawg]

I agree. I've worked extensively with border collies.

They tend to be extremely energetic and very busy - imagine a dog with obsessive compulsive disorder - and persistant at doing what they want to do, period.

Chow Chows tend to be territorial on the mild side and aggressive on the extreme side and they are always stubborn.

So, if you get the wrong combination, you have the potential to end up with an aggressive dog that is extremely persistant with aggressiveness and stubborn about changing.

Personally, I think that the combination might present a serious problem, but a puppy is very cute and hard to resist.

If you do get a puppy, make sure that you get the dog spayed or neutered by six months to curb any sexual maturity problems (and it prevents breast and uterine cancer in female dogs and prevents male dogs from starting to mark your home) and be sure to take it to dog obedience as soon as possible. I'm talking about dog obedience classes, not just you teaching it obedience, because with a dog like that the interaction of other dogs behaving themselves in a public place is an indelible lesson.

If you do that then you might be okay.

[Lava Lamp Freak]

Thanks for all of the responses. I told the person today that I'm not going to take a puppy. I'm gonna do a little more research before picking a dog, since that is a long term commitment. Also I want to know both of the parent's temperment and history, and that is impossibile when you're not even sure who one of the parents was. I don't mind having a dog that needs a lot of excercise, since I do too, but I don't want a dog that is going to be hard to train and not like my friends coming around it.

[Cody Dawg]

That was very responsible of you.



Puppies, especially puppies like those of a border collie, require a LOT of attention and the potential for frustration and disappointment is very high. You will go through endless amounts of dog poo messes (and urine) to clean up, chewed toys, barking, whining, and even destruction around the house.

What you might want to do is watch Craigslist.org pets section for a city near your home and check in there and watch for dogs that people are trying to find homes for. A lot of them are a little older and housebroken and just need a new home.

Good luck!

[Millennium]

Border Collies are extremely intelligent, but they tend to get neurotic unless given something to do, particularly in the area of herding. Chows have a reputation for aggressiveness.

I'm not sure this is a combination that bodes well.