Rough collie V border collie V Whippet?

which one is better for our family?


we have a large garden, big house, a 10 yr old girl who adores dogs and knows how to train and handle a dog. she has handled yorkies, labradors and collies.





.. how much on average do they cost per week?


2. are they nice to live with?


3. would they be ok in an normal sized house with a large garden?


4. what are their down sides?


5. do they need lots of exercise?


6. if you were to lift them up and compare them in their weight to something else, what would it be?


7. how much do they need to be fed?


8. do they bark alot?


9. How much fur do they shed?


10. In England, how much would it cost to buy one?


11. Are they nice with children?


12. What are their bad habbits?


13. how to stop them from biting/scratching/jumping up you?





for 13 i know the rattle bottle technuque; does it work? I need to find breeders of whippets or collies in hemel hempstead, england. HELP!





also, if you claim there is a breed better than a collie or whippet, plz tell me and tell me

Rough collie V border collie V Whippet?
You are comparing 3 very different breeds/temperaments of dogs. Rough collie is a large dog that requires tons of grooming - they are a nice breed but labor intensive and a herding dog. A border collie is an extremely energetic dog that without a breed knowledgable owner and a herding job can be a very unhappy hyper destructive dog. A whippet is a sensitive, nice sized sleek coated dog that is a good companion - but being a sensitive sight hound has requirements to run in a large enclosed area and may enjoy "hunting" your small rodent pets. Being a hound they are not highly trainable trainable (not because they are stupid, because they are simply not very interested).





Narrow down your choices - you are almost asking do I want a race horse, a plow horse or a miniature horse? The differences and requirements of the breeds you mentioned vary greatly.





As far as costs ? It's expensive to take care of them properly.
Reply:I have had several rough collies. They are wonderful family dogs. They do bark (and some more than others), they do require some grooming, they have to be fenced because they have the herding instinct and want to "herd" everything they see (cars, bicycles, running children). However, they are precious companions. They require a lot of attention as they are devoted to their families. Collies can weigh anywhere from 50-75 pounds and more. Labs don't bark nearly as much. They do shed but have shorter hair. They too are very sweet animals when raised with good, caring families.I think labs are probably larger dogs than rough collies. Both are great with kids. I would not trust either of these breeds with rodent type pets. I don't know anything about whippets. If you aren't willing to spend a good deal of time with these dogs, I wouldn't get one at all. They are very social animals and love being with family. They don't thrive as well when left by themselves for extended periods.
Reply:Short answer - border collies, depending on how high their herding/predator urge it, will be the worst thing for you considering the other pets you have. Plus the energy level of this breed is astronomical. That being said, they make great pets, but require a bit of work. A rough collie, since it comes from the border collie, will be a slightly energy-diluted version, plus will have that beautiful coat to deal with (I have a sheltie, so I speak from experience).


I'm not familiar with whippets, but any type of sight hound will require exercise, though I might opt for the whippet. You are lucky in that you are in an area which has lots of reputable breeders of all three breeds that can provide extra information of their dogs, and the best breeders will tell you the pluses as well as the minuses of their breed.
Reply:border collies are working dogs and make good pets if they have plenty of exercise-I would say at least half an hour a day-


otherwise they just get very bored,because they are so clever-and love good friendly company.


they are real live wires and vary in nature,just like people.


theres probably collie clubs/groups that will advise on training,etc. I think labradors are more predictable than collies-
Reply:1. As people have mentioned border collies have been bred to extremely alert, energetic and clever. To an active, committed person this is ideal. But be honest with yourself- if you aren't the kind to stick to long term commitments, and aren't really active then you should get a different breed- A border collie will run rings round you and will drive you up the wall. If you do think you'd make good owners then a border collie would be ideal if your girl wanted to take her dog training skills further. The border collie is the star of obedience training and is the ideal dog to boost her confidence at training- as long as she genuinely knows what she's doing in the first place. Once the dog reaches 1 1/2 years old you could start doing agility- since your garden is big you could set up your own course at home.


Instead of getting a puppy you could go to a rescue centre and get an older dog- trust me, they may not be as cute to start with but that's what the puppy will turn into anyway ( if you're serious about the breed an adult should appeal to you as much as a puppy) and you don't have to go through all the toilet training, and mouthing, and lead training...there are always border collies in rescue by the million.


If you decided you aren't active enough or feel that once the novelty has worn off you won't feel like going for long walks, then a whippet is the best choice. I don't know a lot about them, but sighthounds were built for dashing, not marathon running, and if whippets are anything like my lurcher, then as long as they can have a good game, and a couple of mad dashes around the woods or wherever you go per day, then they'll be tired. Obedience with a dog like this is probably much lower.


I don't know much about rough collies but they are not as livewire as border collies. And their coat must take an awful lot of brushing and cleaning up after.


2. Most dogs can be 'nice to live with' as long as you don't reward attention- seeking behaviour, jumping up, nipping etc with your attention. Dogs learn that when they do something like jump up and you ignore them consistently that there's no point doing it. Since they don't understand english, even if you think you can train a dog to understand 'no' or 'down', it is still more of a reward than a punishment, since they are getting attention.


3. All of the breeds you mentioned I'm sure would be fine in your house and garden. I'm sure they'd be okay if you had a small garden as long as they had games and outings every day. Even a big garden- unless you use it for agility or something- doesn't really give a dog much exercise. Also, in my opinion, if you let a dog potter around by itself in the garden then you can expect that kind of independence when out on off- lead walks too.


4. Down sides I've already mentioned.


5. Yes for the collies. I worry slightly about the reason behind your asking this question. Don't get a collie of any kind if you know deep down you haven't got the interest in exercising it properly everday.


6. I can't think of anything to compare them to. However the average female like me could pick all them up fairly easily as long as you knew how to hold them in ther right way. The whippet is very easy.


7. You'll need to read the back of the food packet- it'll tell you how much. In dry food probably around around a pint glass full twice a day for the collies. The whippet less.


8. The whippet would probably be the least likely to bark. I've met some quite protective border collies before but as long as the puppy is well socialised and well trained it shouldn't be too much of a problem.


9. Whippets hardely anything. Rough collie- loads. Border collie- a bit.


10. I don't know but a pedigree dog may cost £500. Maybe more maybe less but they're not cheap.


11. I don't think any of the breeds you mention are bad with children. They, like most dogs can be lively though, so just keep an eye on them all the time.


12. I have met border collies who are hyper, like to herd things, possibly even nipping a bit, and who chase cars/ bikes. However these dogs were left to do as they pleased and not obedience trained. If you engage and train them using kind and fun methods they will look to you for fun and not look for 'naughty' things to do. All dogs can suffer with chewing when they're young, as well as other annoying things like sock- stealing, barking... so this sort of thing will happen no matter what dog you get.


13. Jumping up and scratching at you- ignore them. Turn your back to them when they jump up, and if they jump at your front just gently push them away. Don't say a word- not even 'down' or 'stop', or look them in the eye. When you come in just go and sit down for 5 minutes while still ignoring them. You can give them attention in a bit when they're calm and you decide to. It might seem harsh but it works, and is understood by the dog a lot more than your attempts at training them to sit in a certain spot, or any of the commands you can try and teach them, and they choose to stop jumping up themselves- you aren't making them- this is how to gain a dog's trust and attention.To be in control you need to play the role of 'alpha' wolf and naturally alphas would have their own space. You have yours. Jan Fennell's a great author on this sort of thing I think. I don't think there's any need for a shaker bottle here.





Good Luck.
Reply:all three dog breeds are completely different. most of what you are asking is about the individual dog within the breed. all can be nice to live with or they cannot. i can tell you that the whippet doesn't shed, whereas the other two do heavily. all need exercise but the collies need huge amounts. whippets hardly bark, and the other two don't bark much normally but individuals can be noisy. most of your other questions are up to the individual dog and how you raise it.


i personally like whippets very much. but they have some special needs. please do far more research on each of these breeds.


if you were in the states i would recommend looking into retired racing greyhounds.
Reply:i reccomend a collie. they do get along with other pets on many occasions, they are great with children, they sometimes bark a lot but you can get him debarked, they are great in average sized houses, are very loving and sweet, the rattle technique does work, they are not terrible to groom dependingon the color. tthe merle and white collies generally tangle and mat easier. i would reccomend tri or sable collies for shedding reasons. they sometimes can be difficult to train because they usually learn better by having the command and practice repeated continuously. their downsides are their shedding, but brushing often helps them. They can weigh between 60 and 80 lbs which is compared to picking up a child. in engkland i have no clue where to find a breeder in england but good luck!





p.s. one of the main reasons i would not reccomend a whippet is every one has some form of seperation anxiety.
Reply:I have a rough tri collie and she is very lovable. I recommend rough collies.


1. I don't know how much exactly. But the vet bill is pretty expensive but the dog food is pretty average: $30 per bag and we buy a new one about every one-two months.


2. They are very nice to live with! They are good-natured and good with families and children.


3. By garden do you mean backyard? Because they do need lots of space to run around.


4. I can't think of any down side except maybe they have to be brushed often.


5. Yes. If you don't have a large backyard, you need to take them for a walk at least twice a day.


6. When they're fully-grown ( I'm not sure about males since my collie is a female and female collies are smaller) about 50 lbs. and it's like picking up a kid I guess.


7. Once fully-grown they need to be fed about a bowl of dog food twice a day.


8. Yes, but not annoyingly so like chiuauas. It's not a problem normally except in the night but we just keep our dog inside if she starts barking.


9. Unfortunately, a lot. Especially when they are about a year old.


10. I don't know how much it would be in England, but in the U.S.A. it's about $600-$1000 for a purebred from a breeder.


11. Yes. They are good family dogs as I said before.


12. They like to eat random things is all I can think of right now.


13. I'm not sure. It depends on the dog. Unfortunately, we haven't come up with a method to stop our dog from jumping on us yet. I think if you take them to a training class you can learn techniques.


I am very happy with my collie. She loves people and I've never seen her get angry. She has lots of energy and likes to run around. She is very adorable and also smart. I hope you find the dog for you too.
Reply:I am tempted to say that any whippet that will not eat the hampster and rabbit needs to turn in its papers as a fraud. A BC on the same token needs about 10 hr of work to be satified with life or they drive their people nuts (you wouldn't beileve how many BC's are on prozac)
Reply:If you have this ten year old handler and trainer she will know how to train any dog how not to eat your existing pets. Strange that this precocious child can handle and train dogs and yet you apparently have very little knowledge of them and do not know how to stop them jumping up and biting and scratching.





Edit. I have just gone through some of your answers.


You quote your source as "Doggy knowledge" What's going on?
Reply:Uh, you need better information that what you have currently got. What are dogs? Answer : predatory carnivores who chase and kill prey. If you are setting up a dog to break your heart by killing your existing pets, then please don't get a dog!
Reply:Whippet.


2. great to live with, real characters.


3. I live in a 2 bed bungalow with a nice sized garden and my whip does fine.


4. Whippets can be alittle stubborn.


5. They are a sighthound and like ALL dogs need regular exercise, but equally happy as couch potatoes.!


6. Average weight would be about 9kg-12kg.


7. I feed my Whip twice a day. Small amount of breakfast and main meal in eveing.


8. Barking is down to your training. My whip only barks when we are playing or if someone comes to the door but stops as soon as i tell him to.


9. Shedding is little and compared to a collie the coat is very easy to take care of.


10. Don't know about cost you would need to find a reputable breeder and do some homework.


11. I have a 5yr old son and have never had any temperment problems, but i take care to take no risks, NO dog should be 100% trusted around children.


12. see Q4


13. Good training! As soon as your dog has finished vaccination course find a good puppy class.


I personally do not like the "rattle" tequniqe there are far kinder and effective ways to train a dog, positive reinforcement being one of them, again a good trainer can teach you this. 90% of a dog is down to the human training!


There is a huge difference between the breeds you have listed, whippets are my own personal experience having had them all my life so i'm biased!


Collies are great dogs but are a working breed and intelligent to boot, so need more exercise and more to stimulate them.


Hope this helps
Reply:I have 2 Border Collies and they are very hard work, gorgeous dog's but time consuming as you have to keep them occupied, you have to keep an eye on them around young children as there herding instinct can over take and they are prone to nipping when they do this, it depends how far down the line from working dogs they are.