I often receive Puppy Applications where the folks specify that they plan to manage the puppy as a 24/7 Outdoor Dog.  This application arrived and all else seemed like a great home.  The dog was to be a pet and also trained in herding to be used on a "Dude Ranch" to present herding demos to visitors.  Here is my response:

Yours sounds like a good home for one of the puppies, but I do have a few concerns which I think can be addressed simply with some education from me, the breeder.

 

As a professional dog trainer, I am familiar with the wife's tale that dogs need to be outdoors running much of the time.  Living in a rural community, many of my dog training clients are of this opinion.  They are usually surprised when I explain to them that their dog's behavioral issues stem from the excessive lack of management when they allow the dog to be outside, running loose much of the day and night.  Proper management (even more than training) is the first building block towards the rearing of a well behaved, psychologically well balanced dog.

 

I see on your application that you plan to manage the puppy outside 24/7 (daytime and evening management, "outdoors").  First, I should say that I won't place a puppy into that situation.  But, second, I do want to understand what a potential puppy buyer means when they choose those options, and I want to explain why it isn't a good idea, if the folks want a well behaved, healthy (both physically and mentally) Border Collie.  Often, with this information, a potential puppy buyer will admit that they actually want to keep the dog indoors, but thought it should be outside all the time.  Other times, the folks are adamant about keeping the dog outside.  Then, I simply feel they should seek a puppy from another source. 

 

As you know, a Border Collie is a herding-working dog that is designed to work with and for man at herding tasks.  This means that the folks who own them need to realize the dog's expectations for high level management and leadership.  A herding dog cannot do the job for which it was bred without a human being present.  A dog moving livestock about without a human in the picture is typically called "chasing" or "molesting" and those dogs tend to be shot because they are running someone's valuable animals.  Herding (as opposed to chasing / running / molesting) cannot be done without a human.  So, this breed not only wants but NEEDS a strong human in its life, especially when outdoors.  And, if there are livestock around to be "herded", you can bet an unsupervised Border Collie pup is going to get into trouble (potentially kill livestock or injure itself).

 

While running on wide open spaces might satisfy a Border Collie's need for physical exertion, it does nothing to satisfy the dog's mind and it cannot develop a strong bond and relationship with the human in its life.  Being one of the most intelligent breeds (if not The most intelligent one), a Border Collie left outdoors without supervision for hours on end WILL find something to do, and it probably won't be "good" in the eyes of the humans.  This is true even if the dog is left for hours in a fenced yard.   Whenever someone informs me that their dog jumps fences, I know that the dog isn't getting what it needs, from a mental / relationship perspective, and it is being left outdoors alone too much.  Contrary to the ol' folklore, dogs don't want to be outside, alone for hours on end.  They want to be with their humans.  Dogs left outdoors at night to sleep are being stripped of one of the most highly prized values of the domestic canine world;  being an accepted member of the pack.

If you want your Border Collie to have the desire to work hard for you, you need to give it what it requires in return.  Leaving it outside day and night isn't acceptable from the dog's perspective and he will find other outlets for his intense devotion - be that chasing shadows, chasing cars, or killing small animals.   The breed comes with a huge capacity for unwavering loyalty.  But, it doesn't come free.  You need to earn it through proper management, socialization and training.

 

 In my opinion, a young Border Collie puppy MUST be maintained indoors, crated when not supervised, and allowed to grow properly mentally and physically.  To develop properly, the pup requires lots of down time to sleep.  A puppy left outdoors will not sleep as soundly (because it is scary out there - you would be surprised how, even domestic cats, will torment a puppy or a dog), so it won't have as much rejuvenation time to grow a strong skeleton and muscles and it will be mentally less able to handle the stress of growth.  It also needs a high level of time with its humans at this impressionable age in order to develop strong social bonds, learn the boundaries and limits that will be imposed on it, and learn to yield to humans.  When a dog is left outdoors much of the time, valuable time that can contribute to development of a proper relationship can be (and usually is) lost.  "Outside" dogs are usually described as more challenging to handle - they learn to jump up on people with muddy paws every time they get someone to come close to them, because they are aching for human companionship.  So, people quit visiting the dog and learn to toss food towards him rather than deal with the paws and the mud and the anti-social behavior of the dog.  I'm not saying that would be the way you plan to manage your dog, but that is my experience, as a professional dog trainer dealing with thousands of people and their dogs when they manage the dog outdoors.  When the dog is managed indoors, people are more apt to train it to be socially compliant, have manners etc.. because they view it as a member of the family and it must behave around visitors and children - so the owners put the time into the training.

 

Other than that issue of management, yours sounds like a great home for a Border Collie puppy.  You will, of course, need to seek good professional guidance when you start your pup in herding.  The dog and the livestock and most importantly the human handler can all be seriously damaged if a "green" dog is put on livestock that are not WELL-DOG-BROKE, especially with a "green" handler.  It's not just a matter of putting a herding pup with livestock and letting them have a go at it.  You can ruin a dog very quickly, and possibly permanently if you don't introduce the dog to stock properly.

 

Let me know what you are thinking in terms of managing the pup and the adult dog.  If you or your wife are strongly opposed to having this dog as an indoor member of your family as well as your herding working partner, I think you would be best served finding a puppy elsewhere.  But, if you would be willing to maintain this dog as I suggest, purchasing a puppy from me comes with a lifetime of dedication and commitment, professional dog trainer experience and of course, the puppy will be well socialized and comes with a super pedigree, healthy parents and the pup has a chance for greatness in the right hands.