BCs easier than Aussies?

Oh sure sure JUST HAD TO BRING THAT UP AGAIN didn't you?? :'(

Getting cussed out on course...very sad...



I wonder if I have that video somewhere...I don't know if I ever received it...

I find my borders have more of a sense of humor than anything else, the drive and working ethics are usually right up there too. I've been told aussies are more sensitive and thinking dogs where border collies, not so much. Ask a border collie to jump off a cliff and they will. Ask an aussie and they will look at you, think about it and take the path down. To a point, mine are not insane to the point of injuring themselves, but I have seen that for sure in some border collies.

A lot of that too is handler/trainer, sometimes I think people put a lot more into the perfect breed and puppy when they can do/undo a lot in a dog when they get it home and work with it.

My advice would be to look at both, see both in your area as far as breeders and such and then decide.

Wow. What????

I could see some one heavily involved in dog sports, who wants a competitive dog with high drive and focus maybe getting frustrated by Aussie exuberance. But generally speaking Aussies tend to be sooooo much more adaptable, friendly and easy going compared to BCs. I've only met one Aussie who was as high strung as my BC... and yes, she was an annoying lunatic, but she was also very friendly and hilarious. I haven't met an aggressive Aussie ever, whereas a good portion of the BCs I know are selective at the very least. Your breeder makes a huge difference, but BCs are much more serious (even though they inadvertently make themselves look like dorks) and Aussies are much more clownish. Even their standards call for a huge temperament difference. However, if you prefer a serious dog BCs might seem easier.

I admit I haven't really. My Aussie is from a mediocre show/pet breeder. Though she's one of the most BCish Aussies I know, and a number of other sport people have mentioned it too. I like how serious Cohen is while working, and she's definitely not the effervescent bubbly typical Aussie at all. She's small, lithe and intense. She's very barky though, so she's retained that aspect of her heritage. Yay...

The sport/working Aussies I've met are all seem pretty hard headed and reactive and don't really do it for me. I'm pretty stuck on going BC next, assuming I can ever get my husband to agree. It'd be nice if I could tell him "Oh, this next dog will be a breeze... much easier than Cohen..."

You never know I find Spy much easier to have around than my old dog Tucker. While he is more demanding when it comes to exercise, I generally find him easier to be around because we mesh better. And Tucker was a golden mix, so just because a dog is traditionally considered 'easier' or 'harder' doesn't say much.

Personally I find ACDs easier then either BCs or aussies, but everyone has different definations on what is an "easy" dog. I have found BCs & aussies have problems "settling" like in the house, they always have to be doing something or want to do something, they dont have an "off" button, whereist (as a rule now, there are exceptions in every breed... even mine) aussies & BCs usually dont.

I get this, in part. Herders are oh so not for me. I researched the h*ll out of cresties, frenchies, another American cocker breeder and mini poodles. Now that I have a crestie in my own home.. He's cute, he's funny. I'm glad I took him in, but you know... not the breed for me. Seems to have shown me maybe cockers are my breed.

Slash V is one of the bigger name working aussie kennels. I've heard good things about them. My trainer (who sadly passed away) had a very classic working bred dog. Very different kind of dog from the show aussies I'm used to. I think she said she was mainly Pincie Creek and other pretty typical working dogs.

Slash V is one of the older kennels and is peppered throughout much of the working lines. They're also known for being incredibly sharp dogs, which has caused some controversy. Pincie Creek has historical credence as well, though their insistence on continuing Merle to Merle breedings has earned them a black mark in a lot of books. they also feature heavily in Slash V and vice versa and have some of the same temperament complaints.

I am a huge fan of the Hangin ' Tree lines; also Windermere. Also Twin Oaks. My favorite breeder of all is Ad Astra and they use the old school lines and maintain what I consider to be proper Aussie temperaments and working ethics.

In our region, I see far more reactive Aussies than BC. Most of the male BC I know are phenomenal with other dogs and people. The females tend to be...female. I can't offhand think of any Aussies I know who are uniformly good with other dogs.

I agree that it is entirely up to what the individual owner finds "easy". All the traits that Fran listed, where she comes down on the Aussie side - I think "I couldn't live with that 24/7" and come down on the BC side. It doesn't mean either breed isn't wonderful and easy for the right person - it's just what works for you.

I found Gusto to be a tough puppy, but circumstances weren't ideal and he's the first (and, god willing, only) puppy I've raised. He's a very easy young adult for me. My mother wants to rip her hair out many days, thanks to him.

I haven't seen too many Aussies in these parts (don't know about other states) who have no desire to work & by work I mean herding/moving stock. I never saw an Aussie move stock (cattle which is what they were bred to do) like a good ACD does.

I think that over breeding & popularity pleagues both BCs & Aussies nowadays. Also the introduction of show lines & deviating from the working lines.

Ok, what? I have had my fair share of experience with both Aussies and BCs (obviously), and I totally don't understand what you're trying to say. One, what does herding ability have to do with temperament? She said herself that she finds the working/sport line Aussies to be too hard headed/ reactive for her taste. Two, how much experience do you actually have with either of these breeds? I see plenty of Aussies (from a variety of lineage by the way) that are very talented cow dogs. There is a great working BC/working Aussie breeder who has shown her dogs in conformation and they are very strong on cattle/sheep.

I love working line BCs, but to be entirely honest their temperaments are not always suitable for mainstream society. Their bred to be highly alert, they were never required to be good in public as they were at their farm 90% of the time- and they are not bred to be friendly and outgoing like a Golden. Of course that is not true of every working BC, but the simple fact is- they were not bred to handle our high stress environment originally. Most working breeders have adapted their lines to be suitable for more urban environments, but those underlying issues may still be there.

Temperaments are still a fairly big issue in BCs, because no one can seem to decide what a "proper" BC temperament is. 80% of the Aussies I know are from show lines, and I find them to be very pleasant... so I'm not really sure what that has to do with how "easy" they are. If anything I'd say your average Aussie was a more laid back dog than your average BC.

I was referring to the show lines that have come up in recent years not the old foundation working lines.

I just don't understand why someone would want any working breed if they need a less intense version? It kind of is counterintuitive to the essence of owning a herding/working dog.

Even Bear, the calmest, most well adjusted dog in like .... Ever has a LOT of drive & if he finds prey he will go after it til it's dead, simple as that, hence why he has been to the E vet four times for rattle snake bites, but all four times he killed that snake.

I would describe bear as being an intense high drive dog, even though on the surface he doesn't seem so, which is the way I would describe most of the "ranch bred" Aussies/BCs I have met.