They are not for the first time owner, that's for sure. I can't remember what thread it was, but someone posted a list of dogs that someone had recommended for 1st time owners and a BC was on the list. I'm assuming because of how smart it is, it's easy to train and that was the good point. Otherwise, if you want to know how easy it is to keep a BC, read Jon Katz's book A Dog Year. It talks about how he 'rescued' a former show obedience BC and the trials and tribulations he went through with it. Great read! And I think fairly typical, Devon is a little worse than most at the beginning, but the BC drive and personality definitely presents itself.