Intelligence of collie crosses??

[Big Jim101 29]

i dont know if i should get a 50% collie first cross or a 25% so please advise! if i get only 25% (eg. collie/grey x whippet) will it be a bit lacking in brain, which i need as hell be working some hard ground and i need him well trained as hell be running around sheep. however if i get 50% collie first cross will he lack speed or the general prey drive?? any advice would be much appreciated!

[TOMO 26,791]

1/4 is plenty,,,, there still more intellagent than most of the members on here

[Big bald beautiful 1,231]

A 1/4 will be spot on.speed plenty and still bright enough

[steveS.Yorks 161]

1/4 is plenty,,,, there still more intellagent than most of the members on here

spot on mate.

 

Seriously,1/4 is plenty mate,and collie types can be the worst sheep worriers strangely enough,no guarantees that a dog with plenty of collie will automatically be safe with sheep,the answer to sheep worrying is early training of any cross.

[riohog 5,750]

ive had collie x about me for many years , yes they are inteligent but can become a nuisense as they get older they can become to selective as to what thy do and when ,, having said that a bit of sheep dog in the mix doesnt do any harm

[bird 9,982]

As TOMO said 1/4 is plenty, with 1xs you get good coat,feet,nose,enough speed for rabbits. But you can get of(a lot) brain , that sometimes you dont need, and a 1/4 bred could be more laid back than a 1x to work with

[Big Jim101 29]

ah well this is great news then!! i was really worried the dog wouldnt have enough brains if i went with just 1/4! minds pretty set on collie/grey x whippet now! just have to find some pups . . .

[TOMO 26,791]

ah well this is great news then!! i was really worried the dog wouldnt have enough brains if i went with just 1/4! minds pretty set on collie/grey x whippet now! just have to find some pups . . .

 

i am slightly biased though, as my dog is similar bred to what your after,, although mine is 1/4 kelpie rather than collie,,, but there very similar. very quik thinking , especialy ferreting,

[bradaz2009 9]

you could of just got a 5/8 3/8

[Big Jim101 29]

you could of just got a 5/8 3/8

 

Yeah that doesnt sound like a too bad idea either, but would it be harder to find one?

[bradaz2009 9]

not really pal but if u go for a 1/4 x dont get it off a 1/2 x to a grey jmo

[Big Jim101 29]

not really pal but if u go for a 1/4 x dont get it off a 1/2 x to a grey jmo

 

Oh ok, ill look into it. oh, any reason for that?

[steveS.Yorks 161]

Collie/grey x whippet/grey f1 mate,pretty safe bet.

[bradaz2009 9]

well if you use a grey you will get some pups that throw out like a grey and if u run hard terrain they no good really but jmo

[shepp 2,285]

Mine is a 50 / 50 line bred collie grey and looks exactally that. I would say she has at least 75% of the intelligence of a collie. She is pretty much like owning a collie.

 

The way I look at it, the greyhound puts some brain into the mix, most greyhounds appear so dim because of upbringing.

 

So whole brain of collIe, 1/2 brain of greyhound equals 3/4 collie brained lurcher.

 

Dilute this with a whippet, which is what I would like in the future and you produce dogs with still a very trainable mentality but with increased raw speed.

Edited March 5, 2011 by shepp