While we're on the subject I'll shamefully use this opportunity to show off my pup Noodle and also my first dog!(Naughty can be seen in the background, thats me mums) She's a Jug(Jack Russell/Pug cross with pedigree parents) and at 5months old when I recorded this video after 6 weeks of 1 day a week training she can do all this! So good luck to you Alan, and maybe one day have a dog as good as my Noodle! (yeah right, she's the best!)
noodle.wmv - FileFront.com
Try to excuse the barnet, I'm working nights so I don't care!
get a proper dog!!!
A border collie is a very bad choice as a first time owner, the dog is a working dog..it requires a lot (I mean A LOT) of work, you will not be able to keep up with this breed as a first time owner. If the dog does not get enough work, collie's become very destructive, and believe me you don't want that. Think new furniture in every room every week.
A good breed to get at the same sort of size and quite intelligent(this all depends on the amount of training, walks, and time spent on the dog) is a Labrador. This breed is fun, loving and gentle. It still requires work, don't think taking the dog on walks everyday is enough.
You need to let the dog out every 4 hours (less if it's a puppy), if you want it to be intelligent train it (just make sure the training is good, sitting down in a hall and walking around in circles with the dog is NOT good training) you can find a lot of information about this with your local vet practice (some even do puppy parties (the dog learns at a very early age how to interact with other puppies at the same age which is very important))
I'll go in to more detail if you like.
The Jack Russell I had for 14 years (we got it when I was 13 y.o. from the dog rescue place) was castrated at a young age, he had a wonderful temperment and was the happiest dog I have ever seen. He was well loved and cared for till the day he died, he always fitted in with other dogs and was never an outcast. Quite the opposite, he might have had his balls fixed but he was always after the bitches and it didn't stop his cock from working, just no doggy jizz for making puppies!
Labs/retriever's are the [Starter kits] for dogs