[Raritta]

Hello I'm not a dog owner but I'd really like to become one in some time.

My favourite breed so far is rough collie. I love the fact that they don't require long hours of daily walks, their pretty coat and intelligence. I was nearly sure I wanted to get one.

On the other hand, I've had this abstract thought that I wanted a dog who'd be able to protect me on evening walks in case of getting bothered by someone, as I'm a woman.
Do you have any idea of breed that would fulfill all these points? Or maybe a trained collie would cope with that?

Have a nice evening!

 

[Moonstream]

You choose the perfect breed by figuring out your ideal energy level, exercise requirements, any specific temperament traits you are looking for (common examples: protective, easily trainable, easygoing/generally good with other dogs, etc), size preferences, grooming commitment, and considering the general "look" you like as well as any color/pattern preferences.

I always also advise considering what behavioral traits may be especially unnerving to you, or completely unacceptable, and to read between the lines in breed standard descriptions. For example, many breeds are supposed to be aloof towards strangers. In an appropriate temperament (confident, assertive), that can mean that the dog will occasionally test the waters as it grows up and decide "hey I think that person should go away" and say something about it (bark/growl). Part of raising that breed will involve expecting to have to address a dog inappropriately policing a stranger's movement/activity. In a dog with a less confident, more nervous temperament, that could mean a dog easily inclined towards reactivity to strangers.

From my research of rough collies, I place them in a similar category as Goldens, though more attached to specifically their people and with a more careful demeanor than an exuberant retriever- but a generally amiable dog, intrinsically motivated by handler praise and input, generally accepting of strange humans and dogs.

Whether a dog will protect you when it really comes down to it is a cr*pshoot, especially in a softer spoken breed like a Collie, and depends very much on the individual temperament traits of the dog in question. I'm sure there are plenty of Collies who would, and plenty who would not. As a breed, I wouldn't consider "stand and fight" as a highly selected response in that situation, but I also wouldn't consider any other response to be highly selected, either. Collies are a relatively large dog, and I have heard a lot of people report people being wary of their tricolor dogs (which are mostly black) vs other collies they've owned of similar temperaments but different colors.

IMO, a breed who has been selected more to protect is also going to come with other challenges you won't have with a Collie. Something like a Groendel or Teuveren (the black or fawn longhaired Belgian Shepherd coat varieties; separate breeds in the US but not in europe) is similar in looks and size and IMO more likely to be protective, but they're going to have higher energy requirements, are more reactive, and are less easy going about unknown humans and dogs.

 

[FinnAlva]

Collies are fairly large so some people might back up for that reason. My Alva might have barked at suspicious people. I live in a safe environment so I don't really need a protective dog or I only need a loud deep bark and dark coloring. I feel safer though when I'm not alone.

Although rough collies are calmer and less demanding than say, Malinois or border collies, they love to do things with their humans. They love long walks in the woods. Alva liked agility. She loved to play. I took her geocaching. She didn't like swimming much. She was a perfect city dog yet loved our summer place in the woods. That is her last resting place.

Alva's apprentice is a Belgian Tervuren. Although this breed is nowadays often a companion, it is more energetic, drivey and destructive. Well, Pulma hasn't destroyed anything yet but she's needed a lot more work than Alva whose training looked like she was the demo dog in some book. Pulma also is obviously more restless if I haven't exercised her for a few days. I really understood how easy-going Alva was after raising Pulma.
And at the moment, Alva was more confident than Pulma, but Pulma is young and still developing. Pulma will bark at suspicious things but her opinion of suspicious may differ from mine. She reacts fast and she reacts big to different things. She is not aggressive nor fearful.

I could have another collie. Alva was so lovely.

 

[Raritta]

Thank you for the answers! I appreciate them so much

 

[jessi.ng]

hi,

i think rough collie is perfect for protecting you.
A dog breed that's well-known for herding and protecting abilities, rough collie dogs are described as strong, loyal, affectionate, responsive, and fast. The rough-coated collie has a beautiful long coat that flows as he runs, and his head is a smooth and elegant wedge shape.

Regarding to time for walk out,
they need companionship and daily runs or long walks. Although they are a little less active than border collies, rough collies do need at least forty-five to sixty minutes of outdoor activity every day. They have high energy level when outside, low energy level when indoors.
So you can refer this point.