Pointer x Border Collie
Rescue
Living with 2 Pointer x Border Collie's by member Katerlina
Well - what can I say about my two boys? They are twins - and we have had all the attendant problems of training two dogs at once - we also didn't get them until they were 8 months old, from the Dogs Trust, and they have never been seperated - so most of our 'problems' stem from their habit of leading each other astray rather than particular breed issues.
Health
Both pretty robust as most cross-breeds are - a reason why I would choose a cross over a pedigree any day. Gideon gets occasional allergic reactions - wheat is one, leading us to choose rice or oat based foods. But apart from George making himself sick with stolen food in the past (see below!) no health issues.
Feeding
Apart from the above no problems apart from George's food obsession (anyone seeing my facebook status about my broken dishes will know how much of a pain this can be!). He can't stop hunting for food. Everything on the kitchen sideboard that even vaguely smells of food (even clean items) is fair game, he will go through the bin if he can get to it, and will eat all my grapes out of the fruit bowl or the cat food etc. etc. Nothing too unusual - but seems to be a gundog trait (all gundogs/ gundog crosses I have ever know seem to be food obsessed). Our solution is the only one it can be which is to remove source of temptation - which, unfortunately, we forget now and then!
Children
They are both brilliant with kids. Occasional overexcitment leading to over-enthusiatic rough and tumble - but never bad temper, never exhibited a second of irritation with any of the many small children we know, they share toys well and have very soft mouths - not fighting us about returning toys or food that we give them. I am about to have a baby - but have no worries at all about the dogs (apart from expecting a bit of light sulking at the attention-deficit!).
Exercise
They get one 45 min walk every day - we have been a bit slack of late (what with me being heavily pregnant and my partner Mark trying to work 16 hour days) but the boys always get a walk whatever the weather of time of day and apart from occasional nuttiness' (running around the house chasing each other) they are content to sleep in whichever room Mark or I am in. It is my firm belief that even if they just get a half hour round the field - it is the sacred duty of a dog owner to exercise their dog EVERYDAY! The amount of bad behaviour of most dogs can be linked to the amount of walking they get each day, I often find.
Our two love to go to the forest, and I do let them disappear out of sight chasing stuff. It's a safe environment, and it wipes them out for the rest of the day! The only time one did not return was when Gideon came across some 'helpful' teenage girls on one of his chases, who put him on a lead and called the Keepsafe number on his collar! After a frantic half hour I got him back - he never looked so pleased to see me!
Other dogs
Our biggest problem is that we have a ready made 'pack'. George or Gideon alone are far more likely to behave well around other dogs than if the two of them go charging up and start pawing at and jumping on other dogs. I usually put Gideon on a lead if I see other dogs approaching, because he is the 'rudest' of the two - George will go up and say hello, but without backup he is easily 'scared off' or will come away without getting himself snapped or barked at. Gideon goes into 'small man in a pub mode' even with our neighbours Weimaraner! And consequently, he gets growled and snapped at more ofen than George... i would give them a 2.5 out of 5 in general for behaviour with other dogs, if the dog is as boistrous and excitable as they are - then usually everyone settles into a game of chase and jump on backs and nobody is offended, if not then they tend to try and dominate the other dogs and create aggressive situations.... I don't think it is a 'breed' thing - more of a 'pack' thing.
Toys
Gideon LOVES playing fetch. It is his raison d'etre. He will fetch a ball for hours and hours given the chance and it is an incredibly useful way of distracting him from other dogs, keeping him nearby and generally gaining some control over him in difficult situations. He will come running for a ball over a treat any day. George however, kills and maims toys. He will chew up anything. I came in to find the plastic cat bowl reduced to 20-odd red plastic lumps the other day... We have found only kongs and a weird canvas thing have survived any length of time around George - and this is largely because if he can't kill it in the first half hour or so - he gets bored and ignores it forever afterwards. Not a big toy lover.
Affection
Both are very lovey, Gideon (collie-boy) is particularly demanding of it - he does that thing that I have experienced with other collies of pushing your arm up with his nose til he gets a scratch of his tummy... George is more the stoic gundog type - will sit by you and put his head on your lap and sleep there without demanding anythig else, while Gideon writhes around trying to get you to scratch his tummy to the point where you chuck him on the floor going 'BUGGER OFF!'... i still love him though!