I’m thinking of adding a one-year old lab/terrier mix to my dog herd. Has anyone had this type of mix before? I have two labs and a border collie and haven’t had experience with a terrier mix.
He’s about 30lbs, neutered/great health, loves people, and peaceful with other dogs. My current dogs are all females.
Here he is at his temporary home:
Oh bring him home. My Cin is, I think, a golden terrier. Definitely terrier, based on personality, lots of energy, but your border collie should be able to handle that.
Cute Cin! Love the fur color. In a perfect world, taking in the new dog would give my BC the stimulation she doesn’t get from her two elder sisters (11 and 12yo).
In my nightmare world, the pack position skirmishes that happen once in a while would intensify.
What do the people fostering him say he’s like? They’re going to know a lot more about this individual dog than you can guess by looking at his parentage (if they’re even correct about that).
IME, a terrier mix is likely to be difficult to train - they often don’t have the “please humans” mentality that many breeds do. They can be very stubborn and hardheaded. And they have a TON of energy.
Labs tend to be stubborn, but it is offset by their need to please their human that makes them very trainable. Some are lazy, some are whirlwinds.
So it sounds very likely to be a dog with a huge amount of energy that will need a lot of exercise. Aside from that, it’s just going to depend on the dog. There’s a good chance he will be hard to train and will require a lot of discipline, but not necessarily.
The biggest drawback I can see is if you end up with a Lab-sized terrier. Run for your lives! 
Hi Redtail: I’m not sure that any critter on earth can rival my border collie in energy; your statement above is very funny.
His foster mom owns a dog grooming and training shop and says that he is very gentle and seems to like being petted above anything else. I have not met the doggie in person (yet).
What a sweet-looking dog. Terriers are just crazy–loads of energy; too smart for their own good; and they generally lack the people-pleasing gene.
With most dogs, you find their high-value item and use that to train. Good luck figuring out what a terrier considers high value; it could be anything. However, having a Border means that you are used to high-energy dogs. I hasten to add that there are exceptions to every ‘rule’ so this boy may be the very picture of lap-dogitude. And he’s a terrier-mix so your chances of some mellowness increases as he ages.
Even given what I have said about terriers, and the fact that I have sworn never to add another to my pack…I’d probably be swept away by that guy. He’s just adorable!
Never get a beagle… 
Stretch > I’ve heard the beagle warning from many people. Thank goodness I’ve never found one and fell in love with him; that’s how I got the three critters I have now.
It looks as if we might be able to give Mr. terrier mix a trial weekend at our house to see if he can apply to become a crew member.
Oh, cute. What kind of terrier? He looks schnauzer-y to me.
I for one love the ‘scrappy’ typical terrior personality. People-pleasing dogs aren’t my thing - thankfully, because I have two free-thinkers.
Anyone who has a happy Border Collie can handle an active Lab mix. I say take him, if you want 4 dogs. I think adding it’s doubtful adding a male dog to your all-bitch pack is going to hurt dynamics or create more conflict. I’ve had the best luck with opposite sex pairings, all serious arguments have been male-male or female-female.
I haven’t seen him in person yet, but from his pics he does have that schnauzer-y look.
I do feel as if I can handle wild hyenas, cobras, and killer whales after training my BC to be a (somewhat) responsible canine citizen. Whew! She was a pawful.
My experience with same-sex fighting matches yours; once in a while my eldest girls go at one another as if they haven’t lived tail-to-tail for 11 years.
UPDATE: I’m keeping the dog, he is wonderful – silly, loving, happy, obedient, and totally non-aggressive re: pack hierarchy – and, after some research, I am almost certain that he is a purebred . . .
GERMAN WIREHAIRED POINTER!
How and why an expensive, trained hunting dog came to be wandering around Manhattan we’ll never know, but I’m glad that we found each other. Woofs!
Congrats! He’s a lucky dog to find such a good home.