Recently adopted mixed pup

[jamisond]

Hi all,

Before I adopted Violet from a local shelter in late April, I was told that she was a Pointer/Lab mix by one of the main volunteers. When I went to see her, her kennel said Staffordshire Terrier/Pointer. And her adoption papers say Border Collie mix. Woo! Confused yet?






Her coloring reminds me of a Collie, but the short coat, webbed toes, and long legs remind me of a Pointer. She is also fairly slim (only 25 lbs) but very muscular. And very, very fast. Her energy is pretty high, especially since she's still a puppy at almost 9 months, and has crazy moments where she runs around the house at full speed (hitting the back of my couch with all four feet).

The vet said she probably won't get much larger, but I wouldn't be surprised if she grew a bit in the next year. What do you guys think?

[emmabeth]

I think I would go with staffie x collie.

She cooooooould have some pointer in there but Pointers are not common.. staffies and collies are very common so its much much more likely a cross!

She looks lovely anyway, very very smart!

[jamisond]

I can see the terrier in her face, even though her hips are pretty lean. That must be the collie.

She is definitely very smart. I made a comment to my sister about how Violet reminded me of a raptor from Jurassic Park and how she'd be opening doors next. Well, I shouldn't have said that, because a few days later she jumped up on our front door, opened it somehow, and took off into the yard!

At the moment I'm trying to find toys that will appease her need to chew.

[UKChloeT]

Very cute!!
Her snout reminds me of a pointer but the ears definitely aren't so I don't think there's a great deal of pointer in her. Although the mad cap running round the house sounds familiar!

[jamisond]

Thanks! I take it you have a Pointer, UKChloeT? What's perplexing to me is that her body isn't as compact and stocky as a Staffie. She has a very defined waist and long legs, which looks more like a Pointer body. But that could also be the Border Collie. She's also not very large, as that gate she's next to is probably not much taller than 2 feet. And she's a great jumper. I have to say that gate isn't much of a deterrent. She can look over it while standing, and completely level it if she wants to. I'd like to start her on some very basic agility, since it would be great exercise and she's very responsive to patterns.



It's hard to get a good picture of her, as the only time when she's not moving around is when she's laying down.

[UKChloeT]

Our first family pet was a pointer, I am going back about 10 years though so my memory is a bit hazy
She might be a bit of a heinz, maybe a staffie x collie and a pointer.....it's so difficult to tell sometimes!

Either way she is beautiful x

[emmabeth]

I would be expecting a much MUCH stockier dog if she had pointer in there - they are quite big and chunky in comparison to a collie.

[jamisond]

And probably taller. The man who lives behind me has a Pointer (along with a Lab) and he/she is larger than Violet. Both dogs have also been trained to kill coyotes, as I was informed by their owner, and I shouldn't "let her wander into" his yard.

I'm trying to anticipate how much bigger she'll get, if at all, and what activities she'll enjoy the best. Not that breed really determines that, as there are always exceptions.

I have to say that this forum is probably the best thing that has happened to both me and Violet. She had no training when I got her at 7 months. The shelter had found her as a stray, and they didn't think that she had ever had an actual owner. Now she sits, lies down, rolls over, shakes, high fives, stays, and is potty trained unless I make the mistake of not getting her out in time. We're still working on our walks and recall, as she's definitely the easily-distracted puppy. Thankfully, she's a quick learner.

[GotaNewPup]

My dog looks EXACTLY like yours! Funny enough, we just adopted her and they told us 7 months as well. They told us lab/mastiff but that doesn't seem right. Your dog is by far the closest match we've seen so far. She pretty much looks exactly the same. Our girl just has more white with black spots on her legs. Does your dog have a bit of brindle in her coat?

Hopefully you still read this forum and will get a notification about this post.

Our girl had no training when we got her at the shelter but we've had her for just 4 days and she's already picking up wait, sit, lay down, come, etc.

She's also a very easily distracted pup. She has a very high prey instinct.. pigeons, little birds, squirrels and even leaves in the wind! She has a tendency to jump up on people in a very non aggressive way but nonetheless, she's a big girl so it's a bit scary for the victim. lol

She is completely house trained and doesn't seem to be much of a chewer. We give her lots and lots of exercise (3-4 hours a day). She could eat like a horse if we let her!

She's also a big sniffer! A mix of hunting breeds will do that, I suppose!

It would be great to hear if your dog is similar and if you ever found out what she's made of.

[marie estey]

She looks like my collie mix. lol My baby girl has two date of births. i have to admit that getting a dog from my shelter makes me nervous to get another but. Your baby deff looks a little collie she's oh so very cute

[Dorsia]

Just found your post when looking for dogs similar to mine. She is 6 months old, about 27lbs, and has almost the exact same markings. She was found in a park so I have no idea what she is. She is definitely part pit bull or staffordshire, maybe lab or collie. But she is so small it throws me off! Wish I could add a photo but it's not working from my phone.