Off the topic, but I was so happy to read that you may have found a new dog! (Or at least a foster that sounds like he fits in well.) 
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I’d suggest avoiding Aussies! While there are some that have decent temperament if you get a well-bred pup from a show breeder, the vast majority that I deal with in the average pet population is definitely lacking in temperament. Many are dog-aggressive and/or aggressive with strangers.
Since you have a Cocker and want another smallish breed, consider a Field Spaniel, Sussex Spaniel, Clumber Spaniel, Boykin, Kooikerhundje, or Small Munsterlander.
As always, go to a reputable, preservation breeder who belongs to their national club, and breeds for show or performance, and does all health checks recommended by the national breed club.
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I think any purebred or mutt you choose, you have to do some temperament testing. While my Aussie is the only dog allowed at the barn, the barn owner’s Lab is not allowed to be unsupervised. He is usually OK, but if horses run or cavort in turnout/pasture, he gets jazzed and starts barking and chasing them and won’t be called off. I don’t think picking a breed and saying they’re great with animals, kids, etc. can be assumed. Just like saying all Arabs are hot or all QHs are laid back, etc. There are exceptions to any blanket statement.
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It’s a shame but it seems like I can find really nice minded horses easily enough… but dogs seem to have a lot of problems (either anxiety, timidness or aggression).
If I can find a smaller lab mix that might work. This may take some time. Good thing I’m not in a rush.
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Anyone know about Canoe Labs? No idea if these dogs are reputable and sound.
Basically, labs bred to be smaller, 35-50 lbs. So that they don’t turn over a canoe, jumping in and out.
Define “horse friendly?”
I think many dogs can be trained to ignore horses, especially those that are around them all day long. So, if you own your own barn and want your dog in the barn, maybe, but much of that is training and exposure. I certainly wouldn’t assume “herding breed” = “horse friendly”…but of course many herding breeds are highly intelligent and can learn.
So - describe your setup? Fenced yard or not?
Some large breeders work this way but I know very few reputable breeders that routinely place their breeding stock after retirement. A breeder that does this with all their breeding stock would be a red flag in my book. It is possible to get an older dog from a good breeder /network of breeders, but it is not typical that most breeders will turn over their kennel every 2-4 years.
As a Brittany owner, I would say that this breed can be good around horses, but I wouldn’t want one without good fencing unless you live in an extremely rural area. They are good hunters and will be happy to hunt without you if you are not able to join them.
If you like your cocker, what about another one?
I definitely would shy away from the $500 backyard Aussies - if your not rescuing (legit resue), then I would insist on health tested parents and you won’t usually see that in $500 puppies. Hip tested, at a bare minimum.
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I would personally never buy a “bred down” version of any breed. Mainly because there isn’t a breeding pool big enough for this to be done well. If a breeder is only selecting the smaller of its progeny to re-breed so that size is achieved, they have to be ignoring other traits (health, temperament, etc.) and likely breeding too close to parents (high inbreeding coefficient) so the likelihood of other heritable defects is higher.
If you did choose to buy one, I would absolutely insist on the full complement of health testing of parents and would probably check the breeding line as well. (e.g. not only should parents have OFA records, but grand and great-grand parents as well). It’s not that hard or expensive to have these done.
(As a purebred owner, I could probably guarantee that my dogs’ lineage has at least 10 generations of passing hip scores – I would guess more, but I would have to do some research.)
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Me too, Cat_Tap - he sounds like a very good fit for you, and potentially the companion that you have wanted,
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FWIW, I know two people who have gotten multiple mixed breed dogs from a rescue that brings them from Puerto Rico, and all have been even tempered, medium sized, mutt looking dogs, without blocky heads.
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And I would add elbows! Although elbows haven’t been done in Aussies for 10 generations, elbows are now part of a good breeder’s OFA certification.
I actually have a female Aussie who failed her elbows. Although she got an Excellent on her hips, I had to neuter her, and obviously never bred her. Her parents were both clear on elbows, but her grandparents were not tested for elbows as it wasn’t part of Aussie OFA screening at the time.
It’s very sad to me that so many badly bred Aussies have given the breed a questionable reputation. On top of that Aussie puppy owners who don’t really understand the breed, who think that fluffy blue merle pup with blue eyes is going to behave like a golden retriever.
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The first trainer we went to with our first puppy back in the late 90’s bred Aussies. She temperament tested the puppies, and euthanized puppies who had temperament issues. One she kept that was borderline, grew up to be a difficult dog even for her, who heavily trained and competed in obedience, as well as breed shows.
After a number of years of doing this, her dogs had solid temperaments and I was told that she stopped culling in the early '00s. I have met a few of her puppies in recent years and they are wonderful dogs.
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Oh I would agree; if you’re doing hip xrays why wouldn’t you get elbows done at the same time?
My breed has been doing elbows forever as far as I know. But I’m not sure I’ve ever known a dog that didn’t pass; maybe because they have been testing for so long.
This is admittedly a sample size of precisely one, but my good friend has a very nice Westie that’s grown up on her horse farm. He is horse safe, plus small enough that horses don’t think “coyote”, and adores his barn kitties. He is also very social, with both humans and dogs. This week he is staying with one of her friends while she is travelling… the dog will be spending the week “working” at the suit store and is always a favorite of both employees and clients. He is independent enough to not be up his person’s butt 24x7 but attached enough to never leave her voluntarily. Not sure how much of this is standard to the breed, but he really is a great representation of Westies!
I know they aren’t exactly small, but I have three well bred German Shepherds who are very stable dogs, although I know to not expect them to act like labs. They are all farm-safe, know not to go in horse fields or riding ring, don’t wander off, and generally ignore other people or try to play fetch with them. My youngest is the shortest and she’s definitely built like a female… but she’s the heaviest at 73 pounds and I just don’t know where she puts it on her lean frame! That being said, well-bred herding breeds can be tough in that they need rules and a job. Poorly bred herding breeds can be even worse with an increased likelihood of nerve, fear, reactivity, and some form of drive that they don’t understand. The rule-following nature of my dogs (they are German after all) makes them light years easier to train and live with than DH’s Shiba Inu who patently believes that rules never apply to her.
Whatever route you end up going, if you do a breeder be sure to check through the generational health testing of breeding stock, look back through social media to see how they interact with clients and whether they take back dogs from their program if it doesn’t work out with buyers, and what “type” of the breed they produce. If you don’t want to go through puppy crazies, I know it is not uncommon for breeders to retire a dog with a person/family… my breeder does that for any dogs that aren’t content having to “share” a person with other dogs.
For example, my GSD breeder has always stayed abreast of and used the expected and newer health tests, anything brought into her program has the same done. She stands by her puppies for their lifetime. Sometimes that looks like extensive help with behavior/training “issues” that pop up, particularly applying her knowledge of how the parents/grands tend to act/react and suggesting methods to work within those natural parameters. Sometimes it looks like helping to network a dog that the buyers can no longer keep for whatever reason or it’s bringing the dog back to her home and then networking it (I have one that was a service dog washout at 18 months old… he just turned 13). When I seriously considered washing my youngest since she wasn’t interested in playing bitey games (I did PSA pretty seriously with my oldest, now 14), my breeder was happy to work out the right approach but my family ended up convincing me to keep her and she is the best farm dog. She is also up front about what she expects from a particular pairing and will absolutely not sell a puppy to a home that doesn’t seem suitable, i.e. not selling an IGP prospect to a home wanting a family-hike partner and vice versa. These are a lot of the key factors I’d be looking for with any breeder.
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Oh that’s interesting!
Found this link from the UK, testing various dog breeds on elbows. Brittanies were all clear on elbow dysplasia (but only 4 dogs were tested). But other breeds with small numbers had much higher % of grade 1-3 dysplasia. For example Bulldog: 24 tested, only 7 passed (29%). Miniature bull terrier: 3 tested, only 1 passed (33%)
Their rating system is a little different from ours.
Out of 458 Aussies tested, 434 were clear
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OFA shows Brittanys as 3099 tested, 97.5% normal. It’s pretty good.
Aussies have a huge number though - are they that more numerous than Brittanys? 20468 with 95.1% normal.
Sadly Aussies are so popular they are now ranked 12th (as of 2024) in AKC registrations. When I first got into Aussies they were ranked 38.
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@JumpWithPanache: you bring up excellent points. I wish more purebred puppy buyers understood all the important details of what a good breeder is. And standing behind the dogs they breed is as important as health testing, performance testing, and knowing the generational history (health, titles, temperament, drive) of their lines. I would add a good breeder will match owner with a puppy, or say, “I don’t have a pup that would work in your home/lifestyle, etc.”
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This is why I’m asking. If that’s your definition of “horse-friendly” some breeds might not be appropriate. If someone means - “will stay out of pastures” then different breeds/tactics might be needed.
I personally never want my dogs to lie down with my horses. For both their safety. Which is one reason why my dogs were fenced away from my horses. But others may feel differently.
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I love labs. I have one that goes to the farm with me. Farm owner has 2 labs.
One of the full service clients routinely brings her Norwich Terrier. He is great with cats, dogs, horses. Oddly enough he came from the same breeder my lab came from. I don’t think she breeds the Norwich Terriers much anymore.
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