Marlow
MALE | BORN APPROX JUNE 2025 | BORDER COLLIE
LOCATED IN AUCKLAND
If you're looking for a dog who throws herself into life with her whole heart, this beautiful Border Collie girl might just be your perfect match.
She's the kind of dog who lives for fun. Toys? She loves them all. Balls, ropes, sticks... if you throw it, she'll happily bring it back for another round. She absolutely adores affection too, and if she could choose between a treat or a cuddle, she'd probably pick the cuddle.
Still very much a teenager at heart, she approaches life with endless enthusiasm. She can be a little excitable and is still learning that not every moment needs to be playtime, but she's making fantastic progress. She's already learning to settle on her "place" mat, is becoming calmer around the house, and is discovering that keeping all four paws on the ground earns far more attention than jumping up.
Like many sensitive Border Collies, the world can feel a little overwhelming at times. Loud noises, busy roads, unfamiliar places, and car rides can make her anxious, so she'll need a patient family who are happy to continue building her confidence at her own pace. In quieter environments she relaxes beautifully and enjoys exploring peaceful forest walks, where she can take in all the sights and smells.
She's also learning that she doesn't need to be the centre of attention all the time. She loves her people deeply and forms strong bonds, so her new family will need to continue encouraging her independence to help her grow into a confident, well-rounded companion.
She's crate trained and settles well once she knows it's time to relax, enjoys enrichment like treat puzzles and LickiMats, and is happiest when she has both her brain and body engaged. While food isn't her biggest motivator, toys, praise, and affection are worth their weight in gold.
She's already becoming more comfortable around familiar dogs and continues to build positive experiences, but she'd benefit from an owner who understands dog body language and is committed to helping her navigate new canine friendships at her own pace.
This clever young girl isn't quite ready for adoption just yet. She's still working hard on her training and confidence, and we want to give her the best possible start before she heads off to her forever home. However, we are now taking Expressions of Interest from people who understand the needs of a young working breed and are happy to wait for the right dog.
This isn't a "finished" dog, and that's exactly what makes her so rewarding. She's intelligent, hilarious, affectionate, and full of potential. With consistency, gentle guidance, and someone willing to invest the time into her, she's going to make an incredibly loyal and devoted companion.
If you have experience with working breeds and are looking for a young Border Collie who will thrive with training, structure, enrichment, and plenty of love, we'd love to hear from you.
Further Info
Good with dogs: Good
Good with cats: Untested
Good with other animals: Untested
Good with kids: Untested
Energy Levels: HIGH - VERY HIGH
Home Experience Level: Experienced home required
Health: Healthy
Weight: 17kg
A Note on Training and Adopting Our Dogs
Our dogs are wonderful, and we invest a great deal of time and effort into their training and preparation. However, no dog is “perfectly trained” or ready to adopt without any ongoing work.
All dogs go through normal life stages and changes — puppyhood, adolescence, adulthood, aging, moving homes, and adapting to new environments. Any of these can lead to stress, uncertainty, or moments of testing boundaries.
Because of this, ongoing training is essential. Training isn’t a one-off task; it’s a continual process that helps you understand your dog’s needs, support them through transitions, and set everyone up for long-term success.
We would expect adopters to maintain the training we’ve started and seek further guidance if needed. We’re always happy to help with information and recommendations for trainers, and provide advice during the trial and adoption process also.
Can't adopt Marlow? You can still help.
Although we charge a small adoption fee, this doesn't generally cover the costs of us getting our dogs ready for adoption. Desexing, grooms, vet care, vaccinations, registration, training and variety of other things can go into these dogs. If you'd like to help either on a one off or regular basis we would be grateful for your donation.
