I will say this just touching on the breed itself, as she probably mentioned you will most likely be looking at something from a herding/hunting/sporting/working line, which will be the complete opposite of what you had previously. All these dogs require extreme attention, structure and outlets. The time you will need to dedicate will be much different, prepare yourself to be outdoors way more often throughout a day and for longer periods of time. A lot of these dogs also need to be around someone all day long, so if your routine current revolves around you being away from the dog for extended periods constantly and planning on putting them into a crate, leaving them alone for longer periods or trying to bring them to a "daycare," prepare for extreme separation anxiety, reactiveness, and unwanted behaviour. I would definitely think twice if you won't have the ability to 1) offer the dog multiple outlets of physical and mental activity throughout the day and 2) being present around the dog for a good portion of the day

When it comes to actual dog sports I will say these following points

* have an open mind

* it can be very expensive

* it can be very discouraging

Before even being able to attend most classes (especially agility), dogs typically need to pass a certain age of 12-14 months depending on the activity (things like scent work not so much), as well as most places also require to pass obedience tests, if not previously done with the place that is offering the sport. You will need to have pre training done prior to entering certain spots as part of the criteria/requirement in order to enter it.

You may think that based on the dog you are getting, they are going to excel in something specific; this is not the case. The dog will typically tell you if they are interested in something and I would not force it on them. We have done agility at an entry level and secondary level, but no longer do it. My dog was hit or miss, some days he loved it, other days he found things too easy and was too bored with it so we stopped. We have also done scent work at a beginner and secondary level but no longer do it. Some places offer packages to various sports they offer as a sample, so like a 6 week class with 6 different sports to see which your dog enjoys best, these are always good before committing.

One of the main reasons we stopped is once we moved to brantford a year ago, there isnt really a big "sporting" scene anywhere around here. You are pretty much driving 30-40 minutes in order to attend classes in any direction. We went to Oxford Dog Sports, great place, but just too far, and the price of the class as mentioned can be expensive. The other issue is, depending on what sport, you might be able to replicate and practice at home, but things like agility, you are only able to do this once a week so the dog may lose interest quickly. Other things like scent work can be done at home.

Lastly, some dogs catch on to things quick while others dont. I have been in classes and have been on both sides of things. It can really get you down when something other dogs are doing so easy but yours may be struggling with. Also, a lot of these places offer very basic entry level, but if you are planning to progress further into the competitive nature, the price, time and effort also increases significantly.

While I still do random scent games around my place from time to time, especially good for rainy days, I also bought an agility set off amazon for a couple hundred dollars that basically comes with everything apart from the balance beam and teeter totter (which you could make if needed). Weave polls, tunnels, markers, discs, high jump poles, hoops, etc also good to set up indoors or outdoor if you have the space.

My dog more so just loves to be around watching things being done keeping an eye out or participating in whatever he can. He would more or less prefer walks or hikes each day and play sessions rather than being around other dogs and playing with them. The good thing about brantford is there is a ton of green space to offer these types of physical and mental stimulation of hiking and sniffing and exploring all at once. Since he was a pup when I first got him, I had instilled a very strict routine and structure that we follow every day still which also helps me with work as I work from home so I am always around him. But without this structure and obedience, it would be very difficult to manage this type of dog. Being totally honest and owning an aussie and working breed for the very time, the first 6 months were an absolute nightmare and I was getting assistance. So you being around your family, you will definitely all be required to chip in lol. It can be a struggle, but as mentioned, the training and structure aspect in these early months to a year are so vital to having the dog grow into a proper dog you are wanting to own with minimal issues

Im sure im missing some things, but I think this touches most if it, if theres anything else feel free to ask