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Great question! There are several schools of thought to this but all of them pretty much go back to "look at the parents". Generally if you've made a sound choice in mating pairs, any of the pups should have an equal opportunity to turn out as a good working dog. Beyond that... some people will pick the pup that looks like a certain parent or a certain look they like, some will pick the ones who did certain things in the whelping box, some will just pick one that they fancy for whatever reason, some will take whichever pup is left over after the rest have been chosen by buyers. I have a friend who picked the pup that growled at him at a week old when he picked it up, I have another friend who picked the one that didn't run and hide when she started the lawn mower. I just had my first litter and kept two- one of them was the first one to escape the whelping box and do several other firsts, but both of them liked to sit back and watch things, a trait their mother has that I really liked.

Bottom line is it's a crapshoot. At eight weeks old you're guessing/gambling. Look at the parents, hope for the best. The book Top Trainers Talk About Starting A Sheepdog goes over this quite a bit, really great book if you're interested in figuring out how young dogs work! Hope that answers your question, feel free to ask anything else :-)

TRAINING

As for training, if you are really against going to puppy class, I'd pick up a book. I think an easy to read/follow book is; 51 Puppy Tricks. It's well written and easy to follow--... it does a great job of explaining tricks in levels, and has some cool ones in there. I have this book and I refer to it for ideas. There is also '101 dog tricks'

Some tips about training;

• Training should ALWAYS be fun. This is how you get a puppy to be happy to do it. Do not yell, scold, or get frustrated with your puppy. If you find yourself getting frustrated, stop training, take a break.
  
  
• SOCIALIZATION. From 8-12 weeks, this is when a puppy is most open to being socialized. You need to teach them everything, but because they don't have all their shots, you have to be safe about it. The dog will need to meet children, meet black people, fat people, asian people, white people, skinny people, tall people, short people, tall dogs, small dogs, medium dogs, people with sunglasses, people with hats, skateboards, bikes, wagons, loud noises, kitchen noises, STAIRS, STAIRS, STAIRS, elevators, cars, moving cars, MOVING CARS, SERIOUSLY, MOVING CARS-- you don't want a border that wants to herd cars. That will not end well.
  
  Socialization is the most IMPORTANT PART of a dogs life. From 8-12 weeks you should be DEDICATED to socializing your puppy. DEDICATED. There is nothing worse than a dog that was not socialized properly and now is aggressive or scared. These are the dogs that get surrendered to shelters. SOCIALIZE YOUR PUPPY -- with everything. Now, socialization does not mean your puppy has to interact, just that she needs to be exposed to the item.
  
  
• Chewing: Puppies are chew monsters. Do not YELL at them for chewing. That doesn't TEACH them anything. It tells them chewing is bad, but not what they should chew on. With my puppies, when I catch them chewing on something I tell them a firm 'NO' and then GIVE THEM SOMETHING they are supposed to chew on. This teaches them to chew on their TOYS and BONES and that it's not appropriate to chew on furniture. This is a hard battle, but be persistent. You will eventually win out. Blue chewed for 4 weeks on anything and everything and it never felt like I was getting through-- but then one day it was like 'BOOM, I GET IT' and I haven't had a problem since. Providing plenty of toys in different areas will also help motivate them to chew on the toy and not the furniture. Don't be afraid to change out toys. Toys that have been down for 30 mintes-- put those away, and put out new ones. Engage your puppy in play with appropriate toys.
  NEVER, EVER, EVER use something as a toy ou don't want your puppy to eventually chew one. This means that OLD SHOES, TOWELS, ETC are out of the question. Do not use them. You can't give your puppy and old shoe and then get MAD when they chew on your new shoes :) ...
  
  
• Come: One of the most important commands. Never, EVER, EVER get mad at your puppy when they come to you. Seriously. You want your dog to think coming to you is the best thing in the world and every time it's a PAAARTAAAY.
  
• Potty training: See "Buy a Crate" under Items. It has useful potty training advice.
  
  
• Start training your dog as soon as you get them. Puppies can learn. They aren't "too little". After giving them a few days to acclimate, start working on some basics like 'come', 'sit', 'touch', 'loose-leash walking', 'lay', etc. If you don't know how to do this; PUPPY TRAINING CLASS/BOOK and or YOUTUBE. :)
  
  If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me. I would be more than happy to give you advice, and/or make a video for you on showing the training.
  

Good luck and stick with it. Keeping them learning is the best way to settle them down, in my experience. I've rarely been able to get the actual energy burned out of either of mine, but mentally stimulating BC's through training them, teaching them new tricks, and just generally making them think works wonders. It may even help with the jumping, but that would just be a lucky side effect, not necessarily expected.

Another tip I'd offer is pick up a trick book. 101 Dog Tricks is what we used with our first. Just picked out something that looked fun and made it a week long project. You will calm him down, and have the added benefit of a dog that can do awesome tricks! lol

I definitely plan to give a clicker along with every pup that gets adopted, even though the rescue doesn't provide them (like the dog's collar, leash, and toys). I'll probably also purchase a trick ball for each pup to take home since I think they're amazing tools to keep dogs entertained and busy with a 'job'.

That's a really good idea! I wouldn't mind giving clicker lessons to new owners...I'll have to chat with the rescue about it. :o Thanks!

No problem. Thanks u/sible, I wish you and your soon to be new pup the same!

I'm not sure if you are interested, but I would recommend checking this book out, I found it had a lot of great insights/information for Border Collies specifically.
https://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Sykes-Training-Border-Collies/dp/1847978894/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1518734902&sr=8-13&keywords=border+collie

We’ve never used pee pads. We take them out every 15 minutes to start, like for a day, then increase the time between outdoor visits. Set your alarm and get up a few times during the night for a while. The dog will be trained in a few days for the most part. There might be a few accidents in the next few months.

Edit add: Dogs seem to develop preferred places to go. Ours will only go on grass. So the job is to shape that preference.

Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell is s great book & I highly recommend it! Dr. McConnell has had and trained many BC’s herself.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ARUKTG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

im a huge fan of this toy, it's got adjustable difficulties and my bc loves it!

https://www.amazon.com/KONG-Gyro-Dog-Toy-Large/dp/B01GP4826S

this one is good.. but it's hard plastic, soo if your using it on a hard surface it can be a bit loud.


https://www.amazon.com/Omega-Paw-Tricky-Treat-Large/dp/B0002DK26M/ref=sr_1_6?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1500479295&sr=1-6&keywords=dog+treat+ball

this one has always been staple in my house for all my dogs, it's fairly quiet, they have to learn to push it around with their nose. my old BC used to push this thing around all day long it was great if she was being a bit of a pest!

Search Hygena Scoop on Amazon- -OR GO DIRECTLY TO AMAZON PAGE HERE: https://www.amazon.com/a3-rf-cc-vb-34/dp/B07D45RJV3

Dog Agility Equipment... https://www.amazon.com/dp/1450505147?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
It has a teeter totter multiple jumps cat walks and many others. I highly suggest it for a backyard course. I built the jump and bought a tunnel and mine loves it

chuck it!
Should be easier on teeth and wallet.

I ve seen this on Amazon, which is rather recent and has good reviews. Has anyone gone through it?

The Border Collie: Your Essential Guide From Puppy To Senior Dog (Best of Breed)

https://www.amazon.com/Border-Collie-Essential-Guide-Senior/dp/1910488011

Amazon Page👉 https://www.amazon.com/4-6-a1-2.332-h/dp/B07D45RJV3

John Katz is the author of A Dog Year - the book that helped me get through my first couple of months owning a border collie. If you haven't read it and own a bc - you should get it now.
http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Year-Twelve-Months-Four/dp/0812966902/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1344908441&sr=8-8&keywords=Jon+Katz

The Story of Rose is about his first working border collie and his connection with her, losing her and dealing with the loss...highly recommend both books.

She is freaking adorable! Not sure if you've ever used these, but the rubber ChuckIt balls don't get as filthy and bounce great - might keep your walls and ceiling marginally cleaner. Soggy tennis balls gross me out.

The ChuckIt ones are also a little hard to kill - my BC mix likes to nibble the fuzz off of her regular tennis balls until she can rip whole segments of the "skin" off.

I have one of these and while my dog will occasionally try to chew/lick it when she gets frustrated, it's made of smooth hard plastic so she's not actually able to destroy it or get a good grip on it. I wouldn't use it if you have hardwood floors, though - I assume if it was dropped on a hard floor, it might eventually break.