Overview

Border Collies originated on the border of Scotland and England during the 19th century. They were prized for their exceptional herding abilities of any kind of livestock. Today, the Border Collie is a popular family companion, talented show dog, and a farm worker.

Activity

Border Collies have lots of energy and need more than just physical exercise. They thrive on mental stimulation, work, close contact with their owners and play. Apartments and city living aren’t recommended for these dogs. They need to be on working farms or in the country where they can run, romp, and roam.

Care

Border Collies must have weekly brushing. Give special attention to their coat when shedding. Bathing or dry shampooing only needs to be done as needed. They are prone to epilepsy, flea allergies, PRA, deafness, hip dysplasia and Collie Eye Anomaly.

Character

Border Collies are medium size dogs, with great endurance and exceptional athletic abilities. They have an obsession with livestock work, are very energetic, determined, and confident. They’re light on their feet with a flowing movement and extreme versatility.

Coat

Border Collies have two varieties of coat: smooth or rough. Both of these varieties are double coats, close fitting, thick and weather resistant. Their top coat is either straight or wavy with a coarse texture. The under coat is short, soft and dense. The rough coat sports medium length fur. The smooth coat has short fur that covers the whole body. Coat colors are various and many and may include merle, tri-color, solid, or bi-color. This breed is an average shedder.

Temperament

Border Collies are intelligent, devoted and responsive. They’re very sensitive and must have human interaction. Their owners need to be experienced, active and have plenty of time to spend with them. They don’t do well when left alone for long periods of time and suffer separation anxiety along with becoming destructive. Border Collies do well in homes with older children and usually get along with dogs they’ve been raised with. However, they don’t need to be in a home with cats or small household pets. They tend to try to herd anything that moves.

Training

Socialization and obedience should be done at a young age for Border Collies. They’re easy to train and does best with consistency, respect, praise, firmness and fairness. As they’re very sensitive in nature, they must never be treated harshly. They have lots of talent in police work, herding, search and rescue, Flyball, competitive obedience, and Frisbee trials. They can also be used as therapy dogs and seeing eye dogs for the blind.