Family-friendly: 4/5 Exercise needs: 5/5 Easy to train: 5/5 Tolerates being alone: 1/5 Likes other pets: 3/5 Energy level: 5/5 Grooming needs: 3/5 Shedding: 3/5

Border Collie

The ultimate herder, the Border Collie is a medium-sized, well-proportioned dog that is easily recognisable whether working or competing in dog sports. Known for their tireless energy, stamina and working drive, this breed is one of the most active and always wanting to please.

Although athletic and muscular, the Border Collie breed is sweet and caring and always down for some cuddles. Would make a perfect furry best friend to anyone ready to match their energy.

Lifespan

12–15 years

Weight

14–20kg

Height

48–53cm

Colours

The coat can either be smooth or of medium length and the most common colour is black and white, although other colours with white are also seen – e.g. brown, blue merle, red and tricolour

Size

Medium

Kennel Club group

Pastoral

The need-to-know

Dog suitable for owners with some experience
Extra training required
Generally healthy breed
Enjoys vigorous walks
Enjoys one to two hours of walking a day

Medium dog
Minimum drool
Requires grooming once a week
Chatty and vocal dog
Barks and alerts to visitors/anything unusual

Generally friendly with other dogs
May need additional training to live with other pets
May need additional supervision to live with children
Needs a large garden
Can live in semi-rural areas

Can be left alone with training

Generally healthy breed

The Border Collie breed can suffer from:
- Collie eye anomaly, which is an inherited condition where the eye does not develop properly, which can lead to blindness.
- Hip dysplasia
- Epilepsy¹ which is a condition where abnormal brain function can lead to seizures which damages the brain.
- Multi-drug resistance which is a problem where dogs have an increased sensitivity to certain medications.
- Ceroid lipofuscinosis which is an inherited disease that can be fatal.
- Sensory neuropathy which is a condition where the nerves become damaged causing pain and weakness.
- Glaucoma which is a painful condition where the pressure in the eye builds up.
- Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome which is an inherited condition where the immune system struggles to protect itself against disease.

Priority Kennel Club health schemes and testing:
- Hip dysplasia screening scheme
- Eye screening scheme
- Eye testing for pectinate ligament abnormality to find out how likely the dog is to develop glaucoma

¹ C. Rusbridge, 'Canine idiopathic epilepsy', May 2016, Veterinary Ireland Journal

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Border Collie Appearance

The Border Collie is an easily recognizable breed as they look exactly how you’d imagine a herding dog looking like. They’re athletic, with a short or medium-sized double coat, smooth or rough, that come in a wide range of patterns. As for the Border Collie colours, they can be either black and white, a mix of white, black, and tan, or any other mix of colours from brown and blue to merle or red.

Their ears are usually perched high, with the tips partially folded, which gives them a very particular look of always seeming alert. Also, their tails are long and bushy, and they extend over their backs but never curl, although they will definitely wag.

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Border Collie Personality

The Border Collie personality is energetic and keen, as they are always ready to work, attentive, lively and alert. They will form a very close bond with their owner and family but, unless given plenty of time and exercise, they are not ideal pets for a family with very young children, as it’s in their nature to herd anything that moves — your children included! If not kept physically and mentally stimulated they will become bored, developing behavioural problems or getting into mischief, as their brains are always active.

The Border Collie will suit an extremely active owner who is able to give them plenty of exercise, enjoys training, and who wants a very full-on dog.

Vet Rating

Family-friendly:	4/5
Exercise needs:	5/5
Easy to train:	5/5
Tolerates being alone:	1/5
Likes other pets:	3/5
Energy level:	5/5
Grooming needs:	3/5
Shedding:	3/5

History and Origins

The Border Collie dog breed dates back to the 1700s, although it wasn’t given its present name until 1915. Border Collies worked with shepherds in the border area between Scotland and England for hundreds of years, being bred purely for their working ability.

Some Border breeders fear emphasis on looks and beauty could lead to the breed's ruination and, therefore, still concentrate primarily on their working qualities. There are often differences between show and working strains.

Ideal Owner

The Border Collie depends on an owner to give direction and guidance (otherwise they will go self-employed!) – you’ll need to be quick, fun, active and rewarding to be around, or your Collie will be stressed and unhappy.

If you love walking, training and are involved in some sort of dog sports or activity, and really enjoy a dog who depends on you heavily, the Collie may be your ideal companion.

Exercise Needs

With their need to be busy and their great desire to please, the Border Collie thrives on training, which is a great way of exercising their mind and body. They are like a gift from heaven for those wanting to compete in dog sports such as obedience, agility, flyball, freestyle, or herding trials. Failure to exercise them can result in the Border Collie developing behavioural problems, or making them difficult to live with. For an adult, two hours-plus of daily exercise is needed, along with mental stimulation.

Space Requirements

Although the Border Collie size is medium, this is very much a rural dog who needs space for their extensive exercise and training requirements. The urban life is often way too stimulating for a Border Collie as they prefer a quiet country life.

Nutrition and Feeding

Your dog's diet needs to have the right balance of all the main nutrient groups including a constant supply of fresh water. It's also important to conduct regular body condition scores to ensure you keep your dog in ideal shape and remember to feed him at least twice daily and in accordance with the feeding guidelines of his particular food. Proper nutrition along with care can contribute to a Border Collie lifespan reaching 15 years.

Grooming Border Collies

In both the medium-length and smooth variety, the top coat is dense and the undercoat thick and soft. With the longer-haired coat, there is a noticeable mane around the neck and shoulders. The coat is easy to maintain and, therefore, the Border Collie grooming process involves only an occasional brush a couple of times a week, for the medium-length, and once a week for the smooth variety. Also, any tangles can be dealt with on a regular basis.

Training Border Collies

A Border Collie needs training and lots of it. They thrive with a job to do and are a hyper-intelligent breed whose need to work must be appropriately challenged to prevent them from getting themselves into trouble. They are also sensitive dogs who need reward-based training, and a way to channel their instinctive desire to please their owner.

Try and find a class who understands this breed, and who offers training in agility, obedience or other canine sports. For owners who understand the requirements of this breed, they are unbeatable and will shine in every dog training class and amaze everyone with their skills and behaviour, as well as be a joy to own.

Due to their intelligence, this is an easy dog to train — but potential owners shouldn’t mistake ‘easy to train’ for naturally well behaved! By nature, the Border Collie is often a relentless herder, and so will try and round up children, other pets and indeed anything and everything they can find. A Border Collie who is not given a suitable outlet for their passion for work can resort to undesirable behaviour such as aggression, destructive behaviour, nuisance barking, and be totally manic around the house.

Are Border Collies Good Family Dogs?

While Border Collies can live with sensible dog-friendly children, they are not a great family dog, as they are way too active and can find children overly stimulating, leading to behaviour problems and even nips, or else want to herd them and their friends!

While many dogs are traditionally thought of as being good with children, all dogs and children need to be taught to get on with and respect each other, and be safe together. Even so, dogs and young children should never be left alone together and adults should supervise all interactions between them.

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Border Collie Fun Facts

There are many theories on how Collies got their names but as ‘collie’ is Gaelic for ‘useful’ perhaps it’s as simple as Scottish farmers recognising one of the key traits of their dogs.
American psychologist Dr. Stanley Coren classified the Border Collie as the most intelligent breed of dog, ranking first out of 133 breeds.
The Border Collie breed was fully recognized only in 1995.
Border Collies are known for their intense stare, allowing them to control a flock with a simple glance.

This breed is highly sensitive and doesn’t respond well to harsh treatment or loud noises.
Border Collies are well represented in films, with a few of them starring in movies like “Animal Farm”, “Snow Dogs”, or “Mad About You”.
If not well socialised, the Border Collie can become very shy and wary of other dogs and people.
A Border Collie named Chaser is known to be the world’s smartest dog, being able to recognize the names of more than 1,000 objects and understand basic sentences.