Border collie guide. A bright and intelligent dog, the Border Collie is well adapted to life in the countryside. However, if confined and unable to move, he quickly becomes unhappy and destructive.
- The Border Collie breed’s general description
- Appearance and Attributes of the Border Collie
- Price and maintenance Border Collie
- Pros and cons of the Border Collie
- Character and sociability
- The adaptability of the Border Collie
- Care and Health of the Border Collie
- Border Collie Learning
- The Border Collie Needs Exercise
The Border Collie breed’s general description
The Border Collie is a breed that started as a herding dog and later became (also) a companion dog, mainly due to its appearance in series and TV commercials. It is a medium-sized dog with a beautiful, moderately long or short coat, with highly varied and distinctive colour combinations.
Extremely intelligent and full of energy, depopulated in agility, it is also ideal for those who want a lively dog to walk and play with. The Border is sweet, affectionate, and very attached to its family but can become dominant or quickly learn bad habits.
Easy to train and suited to a balanced life, it is a well-behaved dog and kind to strangers if taught to be so. In addition, it generally enjoys good health and has no special cleaning or feeding requirements. In short, it is a dog for everyone, which gives few worries and is a faithful and sweet companion if it is well trained.
Appearance and Attributes of the Border Collie
The Border Collie is a medium-sized dog. This characteristic also makes it suitable for a balanced life, to which it adapts easily (provided it can move around daily). In addition, the breed standard describes it as a well-proportioned dog with soft lines.
It has a relatively broad skull with a very distinct stop. Border Collie has an athletic appearance and is characterised by a muscular kidney. It has a relatively broad belly, characterised by well-circled ribs. Any tendency to coarseness or excessive thinness is undesirable. It must be neither nervous nor aggressive but alert, active, receptive and intelligent.
Every detail of structure or temperament that does not correspond to a working dog is considered atypical. One must not favour those with dominant white among the available colour varieties.
Physical characteristics permitted by the standard:
- Height: up to 53 cm
- Weight: 22 to 20 kg
- Longevity: 10 to 15 years
- Colour: red, white, black, blue, merle, brown, liver, chocolate, sable
- Fur: smooth, short, semi-long
- Coat: two-tone, tricolour, double coat, shaded
Price and maintenance Border Collie
The price of a tested and pedigree Border Collie puppy is between £1,000 and £1,200. This medium-sized dog does not require very high expenditure for food, which must be of the highest quality.
The grocery cost for an adult Border Collie is around £35 per month. However, its coat remains beautiful with just one brushing a week, and its health is generally good, so its upkeep is average.
It is recommended that only experienced and proven breeders are used to purchasing a puppy. Despite the Border’s easy temperament, the diseases that may afflict the breed are very well controlled if the parents are tested and exempt.
Pros and cons of the Border Collie
Top 5 characteristics:
- Energy level
- Tendency to bark or howl
- Tendency to play
- Adaptability to flat life
- Tolerance to cold temperatures
The five most problematic characteristics:
- Need for exercise
- Character and temperament
- Tolerance of being alone
- Tendency to hunt prey
- Tendency to bite
Character and sociability
Character and temperament
“Has a low emotional tolerance.”
A knowledgeable and sensitive dog, the Border Collie must be treated with great respect and attention. It is a dog that listens carefully to its owner, who therefore cannot afford to give it uncertain or incorrect information. It does not tolerate irregular habits, too much noise and a lack of solidity in the “pack” hierarchy, at the head of which there must be a firm and capable leader.
Affectionate towards the family
“Very affectionate towards his family.”
The Border Collie has a powerful and deep bond with its family, which it loves madly. It is a dog that loves company and play and cannot stand loneliness. Docile and generous, it is perfect for anyone looking for an affectionate, intelligent and good dog. He adores his family, which he considers his flock and tries to preserve them from danger.
Friendly with children
“Good playmate for children.”
As we said, the Border Collie has an affectionate character and is, by nature, extremely intelligent and alert. For this reason, it is also an excellent playmate for children. Be careful, however, not to underestimate the importance of its origin. Sheepdogs and Border Collies are very active dogs that may become over-exuberant in play. They can also have dominant tendencies and, if not controlled in this respect, can see themselves as superior to other family members, including children. Therefore, essential training and adult supervision are always necessary. Never leave them alone together.
Relationship with strangers
“Tolerates strangers well, if sufficiently socialised.”
This breed is generally good-natured and, if socialised at a young age, trusts strangers and welcomes them with a wagging tail. The key to a friendly Border Collie is, however, socialisation. A dog that is not used to contact strangers from an early age may become too shy or wary. In general, however, it is among the dogs that get on well with everyone.
Sociality with other dogs
“Sociable with other dogs, if accustomed from an early age.”
The Border Collie is a working dog. The centre of its life is its owner and the activities to be carried out in his company. This dog can become dominant and be friendly towards other dogs, mainly if it is not accustomed to their presence when it is a puppy.
The adaptability of the Border Collie
Adaptability to flat life
“It adapts to flat life but has to move around a lot.”
The Border Collie was born as a herding dog on the moors between England and Scotland. It loves the outdoors, work, and exercise, and if its owner is prepared to offer it these activities daily, it also adapts well to a balanced life. Therefore, it is possible to keep the Border Collie indoors as long as it gets plenty of exercise.
Tolerance of being alone
“Dog that tolerates loneliness poorly.”
Like many working dogs, the Border Collie also needs to feel the presence of its owner at all times. The bond this dog forms with its family is powerful, and this, together with its very active character, makes it a dog that is hardly ever alone. Unfortunately, loneliness makes him agitated and may lead him to do damage in the home.
Suitable as a first dog
“Highly intelligent, but can become dominant.”
The Border Collie is undoubtedly one of man’s most intelligent breeds ever selected. It learns training well and is sensitive and dynamic. However, this great intelligence and its religious origin do not make it an easy dog for inexperienced people. It is among the dogs that need sufficiently experienced owners. It may become dominant and see itself as the herd leader or the flock’s guardian, where the sheep are the family members.
Tolerance to cold temperatures
“Tolerates cold temperatures well.”
This beautiful breed developed in the cold climates of Great Britain and has no significant problems with low temperatures. As long as he can shelter or stay indoors on frosty days and nights, his beautiful fur will sufficiently protect him.
Tolerance to hot temperatures
“Also tolerates heat well.”
The Border Collie is generally a very robust dog, resulting from natural selection over centuries. It tolerates cold and heats well and does not need special care during the summer. But, of course, some common sense is required: do not take him for walks when the temperatures are too high, and if you leave him outside, you must ensure that he always has shade and fresh water available.
Care and Health of the Border Collie
Care and fur loss
“It does not have excessive fur loss.”
As far as its coat is concerned, the Border Collie is among the dogs with little hair loss. It must be brushed to be friendly and clean, but it does not leave hanks of hair as with other breeds. However, it does shed hair during seasonal moulting.
Salivation and drooling
“Dog that does not tend to drool.”
This dog does not tend to drool unless it is sick or boiling. So, if you see a Border drooling profusely, check his health. He might be sick or have a heatstroke.
Ease of cleaning
“It does not require much care as far as cleaning is concerned.”
The Border Collie is a hardy dog made for the outdoors on the rugged moors between Scotland and England (hence the name ‘border’). It is, therefore, a robust breed that does not need maniacal attention regarding hygiene. However, it should brush its beautiful coat regularly (once a week is ideal) and have its ears checked for inflammation or infection. Bathing should only be done when necessary and only with specific products. It would be best to comb the fringes frequently as the hair tends to get easily knotted.
Health and illnesses
“Generally robust and healthy dog.”
Border collie is a ‘natural’ breed that has been selected over a long period. Like all dogs with this origin, it is a robust breed not prone to genetic diseases. The most frequently encountered diseases are eye diseases, dysplasia and epilepsy.
Tendency to put on weight
“It tends to put on weight if it does not move.”
As all dog breeds have a very active and energetic temperament, the Border Collie also tends to put on weight if it lives too sedentary or even in the case of neutered females. This dog does not require a special diet but must eat healthily and, in a way, balanced to its size and lifestyle. He must be allowed time for exercise.
Border Collie Learning
Intelligence and training
“Brilliant dog and well suited for training.”
The Border Collie’s most outstanding quality is its intelligence. According to the warmest fans of this breed, it is the most intelligent dog of all. It is undoubtedly easy to train, learns very well, and loves work and play, so it can quickly be involved in any activity and is among the most popular breeds for agility. Be careful, however, not to teach him the wrong way or give him bad habits. He learns so quickly that getting the wrong teachings out of his head will be difficult.
Loyalty and escapes
“He does not tend to run away.”
Deeply attached to its family, the Border Collie does not tend to run away. On the contrary, he tends to always remain in the company of his loved ones and is considered among the dogs that never stray.
Tendency to bite
“It may bite for play or in defence of strangers.”
The Border Collie is generally excellent and tame, but it is a very active dog with a playful manner that can become a little too reckless. Also, if not properly socialised at a young age, they can become wary of strangers and feel endangered in front of them.
Tendency to hunt prey
“Breed with a weak predation instinct.”
As this dog has been selected to deal with sheep and lambs, its predation instincts have been reduced to a minimum by years and years of selection. As a result, the Border Collie will coexist happily with other smaller domestic animals and will not disappear into the woods or countryside to hunt hares or birds.
Tendency to bark or howl
“Little tendency to bark or howl.”
This breed does not have a great tendency to bark or howl. It is a generally calm and quiet dog which likes to play but does not mainly use its voice. However, during work, it may use barking to express itself.
The Border Collie Needs Exercise
Energy level
“Dog with great energy, who needs to move a lot.”
Active, playful, and full of energy, the Border Collie is a dog with an inexhaustible desire to move, walk and have fun with its owner. It is unsuitable for people with a sedentary lifestyle and is perfect if you enjoy walking or sports. The Border will follow you joyfully; the movement will help him keep fit, calm, and happy. Furthermore, the Border Collie is a breed well suited to agility and all those sports where it will be a great protagonist.
Vigour
“A mild-mannered dog, which can get agitated, especially in play.”
Despite its many energies, the Border Collie is a dog that tends to be tame and obedient. He is not used to pulling on the leash; if he does, he can easily be taught to stop. However, he gets agitated quickly, especially during play, and can become reckless. If he does, it is best to stop playing and wait for him to calm down to teach him not to exceed a specific limit.
Need for exercise
“Needs exercise every day.”
As mentioned, the Border Collie is a dog full of energy and vitality, with an intelligence that is always looking for stimulation. It is perfect if you are active and enjoy being outdoors and playing with your dog – or even using it in animal husbandry. He needs to exercise every day not to become nervous and gain weight.
Tendency to play
“Play-loving breed.”
This breed is famous for its dedication to play. The Border Collie loves to play, run, and do demanding activities with its owner. It is an active and dynamic dog with a great desire to do something. But when it comes to playing, it will never say no and is always happy to have fun.
Club Border collie: www.bordercollieclub.com
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