Border Collies: Frequently Asked Questions for Owners
Planning to bring home your first Border collie dog? We recommend reading given below frequently asked questions and answers for responsible pet ownership. Reading this section will help you understand whether Border Collie is the right dog breed for your family or not, and will you be able to raise a healthy and happy dog.
Does a Border Collie needs lot of physical activities and exercise?
Yes! It’s a breed that enjoys exercising, however their physical activity requirement cannot be fulfilled with a yard or open space to run. They like interacting with other people and love playing with their owners. Given the fact it’s a “working breed”, they like their mind stimulated in some job or anything that keeps them engaged, that is why they need to be trained compared to other family friendly dog breeds. As an owner you have to make use of their endless energy and must use it to develop their positive behavior, otherwise you’re asking for bad behavior problems.
How difficult it is to train this breed?
Border collies are one of the most intelligent and smart dogs that are naturally blessed with fast learning skills. Because they learn and adapt to training quickly, it makes them a breed that is easy to train if the training methods you’re using are correct. They learn best when the trainer is applying positive reinforcement approach.
Just because their characteristics says that this breed learn new things quickly doesn’t mean you’re job will be easier. Obviously, it’s a perfect breed to train difficult tricks but sometimes simple tricks becomes difficult for the trainer to teach if the methods he/she is using are not correct or maybe they are not using them with right strategy.
Just like how fast they pick up training tricks and commands, same way they also pick-up bad habits that can be a huge problem to overcome. Therefore, it is very important to train them at young age to help them become a well-behaved pet and do not pick-up bad behavior.
Does a Border Collie Shed Excessively?
Just like any other breed with long hair double coat, Border Collies also shed during their shedding season which is winter. However, it can be controlled by regular brushing and taking care of their diet.
Do you need lots of outdoor space in your property to raise a Border Collie?
Absolutely Not. I personally know many BC owners who live in small apartments with no outdoor space, but they are still able to raise happy and healthy Border collies. Even though having lots of space where they can play and run always helps, but most importantly what you do need is the desire to raise a happy dog. All they want from you to spend time with them, and when they don’t get your attention, they will find other ways to entertain themselves, which means trouble for the owner (Biting, Nipping, Jumping, etc.).
Do they get along with kids and other pets?
Although they are bred to work in fields with farmers, but they still make a very good family friendly breed and generally are good with children and they also live in harmony with other pets like cats and other dog breeds. Personally if you ask, we have ducks, cats, and parrots at home and they all live in peace with our naughty Border Collie. (Our ducks hates him though!)
Different types of Border Collie Coat Colors?
You can have Border Collies in different coat colors and patterns. Most common ones are: Black Tri-colored, Red, Brown, Full Black, Black and White, Red and White, Brown and White and Red tri-Colored. You can also get them in less popular colors such as merle, blue and fawn.
Different sports and games border collies can play?
Oh, You name it! Border Collies loves playing sports because their limitless energy and agile body makes them play all day long. Generally a Border collie dog can play sports such as tracking, flyball, agility, disc dog, herding, go fetch and many other games as well. They are good with trick trainings that require intelligence.
Do they have herding problems?
Herding is a part of their natural instinctive behavior, but that doesn’t mean they herd at anything they see. An untrained or poorly trained Border Collie may develop herding as a habit, but that can be corrected with proper training by channeling their herding instincts.
How much should you expect to pay for a purebred Border Collie?
Average cost of a purebred BC puppy is somewhere close to $800-$900 which can be more or less depending on the breeder and city where you live. However, purchase price of the puppy is only the starting point, because the moment you bring home, you will have to spend more money on essentials like food and necessary accessories. Then there will be additional costs of vaccinations and routine health care.
How Do I Train My Border Collie?
Training is the most important part of the journey, because a well trained BC is the key to raise a happy, healthy and obedient pet. Even though you can find plenty of information online about BC training, but if you are serious about it, we’d recommend buying a training guide, because that will help you understand your dog better to be able to train him with correct techniques and methods.
