Border Collie Characteristics

Known as “Working Dog Breed”, Border Collies have always been renowned as a breed that was bred to help farmers to herd sheep in mountain regions of countries like Canada, Ireland, England and Scotland. Known for their amazing herding instincts and intimidating stare, Border Collies are an excellent breed that can survive in harshest of conditions. Naturally blessed with never ending energy, stamina and drive to work all day long, it’s a premier herding breed ideally suited for farms and ranches, where they get plenty of space to run, jump, play and to do other physical activities they need, to make use of their energy and to keep mentally and physically healthy. Training is never an issue with Border Collies as they are one of the top breeds that are highly trainable making them a perfect breed to train for canine sports such as fly-ball, agility, obedience and dogs flying disc completions.

Overview

Have you ever seen a Border Collie at work herding sheep? It’s an absolute delight to watch the master at work. It’s an amazing experience to watch a border collie herd, especially when he crawls slowly to go closer to the sheep with that intense and intimidating stare. The way a BC response to his owner’s command and those excellent skills to maneuver the sheep exactly where the sheep should go is a treat to watch.

In terms of built, it’s a medium size dog breed with an average weight of 35 to 45 lbs. They are naturally blessed with supernatural amount of stamina and energy to do lot of physical activities all day long. Given the fact it’s breed that was developed to work in hills and valleys of Scotland Border County, they can easily run well over 60 miles a day. It won’t be wrong to say that you don’t get a better working dog than Border Collie.

While their energy, herding skills and workaholic attitude is good for shepherds, but it can be a complete mess when a border collie is brought into a family that doesn’t understand the breed and have no idea about their essential needs. If you think of him as a yet another cuddly and adorable dog that stays at home with you, you’re up for some serious trouble. It’s a rough and tough breed and doesn’t want to be coddled. All they want is something to do or a job that keeps them busy. Therefore, for a family to have a Border Collie at home can be exasperating and exhausting to cope with their physical and mental stamina.

Being a herding breed, they have an overwhelming urge to herd at anything they see including sheep, other dogs, cats, children and squirrels. If they are not trained properly they herd at anything that moves in front of them including moving vehicles. Their natural instincts such as barking, herding, nipping, running in circles can be controlled with training but you cannot expect to completely overcome it. Not that easy, but can be directed, for instance you can train them to complete a task or have them compete in canine dog sports. You’re mistaken if you’re thinking a walk every morning and evening or a game of “Go Fetch The Ball” is enough to keep a BC busy.

For an owner who understands this breed and what it takes to raise a healthy dog, a Border Collie is a brilliant dog to live with specially if you live alone. His obedient nature, sheer intelligence and workaholic drive to learn new things make him easy to train.

It’s a sensitive breed with an uncanny ability to understand and assume what you’re going to ask, before you even ask for it. It is because they are smart and adaptive to new things they experience every day. If a Border Collie is trained from puppyhood and is well socialized, he can adapt to any new living situation, however he cannot compromise on mental and physical exercise that he require to stay fit, happy and healthy.

If the owner is as active as his Border Collie is, that will make his life a lot easier. Specially those who like dog sports and canine tricks competitions. A well trained and socialized Border Collie can be a life changing addition to a family that is nothing less than a soul mate.

Physical Activities, Sports and as Family Pets

If there is one breed that is most ideally suited for canine dog sports and tricks competitions, Border Collie is the one you can vouch for. Working in partnership with their owners motivates them, which is the most important part for any dog sport. You will notice in dog tricks competitions, Border Collies are the ones with exceptional performances in obedience, agility and tracking tests. They are good at Frisbee and Fly Ball competitions.

When it comes to Border Collies as family pets, they have mixed records and different opinions. On one hand some owners never face any difficulty controlling their BC’s bad behavior problems and herding instincts, and on the other hand owners who are less experienced or do not have the understanding of raising this breed, may find it difficult to manage them.

Border collies that you see at sheepdog events and in training videos are the result of responsible pet ownership and careful attention to physical and mental needs this wonderful breed requires.

If you give them what they deserve and their essential needs, they can be outstanding family friendly pets just like any other breed, but you have to give the love and care they crave. For first-timers, unfortunately, a BC dog can become a neurotic nuisance, therefore planning to adopt one you must honestly think about your lifestyle and see if you will be able to manage him well, otherwise you’ll make your and his life a living hell. Every year we see rescued Border Collies because they proved too much to handle for their owners.

Characteristics Highlights

They are extremely sensitive, emotional and responsive to owner’s commands. They also have this bizarre ability to pick up what their owner is about to say. They can actually predict their owners’ desire without even saying it.

It’s a workaholic breed that needs lots and lots of physical and mental stimulation to be able to channel their energy in something positive. Or else, they are quick to invent their own activities and games, which can become a serious problem for the owner to live with.

If you have children and Border collie at home, training your BC becomes even more important, because they hate kids making noise while playing, and that could lead him to nip, bark and nudge at your kids.

Some Border Collies are shy and reacts weirdly when they meet new people, therefore a Border Collie must be well socialized to get along with other people.

Generally they like running and walking but they don’t usually roam around the neighborhood. However, their sheer intelligence, and curiosity can make him become an escape artist, which is a serious problem for the owner to deal with.

Size

Border Collie dogs’ average height is 20 to 22 inches and they weigh close to 30 to 45 lbs. Bitches stand 19 to 21 inches tall and weigh 25 to 40 lbs.

Personality

If there is ever a dynamic dog personality it has to be a Border Collie. They are energetic, full of life, always alert, smart, intelligent, workaholic, and adapt to new living situations quickly. Their intelligence helps them learn things quickly which can be difficult for the owner to find new activities all the time to keep him challenged.

They get bored of daily routine if they are doing the same thing every day, because they likes to be busy and get involved in new things. When they are bored it can lead to bad behavior problems such as excessive barking, jumping, growling, digging and chasing moving cars. This is definitely not a breed that will sit quietly with you in your garden while you read a book.

If not properly trained or socialized as at young age, a border collie may develop shy or fearful behavior when he meets new people. Therefore, socializing your BC puppy is important and that can be done with plenty of exposure to different places and people to help him build his confidence.

Health

Given the fact they are physically active and do exercise a lot, they are generally healthy. However, they’re still prone to some common dog health issues like other breeds. Most Border Collies do not suffer with these health problems, but it’s better to have knowledge of them if you are planning to bring home a Border Collie. Given below are some health conditions Border Collies are prone to:

• Hip Dysplasia
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy
• Epilepsy
• Collie Eye Anomaly
• Allergies
• Osteochondrosis Dissecans
• Care

While it’s an incredibly well adaptable breed to any living environment, they are ideally suited to rural environments where they have plenty of open space to run, herd, jump and play their games. Regardless of living environment, this breed thrive on having something to do or some sort of job everyday that keeps them stimulated both physically and mentally. Therefore, it become even more important to understand for the owner that what they are getting into and will they be able to provide it to their dog.

Feeding

New puppy? Make sure you consult your vet before giving any type of dog food to your pup. However, generally we recommend giving 1 to 2 cups of dry dog food two times a day.

Grooming, Coat and Colors

You can get purebred Border Collies in 2 different varieties of coat: smooth and rough. It’s a double coat breed so both the type are double coats. They come in bicolor, tricolor, merle, or solid color coats.

For grooming, make sure you brush your BC’s teeth 3-4 times a week to get rid of bacteria that lurk inside the tartar buildup. If you’re dog has bad breath or gum disease, brushing his teeth everyday is recommended.

You can trim his nails in 2-3 weeks, and check his ears every week for infection. You can gently cleanse his ear by using cotton ball dampened in ear cleaner or else use an ear drop prescribed by your vat. Periodic checks for rashes, sores, and infection on the skin is important to keep a BC healthy. Make sure his eyes are clear with no redness. Weekly examining your dog helps you identify severe health problems early.