Pastoral group · Scotland/England
Border Collie
Also called Collie.
What makes them remarkable
Its name marks its birthplace: the sheep country along the border between Scotland and England.
- Intelligent
- Energetic
- Alert
- Responsive
- Athletic
- Size
- Medium
- Weight
- 14 to 25 kg30 to 55 lb
- Lives
- 12 to 15 years
- Energy
- Very High
- Trains
- Very High
- Barks
- High
Training
Training a Border Collie
Pastoral breeds. Give the brain a job or it will find one. Chasing, nipping and fixating are the breed doing its work.
Job Required
Start here
Without a job, they create one, often destructively.
Mental Exhaustion
Mental work tires them more than physical exercise.
Herding Instinct
May try to herd children, bikes, cars, redirect this.
The app turns this into five to fifteen minutes a day.
Add your Border Collie and it builds the plan around their age, where they came from and what they already know, one step at a time.
Free to start. iPhone. No card needed.
At home
Living with one
Bred to herd and guard livestock. Watchful, responsive, and wired to control movement.
Gets on with
- ChildrenHigh
- Other dogsHigh
- StrangersModerate
- CatsModerate
Breed averages. Early socialisation and the individual dog matter more.
- Exercise
- 2+ hours daily. Mental work essential.
- Grooming
- Moderate shedding. Weekly brushing.
- Drool
- Low
- Coat
- Double coat, Medium or longBlack & White, Red & White, Tricolour, Merle
- In a flat
- Needs more space than a flat gives.
Health
Things to ask a breeder or vet about
Hip Dysplasia
Moderate
Joint issues
Collie Eye Anomaly
Moderate
Inherited eye condition
Epilepsy
Moderate
Seizure disorder
Where they come from
History
Developed in the border region between Scotland and England for sheep herding.
- Chaser · Knew 1,022 words, smartest dog ever tested
Similar breeds
All breeds
Australian Cattle Dog
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Belgian Laekenois
One of its early guarding jobs was watching over linen left drying in Belgian fields.
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Belgian Sheepdog
The long black coat identifies the Groenendael, one of the four Belgian shepherd varieties.
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