The Border collie dog breed is a herding dog breed basically meant for herding livestock. They are considered acrobatic, intelligent. Obedient, energetic, smart and athletic dogs, who frequently compete with other dogs in dog sports and succeed. They are very affectionate and have been originated from the United Kingdom. The dogs of this breed are considered as the smartest dog breed by most of the people.
Their intense ability of herding sheep makes it the best dog meant for sheepherding. Also, it does not impose its ability on the sheep, but also it imposes its will on his/her owner as well. This is not enough, now read the article further and know some new things about the Border collie dog breed..
| Breed Name | Border Collie Dog |
| Origin | United Kingdom, England and Scottish border |
| Lifespan | 10- 14 years, average life of most of the dogs is 12 years. |
| Breed Group | Herding dogs |
| Size Type | Medium sized Dog breed |
| Height | Males: 19-22 inches(48-56 centimeters) and Females: 18-21 inches(46-53 centimeters) |
| Weight | Males: 14-20 kg(30-45 lb) and Females: 12-19 kg(27-42 lb) |
| Temperament | Smart, energetic, acrobatic, athletic, intelligent. |
| Coat Color | Chocolate merle, blue merle, chocolate, lilac blue, harlequin, shaded sable, chocolate sable, black, white, red or brindle, sable merle, etc. They could be either solid coloured, bicoloured or tricoloured. |
| Coat characteristics | Rough or smooth double coat |
| What to feed | A border collie is supposed to be fed with a high quality food as recommended by a veterinarian. But, generally a puppy must be fed with an adequate amount of food for four times in a day, whereas an adult border collie dog must be fed twice in a day. |
| Litter Size | 6-8 puppies, Maximum 10 puppies. |
| Training needs | The obedience training is essential to be given to the dogs of this breed and must be given at an early age. |
| Living Conditions | The apartment living is not at all suitable for this dog breed. They don’t confine to be kept in indoors and love to stay outside the home. They jump or dig fences. |
| Exercise requirement | Border collie is a dog breed that requires vigorous exercise and daily walking needs. They love to run freely. |
| Health Concerns | Hip dysplasia, epilepsy, collie eye anomaly, adult onset hearing loss, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. |
| Bred For | Specifically they were bred for Herding sheep or livestock |
Star Rating:
| Characteristics | Stars (based on 5) |
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Some interesting facts about the Border collie dog breed:
- IN the year 1995, the Border collie dogs have got recognition by the American Kennel club..
- Specifically, they were bred for herding the sheep or livestock.
- They are also known with various other names like Weish sheep dogs, Scottish sheep dogs
- They are considered as the smartest dog breed because of their intelligence.
- They belong to the herding group of the dogs.
- The average price range for buying a Border collie dog is $577 for the lifetime.
Is Border collie a right choice for you??
| A Border collie is a right choice for an individual if he/she wants a dog who: | A Border collie will not be considered as a right choice, if he/she do not want a dog who: |
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· Is medium sized dog with the natural looks· Is acrobatic and athletic.· Is very sociable with other breeds and animals · Can play for long hours. · Has a coat that is very easy to groom. |
Requires long walk daily along with a vigorous exercise.· A dog who requires frequent combing and brushing· Is very stubborn and is a very challenging task to live with. · Is highly expensive to be bought. · Requires frequently shedding. · When left alone can cause destructiveness and barking.
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Some more information about the Border collie dog:
History: The Border collie dogs are the descendants of the Landrace collies, a type of dogs found in the British Isles. They have been given this name from their place of origin that is the Anglo-Scottish border. Some of the most popular Border collies of today were known to be the old hemp in their earlier times. In 1915, a distinction between the Border collie dogs from the dogs registered with the American kennel club and the ISDS. All of them had originally come from the same stock, but have a different and standardized appearance.
Description: A medium sized dogs with a thick coat that requires frequent shedding is the popularly known dog breed the Border collie. They have a double coat that is sometimes rough and sometimes smooth. The quality of the coat varies occasionally. The most commonly seen colour pattern for the Border collie dogs is the black and the white colour. Also, some of the dogs of this breed have been seen in tricolours with lack or tricolours with red. The colour of the eyes of a Border collie dog varies occasionally. This variation generally occurs in the dogs with merle colour. Some of them have fully erected ears or some have semi erect ears.
Personality: The Border collies are said to be the champions in playing the Frisbee. They can accomplish any task that has been given to them by focussing on it like a professional athlete. They are considered to be an ideal dog for ranchers or the farmers. It is a breath task, if watching a Border collie playing. They are said to be the most intelligent dogs, so it requires a lot of mental activities. They should be given at least two hours for doing activities in order to avoid severe behavioural problems that may take place in them. If the dogs of this breed do not get satisfied with the physical and the mental activities, then they will become destructive. They are acquired by most of the families for being highly energetic and playful nature, but this high energy level becomes a problem later.
Health: The border collies are prone to so many diseases that occur because of their genes. Some of them are:
Collie eye anomaly: This is a disease that involves the retina, sclera choroid of its eyes and thus leads to the vision impairment. Nowadays, a test is available in order to check the CEA and ensure that the dog with them will not reproduce an affected puppy.
Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis: This is a serious disease that is limited to this breed only. This disease results to several neurological disorders and death at an early age. The dogs that get afflicted with disease cannot survive beyond two years of age.
Some other common diseases found in them are the hip dysplasia, epilepsy, etc.
Care: The Border collie is a dog that requires physical and mental simulation. So, it should be given time everyday to play and perform activities. In order to make them obedient and disciplined, they must be given obedience training at an early age. In order to stop them from being destructive and start barking, they should be given time to play. If kept alone, one should keep an eye on them, as they jump the fences in order to move out of the house or the apartment.
Feeding: A Border collie must be fed with a good quality healthy food twice in a day. An owner must develop this habit of feeding the dog with a schedule and get stuck to it. Also, with the increase in its age, the owner must check the weight and adjust the diet accordingly. So, a border collie must be taken to a veterinary doctor for the regular visits in order to get their weight checked and get consultation from the doctor for its diet. There are some branded packages prepared for the dogs, but one must not rely on them. They should check the weight and then feed the pet accordingly. Feeding in the right amount is necessary in order to maintain their metabolism and for their build, size, etc.
Grooming: There are two types of coats available with the Border collie dogs. The border collies are double coated, so, one of them is the coat that is short and the smooth with a little bit feathering on its front legs. Whereas, the other one is the rough coat that is with the hair that are a bit wavy or flat and are long haired. The Border collies require frequent shedding, but it should be kept at a minimum. A Border collie is expected to be brushed twice or thrice in a week to remove the dead hair.
As, they are prone to hearing issues, so their ears must be kept clean in order to save them from such a deafness. They should be given bathe as and when they are looking dirty. The Border collies wear their nails naturally, but the owner must check with its own in a week and trim its nails, if required. To provide them with a fresh breath and good health, their teeth must be brushed frequently.