I often receive the question “What’s your favorite breed?” or “What’s the friendliest breed on Earth?” and I have always had one answer in my mind. Yes, they are Border Collies. This wonderful dog isn’t only a playful and athletic herding dog, but also has excellent senses and an incredible body. If you are wondering what’s the best dog to buy for beginners, then the answer is right in front of you, and if you’re wondering why, then perhaps it’s best to follow along with me in this detailed guide.
“Border Collies are medium-sized dogs with a medium-length double coat who can live from 12 to 17 years. They are intelligent and very smart dogs who, in any field, they have entered proven themselves. They are full of energy and awareness; their height typically ranges between 48 to 56 centimeters (19 to 22 in) and their weight typically ranges between 14–20 kg (31–44 lb) “
I can say that this is the most favorite article for me, as this is my most beloved dog. Yeah, I get it, you don’t want to spend 10-12 mins reading a single post, but I can assure you that this article will give you all the possible information about Border Collies. You won’t need to read any other article on the internet at all. However, let’s say no more and jump right into it.
History of Border Collies
General info:
Here to make it easier to read, I will divide this into the following table.
| Place of breeding | Scottish Borders, in Northumberland |
| Time of breeding | At the end of the 19th century. |
| The breed which Border Collie depends on | Old Hemp. |
| First Breeder | We don’t know the first breeder of Border Collie, however, we know that Adam Telfer is the person who bred the first Old Hemp. |
| Purprose of breeding | Herding livestock (Sheep) |
The above table is excellent with a lot of info, but I would like to share with you the story of Border Collie.
Story of Border Collies
Old Hemp is a tri-color herding dog who was known for his extensive intelligence. Adam Telfer bred him; however, it wasn’t recognized in AKC or had a pedigree of any type, just a smart dog.
Old Hemp is known to be the father of Border Collies; in fact, we don’t know how they changed from Old Hemp to Border Collies or the name of the person who made that change. But, we do know that there is no significant difference between Border Collies and Old Hemps.
How was the name chosen?
Usually, the name of dogs is related to something they do or their nationality (German Shepherd, for example), in fact, Border Collies are also known as Scottish-Shepherds. So, why were they named Border Collies?
In 1915, James Reid, who was the secretary of the International Sheep Dog Society, decided to choose the name Border Collie for the children of the Old Hemp. And he chose the word Border to relate them to being bred in borders area and the word Collie, which means ‘Useful’ in the old Celtic language.
Then the Border Collies started to gain fame and became very popular in England at the end of the 19th century. They won their first competition in 1984, and since then, they started to show their real potential to us, and they never stopped to amaze us.
One of the legends that I have read over and over again is this(No one knows the truth of this story):
“One of these Dogs performed a feat which would have been, excusably, thought impossible, had it not been proved to be true. A large flock of lambs took a sudden alarm one night, as sheep are wont, unaccountably and most skittishly, to do, and dashed off among the hills in three different directions. The shepherd tried in vain to recall the fugitives, but finding all his endeavors useless, told his Dog that the lambs had all runaway, and then set off himself in search of the lost flock. The remainder of the night passed in a fruitless search. The shepherd was returning to his master to report his loss. However, as he was on the way, he saw several lambs standing at the bottom of a deep ravine and his faithful dog keeping watch over them. He immediately concluded that his Dog had discovered one of the three bands which had started so inopportunely in the darkness; but on visiting the recovered truants, he discovered, to his equal joy and wonder, that the entire flock was collected in the ravine, without the loss of a single lamb.”
Legend
How did English people describe Border Collies?
After we have known the story, I would like to really shoutout to how English People were proud of this amazing wonderful dog.
Not huge, vaste, and bigge, but of an indifferent stature and growth, because it hath not to deale with the bloudthyrsty wolf, sythence there be none in England
Johannes Caius
This is one of the quotes that describe the herding dogs in Scottland and England which shows how the Englishmen are truly proud of this beautiful dog.
This being said, we have really dug deep into the history of this amazing dog, I think we have to start looking at the reasons for the love of this dog. And let’s start with the physical traits of this wonderful dog.
Physical Traits of Border Collies
General Physical Traits
Let’s put them all in this beautiful-looking table.
| Size | Medium-Sized dogs. |
| Height | Males: 48 to 56 centimeters (19 to 22 in) Females: 46–53 cm (18–21 in) |
| Weight | Males: 14–20 kg (31–44 lb) Females: 12–19 kg (26–42 lb) |
| Coat | Double-Coat |
| Coat Density | Moderate |
| Coat Length | Medium |
| Color | Border Colli’s can have a verity of Colours. The most common ones are Black and white. However, there are many more colors; it can be tri-color like: Black, grey and white, blue merle, red merle, chocolate merle, sable merle, sable, shaded sable. |
| Eye Color | Varies from Brown to Blue, and sometimes they will have different colors for eyes like huskies, it is not usual, though. |
| Ear | It can vary between fully erect ears, entirely dropped ears, and semi-erect ears |
| Life Span | 10-17 years. |
Border Collies are known for their beautiful bodies. It gives them the highest speed and the longest jumps among dogs, and their beautiful outline colors that are adorable for any human’s eye. Although, the famous saying among most shepherds, “Avoid White Dogs because sheep don’t respect it,” however, he is an adorable dog in all his colors.
Before we start talking about the shedding and grooming needs for Border Collies, we should point out the standard specs of Border Collies.
Border Collies’ Standard Specifications, According to AKC
Many people like to participate in shows with their dogs. Perhaps Border Collies are the most popular dogs to win almost every agility course, but not every Border Collie can participate-unfortunately.
That’s because the AKC has put standard specs for dogs that judges and breeders should follow to provide the best Border Collies, the AKC says on their website:
A Breed Standard is the guideline that describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance, including the correct color of it, and ensures that the breed is fit for function. Absolute soundness is essential. Breeders and judges should, at all times, be careful to avoid obvious conditions or exaggerations, which would be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare, or soundness of this breed.
AKC
If you don’t have time to read the website, I will go through the standard specs quickly to give you an overview on how your dog should be, if you’d like to participate in shows (I will go through the physical traits now)
| Appearance | Well proportioned, smooth outline showing quality, gracefulness and perfect balance, combined with sufficient substance to give impression of endurance. Any tendency is to coarseness or weediness undesirable. |
| Head and Skull | Skull fairly broad, occiput not pronounced. Cheeks not full or rounded. Muzzle, tapering to nose, moderately short and strong. |
| Eyes | Set wide apart, oval-shaped, of moderate size, brown colored except in merles where one or both or part of one or both may be blue. Expression mild, keen, alert and intelligent. |
| Ears | Medium size and texture set well apart. It is carried erect or semi-erect and sensitive in use. |
| Mouth | Teeth and jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. |
| Neck | Of good length, strong and muscular, slightly arched and broadening to shoulders. |
| Forequarters | Front legs parallel when viewed from the front, pasterns slightly sloping when viewed from the side. Bone strong, but not heavy. Shoulders well laid back, elbows close to the body. |
| Hindquarters | Broad, muscular, in profile, sloping gracefully to set on of tail. Thighs long, deep and muscular with well-turned stifles and strong well let down hocks. From hock to ground, hindlegs well boned and parallel when viewed from the rear. |
| Feet | Oval, pads deep, strong and sound, toes arched and close together. Nails short and strong. |
| Color | Variety of colors permissible. White should never predominate. |
There are other things like the coat; however, you can check that here, as I mentioned that I had taken this from their website to make it easier for you and more accessible, I am giving credits to them.
If your dog doesn’t have one or more of the above specs, he will get terminated by the judges from the competition or show, and would never be allowed to enter it. That’s why you should make sure that your dog meets the breed’s standards.
Physical Exercises for Border Collies
Perhaps this is the first time I mention that independently in any article, I always say in general, you need to exercise your dog. However, I want to emphasize that here.
We haven’t dived yet into the temperament of Border Collies. But, you will notice that they are very, very very very energetic dogs who can really be the most active ever, don’t worry about that now. I will dive into the next section, deeper into these things. However, I wanted to mention here the ways that we can “Physically Exercise Border Collies.”
Border Collies were bred to work and never stop working. Now, that we do not require herding dogs, we are probably not in need of Border Collies; however, they are amazing dogs that we adore, and we buy. That forces us to exercise them 24/7.
Before I give insights about some ways to exercise them and making them do jobs, you have to know those facts:
- Border Collies need daily walks that range from 30-60 mins.
- The daily walks are preferred to be off-leash,
- Border Collies need to run daily.
- Never lock-up your Border Collie without exercising in your home, he is not a guard dog, and he is not bred to stay without something to do for days,
So, after we’ve known these facts, let’s look at some exercises insights
Ways of “PHYSICAL” Exercising a Border Collie
Perhaps the best thing to do for your Border Collies is getting them a job to do. That’s what they were bred for. You will need to keep them on their paws as much as possible to keep them happy and satisfied, how? Let’s look at some examples(They are only examples, you can make up something yourself):
- Training them to bring paper, remote control, your mobile, or your keys.
- Train them to remove the trash from the floor, if any, is found.
- Teach them a lot of tricks and use them throughout the day.
These are some of the things that I made up myself; you are free to be creative and add anything to that list, leave a comment below.
So, the list above is for the jobs, however, if you were unable to teach your dog a job to do, then have a look at ways of physical exercising your dogs daily:
- Daily Walking: As we said from 30-60 mins, however, this tip is I have read in one of the training books is to try to change the paths of the walks. Try to make it random every day, as the dog will get bored if he walks the same route every day. Also, you can get your dog to always be excited about walking, by making the walking hours random, like sometimes walking in the evening or the morning, etc.
- Biking or hiking: Hiking trips with your dog will do an excellent job of exercising your dog. Also, there’s a particular string sold on Amazon that can help your dog get attached to your bike, and you can bike together (Please make sure that your dog is in perfect health before doing this step).
- Playing a variety of games: Fetch will be the most important one, obviously. Make use of Border Collies high jumps and teach him to play frisbee, tug of war is ok too.
- Automatic launching ball machine(if you don’t have time): This is simply a fetch game that runs automatically.
- Setting up an agility course in your backyard: This is pretty common for herding dogs you can have more information about this topic here
- Using Dog Activity monitor: The dog activity monitor monitors everything related to a dog’s activity. The monitor tracks things like how much he exercised, how much more could he exercise, etc.
Here you can find a fantastic article that talks about the reasons for using a dog activity monitor. If you are wondering about the best brand, I think pitpat is widely popular. - Weightlifting: This doesn’t mean helping you in lifting heavy subjects. It means adding little weight to its back during walking to exercise his muscles. If you remember our article about German Shepherds and Weight lifting, you can apply the same concept here. Instead, Border Collies can carry a maximum of 10% of their weight. And before doing this step, make sure that the legs and back of your dog are perfect and that he is trained well to move beside you (to not apply more pressure on the leash if he grabs you)
- Swimming(dependable): Not all dogs adore water. If your dog loves water, then you can buy the home plastic pool for your dog to tire him! You can find them on Amazon.
Treadmill: Yes, if you have a treadmill in your home, then you will be fortunate. You can train your dog to walk or run on it to give him the best possible exercises(you can even add some weight to make him exercises well). However, don’t overexercise your dog as this can really harm him.
Dog Sports: If you are a hunter, or you like hunting, then the best thing to do is to teach your dog to fetch or chase. Border Collies are the best dogs to do such a job.
Dog clubs and parks: If you live near a dog park, it’s best to go there and let the dogs meet and socialize! However, make sure you follow the rules of dog parks.
Herding balls: This is the most exciting one for me because this relates to the Border Collies’ natural instinct, which is herding. Herding balls create a herding job for your dog but without sheep. It will keep him on his paws, trying to get the balls in their place and do his job.
This is the most suitable game for any Border Collie that will make him tired the whole day. You can know more about herding balls for your dogs here.
That was a huge list that covered everything in detail. This list will be your best friend during the teaching phase of your dog until you find the best approach that tires your dog and makes him happy all day.
Remember, Border Collies are bred to have a tremendous amount of energy that will need lots of things done to be taken-up. We will cover how to train your dog mentally shortly.
Now, let’s start talking about one of the most worrying things for any owner when we talk about the double-coat dog, which is shedding.
The Border Collie Coat
Do Border Collies Shed?
In our article about Akitas, we dived deeply on the meaning of double coat dogs and their shedding, etc. So, it is best to check this article if you wonder “What does double coat mean” to get a quick overview.
And as Border Collies are double coat (mostly medium), they will shed seasonally. Meaning that you will see lots of hair everywhere during the change of the seasons, which can be irritating if you hate hair (however, it lasts only 2-3 months), and by the way, they are considered average shedder (unlike golden retrievers) because they have medium-length hair.
Do Border Collies need Grooming?
As we’ve looked at shedding, then you must be wondering, “How about grooming needs?”
Well, fortunately, these dogs are working dogs, the majority of their hair isn’t as dense as Golden Retrievers’, that will make them in no need of anything fancy, It would be perfect to brush him twice or three times a week and a regular bath monthly. You will not need to go to any grooming center; They are really ok with that. So overall, you won’t pay a lot of money on grooming (just the basic needs).
The temperament of Border Collies
Upsides
I think this might be the most extensive list as Border Collies are nearly perfect without any issue at all, they meet the usual perfectness of the British People. However, we can summarize all their traits here:
- Highly intelligent dogs: Those dogs are considered the highest intelligent dogs of all the time, they rank 1st in Stanley Coren’s The Intelligence of Dogs. Being part of the top 10 brightest dogs makes them the perfect dogs for any job (except guarding, and biting).
- Don’t you believe that they are so smart? Do you want proof?
- The proof is examples, right? Let me tell you this, Chaser the Border Collie, had learned a vocabulary of 1022 words. She is considered a legend in the dog’s world. You can check her website yourself. These dogs have proven themselves in all fields. They just need a good handler who knows their potential.
- Playful dogs: You remember being amazed by successful people who had a perfect mix between strictness and playfulness? Border Collies are no different at all. They are ideal dogs. They can do any job quickly and professionally while grabbing the ball to you to play a quick game of fetch. They have a perfect mix for everybody,
- Herding traits: You may be amazed now, like, how can this help me? There are no sheep now. However, you are entirely wrong. These herding traits aren’t for sheep only. They are for any creature that they think themselves responsible for, the most famous creatures are children. They will herd them and take care of them. They will walk behind them and make sure nothing terrible happens to them. This trait is really shown in Border Collies, unlike other breeds whom their characteristics have disappeared with time. Border Collies still hold their ancestors’ habits.
- Alerting: Wait, please. Don’t misunderstand it and think they can be trained like a Rottweiler to bite thieves. Yes, they can be trained to guard you and your kids, alert you when there is something wrong, bark excessively at thieves but never engage. They can try to lure them away, but whenever the thieves try to break in, don’t be too ambitious.
- Loyal: Yes, they are considered to be from the top 10 loyal dogs of all time. They will stick to you whenever you are while doing the task you asked them to do.
- Athlete: If you like sportive dogs-as I do- then you will adore Border Collies. However, this can be a downside if you hate sport or you are unable to walk or run for a long time.
- Attentive: They are willing to hear your words 24/7 if they are trained correctly, and they can be a nightmare when not trained.
- Very Easily trained: Yes, you can never worry about that. Border Collies are so intelligent that some of them can learn any trick in one day only!
- The most suitable dogs for new owners
- Intense: This will upside and downside. Border Collies have something weird called intense eye that is used in herding. This intense eye allows them to stare at anything for a considerable time without blinking until the sheep get afraid and run away. However, the intense here means that they are always aware of everything that happens beside them, they are aware of every small detail that makes them beautiful workers
Downsides
- Anxious: Border Collies are great dogs; however, he must be trained and socialized well at an early stage, or he will suffer a lot of problems like shyness or being anxious and growling always. This forces you to train and socialize them well.
- Easily Bored: They are amazing and wonderful athlete dogs, but if you don’t have enough time to exercise them mentally or physically, then you will face a bored dog.
- Intense: They are highly aware of everything, and that can make them bark a lot if they find something weird, so you have to put the rules for when to bark and what to bark on. Otherwise, you can find them barking 24/7 on everything (every small detail).
- Energetic: If they don’t find the right path to get this energy out, there will be lots of problems.
- High Demanding dogs: They require training, socialization, and exercising.
- Needs to be trained: Do you think it is contradicting to the upsides? They are easily trained. However, you can’t leave them without training. They need to follow the rules that you put them.
These are the most popular traits, and below we can find some more specific traits that can be interesting to any new owner.
Are Border Collies good with kids?
If you have kids and wonder what’s the best dog to be with them, then the right answer is Border Collies. As I said earlier, their herding traits will be beneficial in dealing with your kids. They will take care of them and be aware of everything they do; they will keep them out of danger.
Also, there’s something beautiful about raising your kids with Border Collies; they will be more intelligent. Dogs are far more capable than babies and kids, so they will teach them how to be smarter and how to be more confident.
Having a Border Collie with your kids can be fantastic in terms of sport. We mentioned that Border Collies need to run daily, right? What about letting your kids and Border Collie run together, they will tire him, and they will enjoy doing some sort of sport from a young age.
It is also considered good practice to teach your kids how to handle your dog from a young age and how to train it. Not only the dog will listen to them but also respect their decisions. This will add some confidence to your kid’s personality, understanding how to walk gently with a dog, and how to be full of love.
I consider raising kids with Border Collies as one of the most important thing ever in the life of both (The kids and The Border Collies), as the kids will learn many essential qualities from the dog and the dog will never be bored with the kids (as he will have an important job to do which is to protect them and to play with them)
Also, there’s something beautiful about raising your kids with Border Collies; they will be more intelligent. Dogs are far more capable than babies and kids, so they will teach them how to be smarter and how to be more confident.
Having a Border Collie with your kids can be fantastic in terms of sport. We mentioned that Border Collies need to run daily, right? What about letting your kids and Border Collie run together, they will tire him, and they will enjoy doing some sort of sport from a young age.
It is also considered good practice to teach your kids how to handle your dog from a young age and how to train it. Not only the dog will listen to them but also respect their decisions. This will add some confidence to your kid’s personality, understanding how to walk gently with a dog, and how to be full of love.
I consider raising kids with Border Collies as one of the most important thing ever in the life of both (The kids and The Border Collies), as the kids will learn many essential qualities from the dog and the dog will never be bored with the kids (as he will have an important job to do which is to protect them and to play with them)
Border Collies and other animals.
Well, it is obvious that Border Collies are the best dogs to live with other animals. They are herding dogs, and the herding dogs are designed to live with other animals. So it is evident that they can live with any other animals (even squirrels) without hurting them at all.
Do you want proof?
Mr. Zak George (who’s a famous dog trainer) has two Border Collies and a cat living in the same house, and you can see that they never fight with each other, but in fact, they are adorable, charming and never hurt each other. You can watch a video below of Zak introducing his puppy to an older dog.
Can Border Collies be Left Alone?
I’m sorry to tell you this, but Border Collies are considered one of the most popular dogs that are prone to have Separation Anxiety. I know these dogs are amazing in everything, and it can be irritating to have a dog who is suffering from separation anxiety.
This dog is fantastic; he can handle himself alone only if he found something to do, or if he was exercised well before being left alone. It’s a good practice to leave some toys (that are stimulating) when you are not home for your dog. This will make him stimulated and doesn’t get bored.
If you leave your dog for several hours without any sort of exercising, you will face many issues like Chewing, destroying, or damaging the backyard. They can also escape through the windows or the fence if they were too energetic and couldn’t find anything to do. So, if you are working for really long hours and you aren’t able to provide the required exercises for your dog, it’s best to choose another breed.
Mental Exercising Border Collies
Social Exercising:
Social exercising is one of the first things that you need to do at an early stage. Border Collies are amazing and lovely dogs only if they get introduced to animals and people from an early stage. Try to let him see different things as much as possible and as soon as possible, and teach him how to play with dogs from early-stage so that they won’t have any aggressive behavior when they grow-up.
They aren’t dogs who will stay in the crate for 24/7 guarding your apartment. Border Collies want to go out and expand their wings, and you have to find their potential because they can be unbelievable if they had the right handler.
Cognitive Training:
Have you ever imagined to have a dog that can solve puzzles and problems?
Border Collies aren’t that far from achieving your dream! I have talked earlier about Chaser the amazing Border Collie, and in fact, this is one of the best training for them.
They can really get tired by solving puzzles, and by learning problem-solving, you don’t need to buy anything fancy. Use your creativity to achieve this type of training. There are some Dog Puzzles you can purchase, and you can make your own too!
Solving puzzles will increase it’s intelligent, surprisingly. As they can be trained to do amazing things like discovering bombs or weed or drugs, they can be trained to achieve surprising results in any field (Guide dogs, medical dogs, etc.)
You will have a real treasure that if you used it well, you might have the best dog of all the time.
Challenging Food:
You can use the Border Collie’s amazing senses and upgrade them to the next level by adding some challenges while he eats. How?
First, you can buy the dog food puzzle mat, this will make him sniff his way to his food, you can also try to distribute the food all over the backyard (if it is fresh food) and let him find it, however, don’t exaggerate like making it impossible to find as this can lead to some food aggression problems that we want to avoid.
Try to make it challenging but funny.
Training
Training Border Collie, as we said, should start earlier at a very early stage (8 weeks), and you will find them very easy to be trained (they don’t need specialized trainers). After basic obedience classes, it is best to start teaching the dog some fantastic tricks. They are very popular to love those tricks. You have probably seen a lot of Border Collies that are doing amazing things in TV shows, and we’ve seen the amazing Sarah and Hero on British Got Talent.
However, I have a special gift for you, which is: Zak George (whom I mentioned early), he has just had a new Border Collie Puppy, isn’t that exciting?
You can follow him on his Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube to see how he trains his dog and follow the training steps one-by-one, you will learn a lot by following him and seeing his amazing little puppy improving daily. He shares every moment of the day with his audience, which can be an excellent thing to new owners who are afraid to raise a new puppy!
Border Collies’ Health:
Diseases:
In this section, I will cover some genetic diseases associated with the Border Collie breed and link to the articles that are related to each disease (I can’t describe them here, this will need a new post).
So Border Collies are a healthy breed. However, during the industrial revolution, the land was used for unhealthy industrial operations that affected the health of all living organisms including but not limited to Border Collies.
In general, the Border Collie is a healthy breed, but it has some genetic diseases (The ratio of appearance of these diseases in Border Collies is pretty low now, but they do exist) some of these diseases are Hip dysplasia, collie eye anomaly, progressive retinal atrophy, lens luxation, and epilepsy. Grey collie syndrome is specific for collie breeds, from Rough, Smooth to a Border Collie.
Other less common disorders affecting Border Collies are glaucoma, juvenile cataracts, osteochondritis, hypothyroidism, and diabetes mellitus.
The above section shows that they have a lot of diseases, but the ratio of current Border Collies being affected by one of those diseases (GENETICALLY) is 5%, which is considered a tiny amount compared to other breeds.
Physical Issues:
Border Collies could get affected by physical related issues during his life span if he is not trained correctly. The most obvious one is Hip Displaysia, which can happen due to a lack of training and overtraining. That’s why you should always be wise when you train your dog.
Mental Issues:
We have discovered them in detail in the upper sections; most of them happen due to lack of training or stimulation. Boredom, Separation Anxiety, or anxiety are all due to lack of stimulation.
You should be fair and give your dog the required amount of training and time.
Popular Breeders:
Here I have made a table of Reputable Breeders in the US:
| State | Name & website | |
| Alabama | Jule Too | JuleToo@aol.com |
| Alabama | Kensington Kennels | kensingtonkennels@msn.com |
| California | Balmoral Border Collies | Balmoralbcs@yahoo.com |
| Florida | FlyBy Border Collies | savannah.kutz@gmail.com |
| Georgia | Flat Rock Border Collies | chamilton083@yahoo.com |
| Virginia | Avatar/Bayshore | seinck@aol.com |
FAQ about Border Collies:
So in this last section, I have gathered some random questions from Quora and Reddit and will answer them here (Really random):
Border Collies are working dogs. If you don’t live on a farm, what other jobs can you give to your dog to keep him happy?
The best job is to train them to help you in your daily life activities, like bringing paper, etc.
It will also be an excellent job for them to take care of your young children and herd them well. For more ideas to make your Border Collie the happiest dog of all time, you can read the section “Ways of PHYSICAL Exercising a Border Collie.”
Are Border Collies good to have for someone who hasn’t had a dog before?
Yes, they are the easiest dogs to be trained, but they will need a lot of exercise. So if you aren’t an athletic person, perhaps it is best to retake your decision.
Should I be worried if my 6-month-old border collie has one ear perked up and the other one down?
No, Border Collies are known to have mixed ears. It is ok for them to take time to be fully erected or semi-erected.
Can a Border Collie make a good guard dog for a home?
Yeah, he will bark and be very alerting, but he will never attack the enemies, he is sweeter than that.
Which herding dog is best for competitions, the Border Collie, or the Australian cattle dog?
Both are great dogs. I prefer Border Collies, as they are known to be more agile and faster. They have done well among all the competitions in which they participated.
Can Border Collies stay in cold weather?
Yes, they can. We said that Border Collies have a double coat and most double-coated dogs can stay in cold weather without any issue, however, as we discussed in our previous article about Akitas, we have to look at the parent of the puppy and his place of breeding, as it differs from one place to another.
General Rule they can, but the minimum temperature differs from one dog to another according to the parents.
Conclusion
This was long, wasn’t it?
This post about Border Collies is a detailed guide about every possible thing relating to Border Collies. From history to ways of training.
After having read this article, you will never need to reread another post about Border Collies. It has everything you need to know about Border Collies.
Border Collies are magnificent and amazing dogs with an unbelievable sweet personality that can amaze you and do incredible things. They do require someone who had a dedication to doing his best in providing the best lifestyle for such dogs. Otherwise, you’ll end up having a monster who can’t be stopped.
I hope you have enjoyed our article and stay tuned for the next ones.