Discover the Border Collie, a breed celebrated for its trainable, alert, and playful nature. Considered a medium-sized dog, Border Collies were originally bred in the United Kingdom for herding and working livestock beginning in the 19th century.
In this post, we share insights from almost 10,000 Sniffspot users, offering practical advice for new and prospective Border Collie owners. Whether you’re considering owning or rescuing a Border Collie yourself or already have one, you'll find valuable tips on how to care for and enjoy life with a trainable Border Collie.
As Sniffspot user Courtney says, "Border Collies are so smart and loyal. My BC is such a goofball but wants so badly to listen and be taught. Since they're a working breed, they are a lot of work, but its so worth it!"
Source: Sniffspot Community Breed Survey 2024
Border Collie Quick Characteristics
- Breed Type: Herding
- Size: Medium
- Life Expectancy: 12 - 15 years
- Healthy Weight Range: 30 - 45 lbs
- Adult Height Range: 18 - 22 in
- Temperament: Trainable, Alert, Playful
- Coat Type: Double, Smooth coats
- Color: Black and white, merle (blue or red), tri-color, and various other combinations
About the Border Collie
According to almost 10,000 Sniffspot community users who shared real-world data about their Border Collie, we learned these dogs are trainable and alert. The Border Collie is very friendly and social with children and very friendly with other pets, especially compared to larger breeds.
When living with a Border Collie, 78% of our owners said a large house with a fenced yard is necessary to keep this pet happy. Additionally, 56% of owners said a rural or suburban area with open spaces is also acceptable. This dog is highly trainable by all types of dog owners and owners say the Border Collie learns best with positive reinforcement, consistent routines, enrichment activities, and socialization.
When it comes to exercise, 46% of Sniffspot owners say their Border Collie benefits from high exercise every day, including over 2+ hours of activity a day, including walks, runs, and play sessions. The Sniffspot Border Collie community would not recommend this dog for first-time owners.
History and Origin of Border Collie
The Border Collie, a highly skilled herding dog, originated from the border region between Scotland and England. Known as "collie" in old Gaelic, these dogs were essential for managing livestock and adapted to the demanding rural environment. Their excellence in herding was first formally recognized through sheepdog trials starting in the late 19th century.
One of the most famous lovers of Collies was Queen Victoria herself. When Queen Victoria spotted this active breed in the latter half of the 19th century, she became an active enthusiast. Aside from Queen Victoria, other notable Collie pet parents are James Dean, Ethan Hawke, and Bon Jovie just to name a few.
Border Collies gained international fame for their intelligence and agility, thriving in competitive trials and obedience sports. They were officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1995, and Collie Breed clubs are dedicated to preserving their herding instincts and promoting their capabilities. One of the most intelligent breeds, let's dive deeper into what makes these pups special.
Border Collie Traits and Characteristics
- Temperament: Trainable, Alert, Playful
- Energy Level: High
- Trainability: Highly trainable - Learns commands quickly and responds well to training.
- Grooming needs: Moderate maintenance - Needs regular brushing and periodic baths.
- Good with Kids: Very friendly and social with children
- Good with Other Pets: Very friendly with other pets
How Friendly Are Border Collies?
Another important thing to consider when adopting a Border Collie is whether or not they fit with your current family. How friendly are Border Collies compared to other medium-sized breeds?
Source: Sniffspot Community Breed Survey 2024
With consistent training, you can hone your Border Collie's working instinct into a loyal and friendly family dog.
Introducing your pet to positive reinforcement (treats, praise, rewards) and consistent daily training routines early helps them avoid undesirable behaviors like developing anxiety or sensitivities. Our community Border Collie owners comment on their pet's friendliness:
- Extremely friendly and affectionate, a high drive, and always wants to be around people (JS)
- They’re incredibly sensitive and sweet dogs once they come to trust you. Their intelligence allows for all kinds of fun games and play, and can create a very deep bond through training. (AN)
- Reactivity. Take a border collie and put it in an urban environment and you’ll see reactivity towards any movement (cars, bikes, kids). (Heather)
How to Train a Border Collie
Whether you're adopting a Border Collie puppy or a grown Border Collie adult, training classes and training sessions are a large part of owning a medium breed. When you fail to train your Border Collie properly, they're more likely to display undesirable behaviors like developing anxiety or sensitivities, and so on. Providing stimulating activities is a great first step, but this needs to be paired with the right training for your Border Collie.
As a herding breed, Border Collies benefit from praise and positive reinforcement. They also are more likely to be on their best behavior with consistent physical exercise. Here's what our Border Collie community recommended based on their experience with their own dog:
- Positive Reinforcement (93%): This includes treats, praise, rewards, and so on for positive behavior.
- Consistent Routines (57%): A consistent training routine allows your pet to get comfortable with expectations.
- Socialization (34%): Socializing your dog with other pets, dogs, and people prepares them to interact with the world.
As dogs bred for herding and working livestock, Border Collies are considered highly trainable by all types of dog owners. However, you can't skip on enrichment activities.
What to Expect as a Border Collie Dog Owner
As a Border Collie owner, it's important to know the best dog breed tips as well as expectations from current Border Collie owners. Remember, these pups were bred for herding livestock. They require active owners who understand their physical exercise, grooming, and training needs.
Source: Sniffspot Community Breed Research 2024
Grooming Needs
Border Collie dogs require moderate maintenance grooming. This means Border Collie owners should expect regular brushing and periodic baths. Border Collie dogs have a double coat, ideal for insulation when working outdoors. Their double coat is considered high shed.
To keep your Border Collie's coat healthy and up to breed standards, brush them several times a week to manage shedding and prevent mats. Of the coat types for common breeds in the herding group, the coat grooming needs for Border Collies are considered moderate maintenance.
Exercise Needs
Border Collies require high activity each day. Though one of the most popular active breeds, Border Collies are considered a very athletic, high-energy breed. Border Collies make great pets, and they thrive with over 2+ hours of activity a day, including walks, runs, and play sessions. Owners of Border Collies report their dogs especially love chasing/playing with a ball or frisbee, tug-of-war, and playing with squeaky toys.
When medium breeds like Border Collies don't get sufficient exercise, they're more likely to act out on undesirable behaviors like developing anxiety or sensitivities. They need consistent training, mental activity, and regular exercise to avoid excess energy.
Diet and Nutrition
What should you feed your Border Collie to keep him healthy? As a high-energy breed, what you feed them is important. A reported 64% of our community feeds their Border Collie commercial dry kibble.
With high exercise, Border Collies should eat 2 to 3 cups of vet-recommended food to maintain a healthy weight of around 30 - 45 lbs. However, your Border Collie's ideal weight and food depend on your pet's sex, activity level, and age.
Breed Health Concerns
What are the breed health concerns? The Border Collie breed is most prone to joint problems (e.g., hip dysplasia, arthritis) and digestive issues (e.g., bloating, sensitive stomach). A reported 26% of our Border Collie owners reported joint problems like arthritis, elbow dysplasia, degenerative issues, and osteosarcoma. Border Collie's risk for these challenges increase as they age.
Similarly, 22% reported digestive issues like constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, and lack of appetite. Lastly, 17% of Border Collie owners claim their dog struggles with skin conditions like allergies, yeast infections, impetigo, ringworm, alopecia, and folliculitis — a common Border Collie health concern. If you're worried about any of these health issues above, talk to your Border Collie's vet."
What Do Owners Love About Border Collies?
We asked Sniffspot Border Collie owners what they love the most about their Border Collie pups, and here's what they had to say:
- How intelligent and sensitive they are! Also their working drive. (Brooke )
- My dog picked up on basic commands so quickly! She's the perfect addition to family households. (M.)
- The intelligence really makes us feel like she loves us and understands why she loves us. (JJ)
- He is smart! He wants to learn and engage with life. It makes you get up even on a day you are feeling extremely down. (Chrissy)
What Are the Biggest Challenges for Border Collie Owners?
Similarly, Border Collie owners shared some of the biggest challenges of living with Border Collie:
- Lots of energy and training requirements - very smart, but sometimes too smart for her own good. Training has been a long process to build trust and overcome a timid nature. (Anon)
- Energy levels— when not properly fulfilled, can be hard to manage. (Anon)
- Herding at times when it’s inappropriate. They can also be overly sensitive. (Brooke )
- Keeping up with the mental exercise, brain exercise, aerobic exercise, and desensitization exercises is a lot. Make sure you're committed to regular exercise with this breed! (Jamie)
Is a Border Collie Right for a First-Time Dog Owner?
Source: Sniffspot 2024 Community Dog Breed Survey
According to 78% of our Sniffspot community, Border Collies are not a great first-time dog. This comes from their trainable nature and high exercise needs. Border Collie owners say it best:
- He is smart! He wants to learn and engage with life. It makes you get up even on a day you are feeling extremely down. (Chrissy)
- They’re very intelligent and very loyal. Such sweet babies. (Arah)
- Very smart and easily trained also very loyal and loving. (Ryan)
- While I love my Collie, the mental exercise and training sessions are a lot of first-time owners. If you want to avoid undesirable behaviors and work with their herding instinct, it can take a lot of work. They're bred for herding livestock, so unless you live on a farm this can be hard to manage. (D.)
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Advice for Border Collie Owners
Luckily, our Sniffspot community is full of experienced, trustworthy Border Collie owners. These Border Collie breed owners share the most essential dog breed tips and advice for prospective or new dog owners:
Understand their need for training and structure.
- Make sure you have a backyard and the time for daily walks/training. (Laurie)
- Provide your pup with a job or purpose because they long for training and structure. (Emily)
- Additional training is a must! Things like crate training, desensitization exercise, and mental exercise are non-negotiables. (Maxine)
Provide your pup with a job or purpose.
- Insure you have the time to dedicate to not long, but frequent training and provide them with a job, even if it is doing the normal day-to-day activities. (AC)
- This dog needs a lot of brain exercise and regular exercise. Her cognitive abilities are amazing, and these dogs have an innate ability to understand just what you're asking for. They need a job! (Dean)
- Make sure you have a job for them. It doesn’t have to be herding, but their biological desire to herd and work should be met somewhere. Agility, rally, obedience work, puzzles, scent work, etc. They thrive when they have a job and ways to keep their mind occupied and fulfilled. If you don’t give them a job they will make one for themselves and you might not like their career choice (Valerie)
Be prepared for daily physical and mental stimulation.
- Have more than enough time budgeted for training, exercise, and creating an optimal environment. Having patience when things inevitably do not go to plan (Ingrid)
- These dogs need A LOT. Breed-specific enrichment, hard exercise, all-day mental stimulation with structured downtime. (Logan)
- My Collie's cognitive abilities are top-notch, but that's because I give him so much physical activity in his daily life. If you want an affectionate family dog, you can't cut corners with this breed. (L)
Ensure proper socialization early.
- Socialize early and give lots of stimulation. They need a job. (Kenna)
- This breed loves to work so make sure you have a job ready and waiting. (Stephanie)
- By the time they get to their adult size, you should already have a strong physical activity routine and coat grooming routine. Crate training too. Socialize them to everything and anything. (Hannah)
Frequently Asked Questions about the Border Collie
What is the average lifespan of a Border Collie?
The average lifespan of a Border Collie is typically between 12 - 15 years.
What is the size of a Border Collie?
An adult Border Collie weighs between 30 - 45 lbs pounds and stands between 18 - 22 in tall at adult height.
How much grooming does a Border Collie need?
Border Collie dogs require moderate maintenance grooming. Regular grooming helps to keep their coat healthy and manageable. Border Collie dogs have a double coat, which is well-suited for insulation when working outdoors. They are considered high shedders.
To maintain your Border Collie's coat, it's important to brush them several times a week to manage shedding and prevent mats. Among herding breeds, Border Collie grooming is categorized as expected.
How much exercise does a Border Collie need?
Border Collies require high activity each day. Though one of the most popular dog breeds, Border Collies are classified as a very athletic, high-energy breed.
Border Collies are excellent companions and flourish with over 2+ hours of activity a day, including walks, runs, and play sessions. Owners of Border Collies note that their dogs particularly enjoy chasing/playing with a ball or frisbee, tug-of-war, and playing with squeaky toys. These pups pick up on basic commands quickly, but regular training is important.
If medium breeds like Border Collies don't receive enough exercise, they may develop unwanted behaviors. These dogs need ongoing training, mental stimulation, and consistent exercise to channel their energy effectively.
How friendly are Border Collies with children?
According to our data, Border Collies are very friendly and social with children.
How well do Border Collies get along with other pets?
Our research indicates that Border Collies are very friendly with other pets with other pets.
What should you feed your Border Collie to keep him healthy?
As a high-energy breed, the diet of your Border Collie is crucial. A significant 64% of our community feeds their Border Collie commercial dry kibble.
For optimal health, Border Collies should consume 2 to 3 cups of vet-recommended food to maintain a healthy weight of around 30 - 45 lbs pounds. The exact amount and type of food will depend on your Border Collie's sex, activity level, and age.
What health concerns are common for Border Collies?
The Border Collie breed is particularly prone to joint problems like arthritis, elbow dysplasia, degenerative issues, osteosarcoma and digestive issues like constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, and lack of appetite. Our data shows that 26% of Border Collie owners reported joint problems like arthritis, elbow dysplasia, degenerative issues, and osteosarcoma. Border Collie's risk for these health issues increases as they age.
Additionally, 22% reported digestive issues like constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, and lack of appetite. Finally, 17% of Border Collie owners indicated their dog struggles with skin conditions like allergies, yeast infections, impetigo, ringworm, alopecia, and folliculitis, which are common Border Collie health concerns. If you have concerns about any of these health issues, consult your Border Collie's veterinarian.
Resources for Border Collie Owners
Whether you're a current Border Collie dog owner or you're considering adopting a Border Collie, Sniffspot is here to lend a helping hand. With a strong innate ability to understand humans by the time they reach their full adult size, Collies can make affectionate family dogs. However, they require high levels of physical activity and enrichment activities. Additional training services this breed well.
Here are some of the most relevant resources for Border Collie owners.
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