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Everything You Should Know Before Getting a Border Collie - Ultimate Breed Guide 2020
For every dog lover, when their dog or puppy first comes into their family and enters their house, it is one of the best feelings ever. The excitement and happiness of welcoming a new pet into your family is an incredible experience. Although a dog is a beautiful addition to the family, it brings with it countless queries. Especially when it comes to Border Collie, also known as the Einstein of the dogs, you would want to know everything about this breed before bringing it home.
This guide covers detailed information about Border Collie, including their characteristics, personality, exercise schedule, tips, and tricks to train them and a lot more! Remember, this journey will bring so many difficulties and challenges, but it's all worth it.
What Are The Characteristics Of Great Border Collie Breed
Adaptability
Adaptability describes whether a certain breed can adjust to a new environment or not. It is extremely important to know how adaptive a certain breed is before proceeding with the buying or adopting process.
Border Collies scored 3 stars out of 5, which implies that they are adaptive in nature. There are multiple factors behind the adaptability level.
- Due to their workaholic attitude and energetic nature, Border Collies do not usually like apartment living. They would rather prefer a wide-open land where they can run around and live freely. They scored only 2 out of 5 stars for living in an apartment.
- For people with no prior experience in owning a dog, a Border Collie can be quite challenging. They require various training and exercises daily, which can be very struggling for newbie parents. Hence, for living and adjusting with novice owners, they've got 2 out of 5 stars.
- Don't let their aggression fool you; Border Collies are highly sensitive dogs. If you give them love and care, they will never let you regret it. That's why they have got 5 out of 5 stars for sensitivity.
- Border Collies like to be surrounded by people. They don't like to be left alone for a long time otherwise, their mental health may get affected. Hence, for being alone, they received only 1 out of 5 stars.
- They scored 4 out of 5 stars for tolerating cold weather. Since they have been bred and trained to live under tough conditions, cold weather doesn't create a big problem for them.
All-Around Friendliness
Border Collies are friendly dogs who just need love from their owner. Since this breed is social and friendly, they have scored 4 out of 5 stars in all-around friendliness.
Here are some reasons why:
- They have got 5 out of 5 stars for being affectionate towards the owner's family. They enjoy the company of their beloved human beings.
- For their friendliness with children, they scored 4 out of 5. With some training, they learn how to love and protect the children in their family.
- They are also friendly with other pets in the house. Their score for dog-friendliness is 4 out of 5.
- Their affection and love are not only limited to their family. They also behave very pleasantly to strangers. They've got a full score i.e. 5 out of 5 in friendliness with strangers.
Health and Grooming Needs
Health and grooming are vital for any kind of breed. Make sure that the breed you bring into your home is perfectly healthy. Border Collies have secured 3 out of 5 stars for their needs for health and grooming.
Some reasons behind such score are:
- They shed every day for the entire year. But the shedding reaches its peak at the start of fall and summer. Their overall score for shedding is 3 out of 5 stars.
- They have the lowest drooling potential, implying their score to be 1 out of 5 stars. Thus, they are suitable for a hygienic-oriented family.
- Grooming for Border Collies is not much challenging since their score for grooming is 3 out of 5 stars. This means they like to look neat and presentable.
- If their owner does not care about their health, Border Collies can catch diseases easily and become sick. So, for general health, they've secured 2 out of 5 stars.
- An unhealthy diet and excessive amount of treats can lead them to obesity. They have the potential to gain weight for which they've got 3 out of 5 stars.
Trainability
Thanks to their quick learning skills and sharp minds, training Border Collies can be fun! Overall, their trainability score is 4 out of 5 stars.
- Border Collies are excellent when it comes to training. Typically, they don't take a lot of time to learn new things, which is why they are easy to train, making their score to be 5 out of 5 stars.
- Intelligence is one of those traits that Border Collies are known for. They have secured 5 out of 5 stars for intelligence.
- Mouthiness is the inclination towards nipping and chewing stuff. Border Collies have an average mouthiness potential, making their score 3 out of 5 stars.
- Due to their herding instinct, prey-drive is found in Border Collies. This means that, if not trained properly, they might scare other pets, even hurt them physically. Their prey-drive scored 3 out of 5 stars.
- Their barking and howling capabilities are not very impressive. Border Collies are quiet dogs that do not disturb their family unless necessary. Their score for howling and barking is 2 out of 5 stars.
- The score of wander-lust in Border Collies is 3 out of 5, which means they can move away from their family without thinking about their way back.
The Border Collie Physical Needs
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This vibrant and lively creature has scored 5 out of 5 stars in physical needs.
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Their energy level is the highest among all the dog breeds. Therefore, 5 out of 5 stars for them.
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They have an average level of intensity for which they've secured 3 out of 5 stars.
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They need a strict and thorough exercise schedule due to extremely high energy. For the exercise needs, Border Collies achieved 5 out of 5 stars.
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Border Collies love sports and games. They often participate in games and become champions. For playfulness, they've got 5 out of 5 stars.
Vital stats about Border Collies
|
Stats |
Description |
|
Dog Breed Group/Purpose |
Herding Group |
|
Ancestry |
Scotland |
|
Average Height |
45-55 cm |
|
Average Weight |
13-20 kg |
|
Life Expectancy |
10-17 years |
|
Breed Popularity |
35-195 |
|
Border Collie Temperament |
Energetic, Responsive, Intelligent, Tenacious, Keen, Alert |
More About Border Collie Breed
Border Collie is one of the most enthusiastic, intelligent, and energetic dog breeds. They are typically used for herding livestock, mainly sheep. Since this breed has one of the sharpest minds than other breeds, Border Collie has broken numerous athletic records.
Due to their intelligent and sharp mind, they can learn new commands as quickly as 10 seconds. With an average level of coat, this type of herding dog is mostly found in black and white colors. Though not common, border collie has also been seen in a variety of colors, including blue merle, Australian red, brindle, lilac, red tricolor(white/red/tan), and black tricolor (white/black/tan).
Not all Border Collies have multiple colors. Some have a single color too. Mainly their eye color is either brown or blue, but some rare cases have different colors too. Moreover, their ears can also be varied. Some examples include semi-erect ears, entirely dropped ears, entirely erect ears, etc.
This was just a snippet -
Read our full Ultimate Border Collie Breed Guide 2020 by clicking here
Border Collie Puppies
Initially introduced as sheep drovers in the alpine border country between Scotland and England, the Border Collie breed are extremely trainable and highly intelligent. Child, car, cat or bird, these dogs will herd everything that moves. Border Collies are playful dogs but their workaholic nature means that they are always on the lookout for a job to do.
These puppies are by no means placid so they won't enjoy endless cuddles on the couch. They are doers and their elevated mental and physical energy requirements are a testament to this. Their energy is boundless with stamina to match so they are best suited to an owner who can keep up with their active nature. Daily exercise is necessary to keep these sporty animals in check so adding a spirited walk or a game of fetch to your everyday routine is a must.
While Border Collies are highly obedient, responsive to even the subtlest instruction, their desire to explore and create work for themselves demands a securely fenced yard to keep them safely contained. These dogs shine when it comes to canine sports, excelling in obedience, agility and tracking categories.
Short Haired Border Collies
The Border Collie breed are defined by their white collie markings but come with coats of varying colour, texture and length. The Short Haired Collie sports a smoother, shorter coat than the rougher breed, made famous by the kid's film star, Lassie. These dogs are said to present a sweet expression and have a soft, thick undercoat with straight, coarse guard hairs to protect the exterior of their coat.
Blue Merle Border Collies
Merle is a visible genetic pattern that affects the base colour of a Collie's coat. Often referred to as the "bleach gene," Merle breeds exhibit a combination of darker and lighter patches and speckling on the coat. Blue Merle Border Collies have slightly blue or slate tinted appearance, generally with black splotches.
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