The
Border Collie is one of the world’s premier herding dogs. The Border Collie
is a wonderful dog, but they are not a dog for everyone being both very smart
and very active. Border Collies are best recognized as a black and white dog,
but they come in many sizes and color, black/red/white, blue merle, red merle,
mostly white, tan and black. They range from 30 to 60 pounds and can be short
medium or long hair. The medium and long usually have an undercoat.
Border Collies were bred to herd and this instinct drives many Border Collies.
Border Collies will herd anything – sheep, cows, children, cats, cars,
bicycles, lawnmowers, etc. Families with Border Collies must be aware of their
strong herding instinct and have ways to keep their Border Collie safe from
their desire to herd moving objects.
The Border Collie is often split into "working" or "show"
lines. A Border Collie from the correct source can be a charming pet, but dogs
from a strong working line can become very frustrated or destructive if they
find themselves in an environment where there is nothing for them to. Although
Border Collies from show lines have a diluted work ethic, this marvelous dog
is usually quite happy to be a loving pet, but he will need plenty of exercise
and preferably some occupation for his very able brain.
There are many reason Border Collies end up in rescue - first is that the Border
Collie did not show enough herding instinct and was given up for adoption off
of a working farm, two because the Border Collie has nipped at an unsupervised
child while trying to herd the child (remember to many a Border Collie, a small
child is just a hairless sheep trying to escape) and three, most people are
unprepared to adequately exercise a Border Collie. When given adequate training,
Border Collies excel at agility, flyball, obedience, and frisbee competitions.
Border Collies are usually fairly easy to train – they are just waiting
for their owners to catch up with them. An owner of a Border Collie must be
prepared to provided exercise and/or training for their dog on a daily basis,
or the Border Collie will find some other way to expend their energy. The owner’s
rarely appreciate the results such as digging, barking, running fences, etc.
Border Collies typically live 12 – 14 years. Hip dysplasia is a major problem
in the breed. Other health problems include CEA (Collie Eye Anomaly) and epilepsy.
