I love Border Collies with their beautiful faces, their athleticism and their incredible intelligence.
Check out our Talent Hounds TV Series, events and sites for stars like Hero and the Super Collies, Rev the Border Collie in Woofjocks, Lottie the Border Collie or Nana the Trick Dog in our millennial comedy series Backseat Barkers. They are also portrayed in books and film like Babe and Bandit in Little House on the Prairie.
Read: Border Collie Breed Spotlight for 7 different examples of amazingly talented Border Collies we love.
The Border Collie is recognized by many as the finest sheep-herding in the world. They are described by the AKC as “Affectionate, Smart, Energetic”
Border Collies are medium sized dogs with strong and muscular bodies, though they do not appear heavy. The breed is found in a variety of colour combinations including most commonly black and white.
History
Crosses between the large old Roman herding dogs and the smaller hardy Viking spitzes produced compact and agile herders, well equipped to work stock in the hilly, rocky highlands of Scotland. They became very popular with farmers in the border region between Scotland and England working sheep.
Do Border Collies Shed?
The border collie has a double coat, with a long, smooth, and feathered outer coat and a shorter, rougher undercoat. Most of the year, the Border Collie sheds moderately but in spring and fall, they “blow” their coats. That means hair everywhere so not ideal if you have allergies.
Are Border Collies Good with Kids?
Although they have become increasingly popular as household pets, Border Collies are suited to families that truly understand how much exercise, play and training they need. They tend to do better with mature children rather than young ones who might bring out the breed’s herding instinct or get bowled over in play.
Training
Famously energetic and highly trainable, Border Collies excel at athletics and sport activities like agility, disc, dock-diving, fly ball, Treibball, and more.
They make incredible trick dogs like our Talent Hounds stars Hero and the Super Collies, Nana, Rev, Lottie, Diesel and many more.
This breed is fast and tireless, with an incredible desire to work.
They are considered to be the smartest dog breed on certain measures, and can learn many words, skills and tricks with good training. Chaser learned over 1000 words in three intensive years of training by former Wofford College Professor John Pilley. She could consistently find all her many toys by name like a human child.
Boredom from lack of mental stimulation or exercise can lead to destructive and neurotic behaviours.
Training Tips featuring Sara and Hero
Training spotlight Taylor and Lottie
BREED TRAITS:
Sizes: medium
Personality: alert, energetic, intelligent, responsive
Kid Friendly (1-5): 5
Activity Level (1-5): 5
Trainability (1-5): 5
Hair lengths: long
Shedding (1-5): 3
Jobs: dog sports, herding, sporting, tricks, working
More about Border Collie Dog Breed:
“My Hero” –Sara
“They’re the SMARTEST! They’re the highest energy, they’re the happiest and they’re the most affectionate breed out there. They really do live to please us.” -Taylor
“Very smart, energetic and protective of us.”- Mary
“Very intelligent, loyal, and a true man’s best friend.”- Alexandru
“Loyal, smart, funny, playful, brilliant, gorgeous, loving and amazing” -Andrea
“Loves to be on the run and very energetic, has  a sharp bark, ears that perk up quickly if it hears something out of the normal especially, black with white or caramel markings” – Mary
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