Border Collie

Sheepdog

The Border Collie, once a sheep herder, is a beautiful, very gentle and active dog. Totally devoted to his master, he will be the best companion, but it is imperative to be able to give him the exercise he needs. Before buying a Border Collie, it is important to make sure that exercise is part of his daily routine. This is not only essential in his case, but simply vital.

Height 46 to 53 cm
Weight 18 to 28 kg
Life expectancy 12 to 14 years
Hair Loss Medium
Excercise Need High
Home country United Kingdom (UK)

Quick Overview of the Border Collie

Temperament

  • Sometimes dominant, but never aggressive
  • Intelligent and docile worker
  • Fearful and very tenacious
  • Docile and easy to train

Appearance

  • Perfect balance
  • Elegant and noble look
  • High endurance and agility
  • Harmonious silhouette

Health

  • Very robust
  • Generally healthy
  • Some eye issues

Temperament of the Border Collie

The Border Collie is a very energetic dog, sometimes dominant but never aggressive. This intelligent, docile, fairly fearful and very tenacious worker has specific herding characteristics due to his herding background.

Fairly docile and easy to train, he can sometimes become dominant. The master must be consistent and even if they become great accomplices, he must always remain the master at all times.

Due to his docility, the Border Collie is a real champion in competitions, he is however slightly hyperactive which can sometimes be detrimental to him in obedience competitions.

border collie personnalité

Breed Appearance

border collie

His gait shows great endurance and agility without altering his harmonious silhouette, perfect balance, elegance and nobility.

Height

Between 48 and 53 cm (18.90 to 20.87 inches) for the male
Between 46 and 51 cm (18.11 to 20.08 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 18 and 28 kg (39.68 to 61.73 pounds) for the male
Between 18 and 28 kg (39.68 to 61.73 pounds) for the female

Color

His coat is moderately long, but it can be short and almost all colours are allowed as long as white is not dominant.

Hair

His hair is thick and consistent in texture. He also has a thick, short undercoat.

Morphology

The Border Collie's head is rather thin and the muzzle gradually gets thinner. His eyes are medium size and oval shaped. His medium size ears are usually semi-erect or straight. His nose can be slate (blue coat), brown, chocolate or brown but is usually black. His tail is medium length.

According to the FCI breeds nomenclature, this breed belongs to group 1, section 1 and is #297

Characteristics of the Border Collie

Does this dog suit your lifestyle?

Every dog breed has its own characteristics. However, the actual character of a dog can vary from one to another within the same breed.

Find out if the Border Collie is your ideal dog breed with our quiz.

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Life in an apartment
Good first dog
Tolerates solitude
Tolerates cold weather
Tolerates hot weather
Affectionate
Friendly with children
Friendly with strangers
Friendly with other animals
Hair loss
Drooling level
Easy to care for
Robust health
Easy to train
Intelligent
Tendency to bark
Tendency to nibble
Protective
Instinct to hunt
Adventurous spirit
Energy level
Level of intensity
Need for exercise
Playful

Price and monthly budget

Price you can expect to pay for a Border Collie puppy: between 800 € / $ 0 / £0 and 1200 € / $ 0 / £0
These prices are indicative and may vary from breeder to breeder
Average monthly budget for a Border Collie: 100 € / $ 0 / £0
The monthly budget includes the average expenses for food and hygiene products (grooming, anti-parasite...)

Border Collie puppies near me

Border Collie pictures

Tips About this breed

Sedentary and elderly people with limited mobility may not be the best owners for Border Collies.


Needing to be constantly on the move, regular exercise will be his main reason for existence.

Slightly hyperactive, this dog needs to have plenty of space to spend his inexhaustible overflow of energy.

City dwellers wanting to own such a dog will need to make sure they take him out several times a day and provide him with enough space to get all the daily exercise he needs.

He loves children but they have be old enough to understand they have to respect his living space.


He is very instinctive and sensitive and sometimes has trouble controlling his temper, with no bad intentions, but he can still be a little too excited for very young children.

Health of the Border Collie

This is one of the strongest dogs on the planet. Although he is generally in good health, he may be subject to some Collie-related diseases, such as eye abnormality or retinal atrophy, which may cause him discomfort.

His great endurance can also cause him to suffer from exhaustion. Having no limits, he may sometimes not know when to stop. It is important to provide him with the exercise adapted to his endurance while training him to not exceed his limits.

GROOMING

The Border Collie's dress requires no special care. A regular brushing, like any other breed in general, will suffice.

History of this breed

This breed of sheepdog was first used for pastoral purposes for more than two centuries.

Even though this breed is apparently the result of several crossbreeding of sheep breeds, the Gordon Setter and the English Pointer are said to be at the origin of the crossbreeding, resulting in today's Border Collie.

Adopted in 1915, his name "Border" is directly related to the "Borders" region, the border separating England from Scotland. However, the breed was not recognized in Great Britain until 1976 and France welcomed his first Border Collie in the 1980s.

This very old breed, even though it has only recently become official, was known for its excellent work performance. Shepherds used the Border Collie on a large scale to herd their flocks. At the time, he was the most widely used driving dog.

In the Middle Ages, the only agricultural activity in England was sheep farming, which spread to Scotland shortly afterwards. It was at this time that the Border Collie became a key player in the border region.

The shepherds of Borders used dogs that were practically all identical, yet had not been subject to any specific selection. The Border Collie's aptitudes and work performance made him the favorite of the shepherds back then.

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