Border collie
The border collie comes from the hill country either side of the England–Scotland border, and almost every working line traces back to a single dog, Old Hemp, born in Northumberland in 1893.
What he passed on was the eye: the low, creeping, staring approach that moves sheep by intimidation rather than noise.
It is a medium-sized, athletic dog with a moderate double coat, most often black and white but found in a wide range of colours. Border collies are routinely rated the most trainable dog breed there is, and that intelligence is inseparable from the drive that comes with it — this is a dog that needs a job, not a hobby.
- Origin
- Anglo-Scottish borders
- Size
- 14–20 kg, 46–56 cm at the shoulder
- Lifespan
- 12–15 years
- Coat
- Double coat, rough or smooth
- Temperament
- Intensely focused, sensitive, endlessly willing
- Exercise
- 2 hours daily, plus real mental work
Related: Collie · Bearded collie · Border terrier
3 border collie photos, newest first
Living with a border collie
Brush a couple of times a week, more when the undercoat comes out in spring and autumn.
The honest warning about this breed is that exercise alone will not settle one. A border collie run for two hours and left with nothing to think about becomes fitter, not calmer. Herding, agility, obedience or scentwork give the drive somewhere to go; without an outlet many start herding cars, bicycles, children or their own shadows.
Hip dysplasia, Collie eye anomaly and progressive retinal atrophy all have screening available, and the MDR1 gene variant — which makes some collies dangerously sensitive to common veterinary drugs — has a simple DNA test worth doing.
Merle is one of the colours this breed carries, and it comes with one absolute rule: never breed merle to merle. A puppy inheriting two copies is usually mostly white and frequently deaf, blind or both. Ask the colour of both parents, and treat a predominantly white puppy sold as rare as a reason to walk away.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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