Thinking of Getting a Border Collie?
While Border Collies are very intelligent, they also require a larger time and energy commitment from their owners than many other breeds. The following post is a compilation of writings by Border Collie owners.
Information for Prospective and Current Owners
With media attention focused on the Border Collie, such as television commercials & movie appearances, many people are now considering adopting a Border Collie as a potential new pet.
PLEASE Read This Posting if you are one of these people.
While Border Collies are very intelligent, they also require a larger time and energy commitment from their owners than many other breeds. The following post is a compilation of writings by Border Collie owners.
"Note that they are workaholics". They are happiest when they have a job to do, whether that job is herding, obedience, agility, or any of the other active occupations and dog sports they excel at. If these dogs are not given a "job" to do, they are very likely to become extremely destructive. Hanging out around an apartment or house being the "guard dog" isn't a job for a Border Collie!
Border Collies won't usually exercise on their own. Most require their human counterparts to participate in their exercise programs. Merely putting a Border Collie into a fenced area as a form of exercise will NOT be enough for them.
These dogs need to be physically and mentally challenged, and if you cannot provide that for them, they'll do it themselves - at the expense of your lawn, furniture, walls, whatever looks tempting to dig or chew on! They are extremely quick, high-energy, "busy" dogs and they must have plenty of exercise.
Border Collies are bred for endurance: a working Border Collie is able to run as much as 100 miles a day over sometimes difficult terrain, then go out and do it again the next day. A one- or two-mile run is barely a warm-up for a Border Collie. People without the time to give a dog plenty vigorous physical and mental exercise every day would be well advised to find a calmer dog. A bored Border Collie can become neurotic and destructive.
What is it Like Living with a Herding Dog?
Be sure you know what you're getting into if you think you want a Border Collie. Border Collies have been bred for hundreds of years to hone and refine a very strong instinct to herd sheep. Border Collies herd everything that moves: livestock, birds, other dogs, cats, children, and even bugs.
Many people have absolutely no patience with the way the herding instinct displays itself and operates in a family situation, and many Border Collies end up abandoned at the local dog pound because of it. Border Collies run hard. They will;
Chase children, biting them if they won't stop or move in a certain direction.
- Chase lights and shadows and dripping or running water.
- Barely lie down and sleep when they are young.
- Be continually underfoot trying to herd.
- Bark a lot when they are playing.
- Throw toys at you nonstop.
- Jump up on people.
- Mature very slowly.
- Chew and dig, etc., etc.
Many, many young Border Collies are killed each year chasing cars - they will run in front of the moving car, trying to herd it.
Are Border Collies Intelligent?
Border Collies are very intelligent dogs and learn fast. This is actually a problem at times because they will learn things that the owner didn't intend for them to learn. Some of these newly learned behavior patterns can be difficult to re-teach. Their intelligence is one of the reasons that they tend to get bored (and into trouble) easily. But then, it's also one of the reasons they excel in obedience training/competition, herding, agility and other dog sports.
What Kind of Escape Artists are They?
Border Collies are extremely agile dogs and can easily jump or climb a 6-foot fence if they decide there's something more interesting on the other side. They are also good diggers and chewers, so if they can't jump a fence, they might try to dig under it or chew through it if they want to get out. And don't forget their intelligence: some Border Collies are good at opening doors and latches!
What are Some Special Medical Problems in Border Collies?
Like most medium- and large-sized dogs, Border Collies are prone to Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD), which can cause mild to severe lameness.
Ceroid Lipofuscinosis [CL] is also sometimes referred to as Storage Disease. It is a disease that affects the cells of the body and in particular the nerve cells. C.L. is not contagious and it is inherited from a simple recessive gene in the dog's parents. Affected dogs are normal at birth until about 18 months of age. However from embryonic stage there is a metabolic defect, the nature of which is not yet understood. The effect of the defect is to allow the waste product ceriod lipofuscin to accumulate in the cells of the many tissues of the body. In the brain there is very little room for storage of waste products. By 18 months of age sufficient waste product has been accumulated to begin compressing and destroying healthy brain tissue.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is another problem and causes a central loss of vision. It generally shows up in dogs around two years of age, and progresses over the years and may eventually lead to total blindness.
Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA), a malformation of the optic nerve, is another eye problem that is becoming more and more common in Border Collies. Like PRA, CEA can also cause blindness.
Border Collies are also prone to epilepsy, a neurological seizure disorder.
Is a Border Collie the Right Dog For You?
The people who make the most satisfied Border Collie owners are people who enjoy spending a lot of time with their dogs and are willing and able to make the commitment to exercise and train in some way every day; who are very active, who like to hike, jog, and/or take long walks with their dogs; who don't mind living with a dog that never really settles down, even in the house, even after a lot of exercise, even when its owner is tired from a long day at work; and most importantly, who have a real job for the dogs to do, whether it's one of the dog sports that these dogs excel at, or, of course, herding a flock of sheep.
The Border Collie derives his name from the border between Scotland and England where these dogs first came to prominence, although the breed was very much developed in Australia.
One of the supreme sheepdogs of the world, the agile Border Collie has no peer as a working dog. He can run more than 80 km in a day, doing the work of several men
Acknowledged star of the sheepdog trials, and a brilliant performer in the obedience ring, the Border Collie is never happier than when he is working. As befits a practical working sheepdog, the Border Collie is a healthy, hardy and active breed. Regular and extensive daily exercise, incorporating activities like ball chasing, is highly recommended. The get-up-and-go enthusiasm of this breed, along with its devotion to duty and desire to serve its master, have won it a loyal following but its energy levels may be too high for many owners. Unless its energy levels are met, it may become destructive and/or noisy. Due to its strong herding instinct, this breed should be supervised with children.
The Border Collie's medium, weather-resistant coat is usually black and white, but black, white and tan, chocolate and white, blue and white plus red and white are also correct colourings.
Please feel free to copy and distribute this post! Original Authors unknown, used with permission Rob Seaman webmaster of Border Collie Club of WA's website
