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Pronunciation

The Border Collie is a medium sized, energetic working dog. The body is slightly longer than it is tall. The relatively flat skull is moderate in width. The skull and muzzle are about the same length, with a moderate stop. The strong teeth meet in a scissors bite. The oval eyes are set well apart and brown in color, except in merles where one or more eyes may be blue. The medium sized ears are set well apart, either carried erect or simi erect. The front legs are straight when viewed from the front but slightly sloping when viewed from the side. The medium sized tail is set low reaching at least to the hock, raising somewhat when the dog is excited. Dewclaws are usually removed. The double coat is weather resistant, dense and close-fitting. There are two coat varieties: a short, sleek coat (about 1 inch (2.5 cm.) long) and a coarse, rough coat (about 3 inches (7.6 cm.) long). The coat colors come in black and white, tri-color, red & white, black & gray, yellow, yellow & white, sable, and all black. The longer haired variety should have a mane and tail brush. The hair on the face, ears and front legs is always short and sleek. Since Border Collies are bred for working ability and intelligence rather than for physical beauty, conformation varies widely.

Temperament

The Border Collie is very intelligent and aware of their surroundings. They are able to be trained to a high degree. This is one of the hardest working dogs thriving on praise. Border Collies are represented among the leaders in competitive levels in various sports, excelling in agility skills, obedience, sheepdog trials and Frisbee (TM). These competitions are right up their alley, and they are commonly used and often win. For those who wish to reach high levels in dog sports, the Border Collie is a gift from heaven. Farmers are also happy with them, as they were originally bred as a farm hand. The Border Collie is highly energetic with great stamina. Provided they gets sufficient activity to keep them occupied and ample exercise, the Border Collie will get along quite happily with other dogs, and children, however they may be aggressive with other dogs of the same sex if you are not showing 100% leadership with them. They should not be trusted with small non-canine pets, however there are plenty of Border Collies that live and get along with family cats. This breed can be sensitive and should be very well socialized as a puppy to prevent shyness. To be truly happy, they need a lot of consistent leadership, extensive daily exercise, and a job to occupy their minds. Border Collies will often challenge their owners authority when they are adolescents. Dominance levels vary greatly even within the same litter. You need to be this dogs firm, confident, consistent pack leader, or he may try and take over. If you allow them to take over, without enough socialization and mental and physical exercise, they can be highly reactive and sound sensitive, making them a poor choice for families with young children. They are perfectionist with a permanent will to please. This breed lives for serving you day in and day out. They are not ideal pets for people who have no plans to spend a lot of time with them. These dogs are too intelligent to lie around the house all day with nothing to do. If you are not willing to put many hours a day into keeping these dogs well exercised in both mind and body, than it is recommended you do not adopt a Border Collie. There are other breeds whom are similar yet not as demanding. If there is insufficient activity then it will find its own work to do, and that may not be what YOU had in mind when we say the word WORK.  When not challenged daily they can and will become destructive. They cannot be left alone for too long with nothing to do if they have not been exercised to the point where they are both mentally and physically tired. A bored Border Collie will not make a good pet, as they can become neurotic and may start using their escape artist talents, among other behavior problems. They have strong herding instincts and may try to herd children and strangers and must be told this is not acceptable.

Height, Weight

Health Problems

Prone to epilepsy, hip dysplasia, PRA (Collie Eye Anomaly) and deafness. Often allergic to fleas. Some herding dogs carry a MDR1 gene which makes them sensitive to certain drugs, that are otherwise okay to give another dog, but if tested positive for this gene can kill them.

Living Conditions

Exercise

Life Expectancy

Litter Size

Grooming

The Border Collie was originally called the "Scotch Sheep Dog" and originated in Northumberland along the borders of Scotland and England. It is a descendant from dogs used by the Vikings to herd reindeer, the old British droving breeds, with spaniel added. Named a "workaholic" for its shear drive and love for working, the Border Collie has an eye that can hypnotize cattle. It can master any type of herd by crouching down and mesmerizing the animals with its intense stare. One of the most trainable breeds, the Border Collie also serves well as a narcotics and bomb detection dog and is a frequent high performer in obedience, agility, Frisbee(TM) trials, police work, search & rescue, Flyball, performing tricks and competitive obedience. Some Border Collies have been trained very successfully as blind guide dogs. Currently very good results are obtained with them for general assistance to the handicapped in The Netherlands. The Border Collie was first recognized by the AKC in 1995.

Group

AIBC = The American Int. Border Collie Registry
ABC = The American Border Collie Association
CKC = Continental Kennel Club
FCI = Fédération Cynologique Internationale
AKC = American Kennel Club
UKC = United Kennel Club
KCGB = Kennel Club of Great Britain
ANKC = Australian National Kennel Club
NKC = National Kennel Club
NZKC = New Zealand Kennel Club
APRI = American Pet Registry Inc.
ACR = American Canine Registry
DRA = Dog Registry of America, Inc.
NAPR = North American Purebred Registry, Inc.

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