Border Collie Breed description: Character & Co

Character and mannerism of the Border Collie

The heritage of Old Hemp is still reflected in these dogs today. They are strongly fixated on people and in individual cases they establish a very close relationship with their owner. But they also meet strangers in a friendly and open way. They always appear to be balanced, they like to be stroked and are regarded as especially fond of children.

However, these dogs are not cuddly toys. They constantly need new challenges and ask you for them too. Due to their high intelligence, Border Collies are able to analyse problematic situations independently and react to them in a problem-solving manner. What they learn in the process remains in their memory for the rest of their lives - no matter whether it was positive or negative.

Keeping and training of the Border Collie

The more performance you demand from a dog of this breed, the more it will want to do for you and the more you encourage them to do activities, the more often they will demand them. When it is still a puppy, you have a fundamental impact on the development of your Border Collie - but you have to sick to the rules you have chosen to play by.

Inconsistency causes these sensitive animals great distress - which is why they are definitely not "beginner dogs". Their high intelligence and their distinctive sensitivity require experienced owners. You must always be present for the Border Collie, because they like to keep "their" human within viewing distance. This gives them the certainty that they can react immediately to your wishes and problems and therefore always act accordingly.

How to keep you Border Collie occupied and life together

Away from their work life, they show a great urge to stay occupied. However, the Border Collie is much too clever for simple games of hide-and-seek. Repeating the same actions or continuously retrieving the  same stick over and over again bores this intelligent dog.

They are much more interested in achieving a goal. Border Collies are the ideal partners for ball games involving a goal and they love to manoeuvre themselves through obstacle courses. When retrieving, your dog will amaze you with its ability to learn different terms for one and the same object and recognise it with confidence.

But even when playing, the Border Collie always keeps eye contact, so it won't miss any need you might have. Due to this permanent "watch out! - position" it lacks a feeling of self awareness. They want to be available to you and ready to go at any time, even when already tired or physically exhausted. As their owner you have to make sure your dog gets the rest it needs which can sometimes mean you have to make them take a break. 

Health and Border Collie breeding

However, their strange tendency of always being restless is not the only thing that provides a risk for the Border Collie. Many representatives of the breed suffer from the MDR1 defect and therefore react hypersensitively to drugs, so that the treatment of sick animals can become difficult.

In addition, Border Collies inherit the disposition for certain diseases. These include

• the eye disease Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA)
• the fatal metabolic disease Canine Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (CL)
• the bone marrow disease Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome (TNS)

To prevent this, you must have your Border Collie tested for predispositions accordingly before breeding.

Less pathological, but rather undesirable is a high percentage of white colour in their coat. They should show numerous colours or colour combinations and their hair should be short to moderately long.

A Border Collie costs about 1200 Euros.