Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Border Collie Breed Overview
- History of the Border Collie Breed. Where Border Collies came from
- What the Border Collie Looks Like
- How Much is the Border Collie Puppy?
- Best Border Collie Breeders
- Border Collie Growth
- What Colors do Border Collies Have?
- The Temperament of the Border Collie
- How Long Border Collies Live
- Border Collie Litter Size
- How Fast Border Collies Can Run
- Good Names for Border Collies
- How Intelligent are Border Collies?
- How Popular are Border Collies with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Border Collies and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Border Collie
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Border Collies
- Other Things to Know About Border Collies
Border Collie Breed Overview
The Border Collie is a medium-sized dog.
The adult Border Collie stands 18 to 22 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Border Collie belongs to the Herding Dogs group.
Dogs in the Herding Dogs group, like the Border Collie, were bred for moving livestock, including sheep, cattle, and even reindeer.
Herding dogs work closely with their human shepherds, and their natural intelligence and responsiveness make them highly trainable.
Herding dogs have high levels of energy, which needs to be channeled properly to prevent destructive behavior.
Herding breeds are protective of their people and property and make excellent watchdogs. Their intelligence, agility, and activity level make them well suited to dog sports.
The fact that the Border Collie belongs to the Herding Dogs group is one of the reasons why Border Collies have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Border Collie is generally described as:
- Alert
- Athletic
- Energetic
- Intelligent
- Keen
- Loyal
- Responsive
- Tenacious
History of the Border Collie Breed. Where Border Collies came from
The breed was simply known as the Sheepdog until 1915, when it was renamed Border Collie in order to be registered with the International Sheep Dog Society.
The name was chosen to distinguish them from other similar breeds that were already registered and known as Collies.
The name derives from the breed`s ancestors` homeland, the Anglo-Scottish border.
Northumberland, which borders England and Scotland, is where the breed originated.
The origins of this working dog are thought to date back to the first century B.
C.
When the Romans invaded England, they brought their herding dogs with them.
The Roman Empire eventually fell apart, allowing Viking raiders to enter the area.
These Vikings brought a small Spitz-like herding dog with them, which they then crossed-bred.
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What the Border Collie Looks Like
The Border Collie is a medium-sized, well-balanced dog with an athletic and muscular appearance.
They have a keen and alert expression and are an extremely intelligent breed.
The breed has two coat types: rough and smooth.
Rough coats are longer than smooth coats.
Soft, double coats are shared by both rough and smooth coated dogs.
These happy dogs have beautiful fur in a variety of colors and patterns.
They come in solid, bicolor, tricolor, and merle colors.
This attractive dog`s most common color pattern is a combination of black and white.
Their noses are usually the same color as the rest of their fur.
Merle-patterned dogs` eyes can have two different colors.
Their oval eyes are widely spaced.
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How Much is the Border Collie Puppy?
The average price of a Border Collie puppy is $1100. The price of a Border Collie puppy ranges from $650 to $1500.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Border Collie. These factors include what health records the Border Collie puppy has, the lineage of the Border Collie puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Border Collie based on the many factors that determine the price of the Border Collie puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Border Collie puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Border Collie breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Border Collie Breeders
We have researched reputable Border Collie breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Border Collie breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Sequel Kennel
Puppy Price: $Price is varied per puppy
JBK World Champion Border Collies
Puppy Price: $1500.00-$2000.00
Battle Born Borders
Puppy Price: $300-$500
Crooked Creek Border Collies
Puppy Price: $1,000
Plumhollowbordercollies
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Border Collie Growth
New Border Collie owners need to know about the growth of their Border Collies. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Border Collie will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Border Collie early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Border Collie puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Border Collie at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Border Collie
What Colors do Border Collies Have?
Border Collies come in the following beautiful primary colors:
- Black
- Tricolor (Brown, Black, & White)
- Bicolor
- White / Cream
- Brown / Chocolate
- Merle (Blue)
- Gray / Blue / Silver
- Red / Chestnut / Orange
Border Collies come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:
- White / Cream
- Black
- Brown / Chocolate
- Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
The Temperament of the Border Collie
The temperament of the Border Collie based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Border Collie for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Border Collie here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Energy Level | 71.3 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 55.0 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 47.9 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 47.6 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 46.8 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 44.9 percent |
| Excitability | 42.9 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 35.3 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 35.2 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 34.5 percent |
| Prey Drive | 32.5 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 25.4 percent |
| Stubbornness | 2.7 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 14.4 percent |
How Long Border Collies Live
The lifespan of the Border Collie is typically from 12 to 15 years.
Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Border Collie. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 106 pet Border Collies lived.
From the study, it was found that Border Collies have an average lifespan of 12.2 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Border Collies to live as long as 17.3 years.
Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Border Collie to live long.
Border Collies live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
There are also dog supplements that you can give your Border Collie to improve your Border Collie`s quality of their life.
Click here to learn more about how to make your Border Collie live long.
Border Collie Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 323 different Border Collie birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Border Collies can have is 6 puppies. Also, the Border Collie can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 16 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Border Collie will have depends on factors such as the age of the Border Collie, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Border Collie will have and how the litter size of the Border Collie compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Border Collies Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 878 different Border Collies, the average speed of the Border Collie is 25.1 mph (40.4 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Border Collie ran in a race is 31.53 mph (50.7 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Border Collie is 3.71 mph (6.0 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Border Collie compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Border Collies
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Border Collie ranked by popularity:
- Toby
- Max
- Bandit
- Dog
- Austin
- Rufus
- Archie
- Rocky
- Jasper
- Vision
How Intelligent are Border Collies?
| Border Collie | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 1 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After Fewer Than 5 Repetitions |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Border Collie has an obedience intelligence rank of 1 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Border Collies in the `Brightest Dogs` category.
This means that Border Collies tend to learn new commands after fewer than 5 repetitions.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Border Collie | 1 |
| Golden Retriever | 4 |
| Shetland Sheepdog | 6 |
| Papillon | 8 |
| Australian Cattle Dog | 10 |
| Cocker Spaniel | 20 |
| Irish Water Spaniel | 24 |
| Border Terrier | 30 |
| Welsh Springer Spaniel | 31 |
| Cairn Terrier | 35 |
| Affenpinscher | 37 |
| Kuvasz | 42 |
| American Water Spaniel | 44 |
| Chinese Shar-Pei | 51 |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | 52 |
| Akita | 54 |
| Norfolk Terrier | 56 |
| Maltese | 59 |
| Great Pyrenees | 64 |
| Beagle | 72 |
How Popular are Border Collies with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Border Collie.
The popularity of the Border Collie averaged over the years is Number 36 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Border Collies and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Border Collie is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Border Collie puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Border Collie breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Border Collies for:
- Autoimmune thyroiditis
- Cardiac Evaluation
- Clear By Parentage
- Collie Eye Anomaly
- Congenital Deafness
- DNA Repository
- Elbow Dysplasia
- Eye Examination, recommended annually until age 7
- Hip Dysplasia
- Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis
- Shoulders
- TNS Info
- Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Border Collies here.
How to Take Care of Border Collie
To take good care of your Border Collie, you need to make sure that you groom your Border Collie regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Border Collie regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Border Collie`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Border Collie daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Border Collie.
Also, you need to feed your Border Collie high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Border Collie from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Border Collie and how much food to feed the Border Collie at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Border Collie has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Border Collie needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Border Collies
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Border Collie.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Border Collie:
- English Springer Spaniel (79 percent match with Border Collie). Learn more about the English Springer Spaniel here.
- Field Spaniel (80 percent match with Border Collie). Learn more about the Field Spaniel here.
Other Things to Know About Border Collies
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Border Collie that you need to know about the Border Collie breed: