Border Collie

Temperament

The Border Collie lives to work with people. It watches its owner closely, picks up the smallest cues and often offers the next behavior before you've given the command, which explains its success in agility, obedience and stock work. The AKC gives the breed top marks for affection toward family, playfulness, energy and trainability. The flip side of all that sensitivity is a tendency toward obsession: a bored Border Collie starts "herding" bikes, cars, cats or children, nipping at their ankles, and chasing shadows and reflections. It can be reserved with strangers but is rarely aggressive. It usually gets along with other dogs, though some guard a ball like treasure. Noise and chaos affect it more than the average dog, so calm, gradual exposure to the city, traffic and visitors at home pays off.

Energy

calmvery energetic

Affection

independentvelcro pet

With children

not idealgreat

With other pets

difficultgreat

Trainability

stubborneager to learn

For first-time owners

for experienced ownersyes

With strangers

waryoutgoing

Playfulness

dignifiedeternal puppy

Shedding

minimalheavy

Grooming

easydemanding

Being left alone

strugglescopes well

Apartment living

needs a house and yardgreat in a flat

Barking

quietvocal

With other dogs

difficultgreat

Protectiveness

lowhigh

Drooling

hardly anya lot

Cold tolerance

feels the coldexcellent

Heat tolerance

strugglescopes well

Scores of 1–5 compare the breed with other breeds of the same species, based on the sources at the bottom of the page. Every animal is different. How we score traits

Who is the Border Collie for?

A Border Collie will thrive with active people who want to do dog sports, train obedience or have access to sheep. It does well in a house with a yard, but a yard is no substitute for working together. It's not a good choice for someone looking for a mellow companion for short walks, someone who is away from home 10 hours a day, or a family with small, running children the dog will try to herd.

Size and looks

Care and exercise

The breed needs more than two hours of activity a day, according to Britain's Royal Kennel Club, and that activity has to engage its brain, not just involve running alongside a bike. Good options include toy searches, trick training, frisbee in moderation, agility and, best of all, working sheep or herding training. Throwing a ball for an hour winds the dog up instead of tiring it out. Teaching it to settle matters too: a mat, a chew, downtime in a crate. The coat (rough or smooth, both with an undercoat) needs brushing once or twice a week, and daily during shedding season. Reward-based training gets excellent results, while yelling quickly discourages this sensitive breed. Keep an eye on calories, because training treats add up fast.

Health and breed-related conditions

The AKC describes the Border Collie as a hardy and generally healthy breed, but the list of conditions breeders should screen for is long: hip dysplasia, collie eye anomaly, epilepsy, deafness, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and trapped neutrophil syndrome. The Royal Kennel Club recommends an eye exam with gonioscopy before breeding and, as good practice, DNA tests (including CEA, NCL, TNS and MDR1), hip and elbow X-rays and a BAER hearing test. The MDR1 mutation increases sensitivity to certain medications, so it's worth knowing your dog's result and telling your vet. The AKC puts average life expectancy at 12–15 years.

• collie eye anomaly (CEA)An inherited developmental defect of the eye; a DNA test lets breeders avoid mating two carriers.
• hip dysplasiaSeen in the breed; breeders X-ray hips and elbows before breeding.
• idiopathic epilepsySeizures with no identifiable cause, usually first appearing in a young adult dog.
• trapped neutrophil syndrome (TNS)An inherited immune deficiency in puppies; screened with a DNA test.
• neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL)A rare, progressive neurological disease; a genetic test identifies carriers.
• congenital deafnessMore common in dogs with a lot of white on the head; puppies' hearing is checked with a BAER test.

This is general breed information, not a diagnosis. If something worries you, talk to your veterinarian.

Breed history

Herding dogs have worked the hills of the English-Scottish border for centuries, but the modern breed grew out of sheepdog trials, the first of which was held in Bala, Wales, in 1873. Breeders cared only about how well a dog worked stock, not how it looked, which is why the breed still comes in so many colors and in the two coat types the standard allows today. Old Hemp, a dog born in 1893 in Northumberland and bred by Adam Telfer, is considered the founding father of most lines. The name "Border Collie" was first used in 1915 by James Reid of the International Sheep Dog Society. The FCI classifies the breed as a sheepdog subject to a working trial.

Fun facts

• The first sheepdog trial was held in 1873 in Bala, Wales.
• Most modern Border Collies descend from a dog named Old Hemp, born in 1893.
• The FCI standard allows almost any color, as long as white does not predominate.
• Under FCI rules, the breed is a sheepdog with a compulsory working trial.

Frequently asked questions

This breed also appears in

• Medium dog breeds

Sources

1. 1FCI standard nr 297 – Border Colliefci.be
2. 2AKC – Border Collieakc.org
3. 3Royal Kennel Club – Border Collieroyalkennelclub.com
4. 4Wikipedia – Border Collie (historia)en.wikipedia.org

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.