Spotlight Breed: Border Collie

It is time for our Spotlight Breed of the week!  We are excited to tell you more about the Border Collie today.  This breed was originally developed to control sheep in the hilly border country between Scotland and England.  They’re known for their intense stare, or “eye,” with which they control their flock. They’re dogs with unlimited energy, stamina, and working drive, all of which make them a premier herding dog; Border Collies are still used today to herd sheep on farms and ranches around the world.

The overall friendliness level of the Border Collie is high.  They are very affectionate with family, especially towards kids.  In fact, they are even friendly around strangers.  This breed will typically greet guests with wagging tails and nuzzles.  The breed is sturdy enough to handle most chaos that goes on around the house – kids running around for example!  Their adaptability level is so-so as they are not suited to be left alone.  They need your attention!

It is important that your Border Collie goes through obedience training.  This breed is easy to train as they are adept to forming an association between a prompt, action, and a consequence.  They are super intelligent as they were bred for jobs that require decision making, intelligence, and concentration.  This means that they will also require stimulation exercises which will work their brains.

Some interesting highlights about the Border Collie include:

• The noisy play of young children can stimulate the Border Collie’s herding instinct and cause him to nip, nudge, and bark.
• The Border Collie doesn’t usually roam, but his curiosity and intelligence can lead him to become an escape artist.
• The Border Collie is highly sensitive, often responsive to the subtlest command and seemingly able to predict his owner’s desires in advance.

We will leave you with one of our favorite quotes about the breed: “Hey I just met you and this is crazy but here’s my belly….so rub it maybe?”