A loyal friend, an exercise partner, an employee on the farm — a border collie can be a great addition to your home for many reasons.
But these dogs can be tough to handle and almost a quarter of all border collies end up in shelters and rescues.
Before you fall for their good looks and boundless energy, make sure you know what you’re getting into before bringing a border collie home.
Border collies have more energy than you think
Everyone knows border collies can play all day, but can you?
Think twice about getting this breed if you aren’t home all day, then need to relax on the couch after work. These dogs need more than an hour of active exercise and play every single day.
A walk around the block is not enough. Multiple trips to the park and on-leash runs are the only way to tire out a non-working border collie. A bored border collie will destroy your home with impatience; these dogs are not recommended if you live in a small city apartment.
The herding instinct is real
Border collies have been bred to be working dogs for generations. They will herd anything they think needs to be rounded up, which means cats and small children.
The dogs use bites to get livestock to fall in order, so don’t be surprised if your border collie is nipping at your kids or goes after the mailman. They aren’t lashing out but just expressing their inborn herding desire.
Serious training is needed to keep these dogs in line. From a young age, they must be taught what is allowed to be chased and what has to be left alone. Your border collie must see you as their master, or they will start to take advantage of you.
Border collies are smarter than you think
If you plan on keeping your dog in the backyard, make sure you have a fence at least 8 feet tall and 3 feet sunken into the ground. These athletic dogs are excellent jumpers and diggers.
Border collies can even learn to turn handles and knobs, so if you don’t want your dog escaping, make sure you have tight security.
But their intelligence is one of their best qualities! They are always down for games and eager to learn new tricks.
Interested in agility training? This breed surpasses all others in its ability to navigate obstacles in record time.
A border collie’s extreme intelligence can actually make them more difficult to train. These dogs will attempt to outsmart you at every step, so be prepared for a long discipline process. But once you are the owner of a well-trained border collie, you’ll have a dog like no other.
Are you a farmer?
If you have some livestock already or are thinking about starting a small farm, then border collies can be the right choice for you. These dogs aren’t afraid to get dirty; they’ll work in all seasons and won’t stop until you give them the command.
Just be sure to have state-of-the-art, safe equipment as your dog will investigate everything up close. Always trust a reputable farming supply store like daltonengineering.co.uk to ensure you use trustworthy products that won’t give out under stress.
Do plenty of research
A border collie is a big commitment. Before you bring your new puppy home, make sure you are ready for years of training and activity. A border collie will not slow down and will keep you active and healthy too!