The Border Collie is the Swiss army knife, the Everything Bagel of the canine world. Anything you need him to do, he can do it easily, then ask him what the next job is on your to-do list. Although considered by many authorities to be the smartest breed in the world, no one calls the Border Collie low maintenance.
That’s a lot of dogs to handle in a medium-sized pack. Not every Ford driver can handle a jam-packed Maserati, and not every casual pet owner can keep a Border Collie happy and engaged. Here are seven fun facts about this super dog.
History of the Border Collie
The Border Collie originated in the border region between Scotland and England, where the selection of herders was based on the cooperative sense of cattle and the ability to work long days in rough terrain. This selective breeding developed the Border Collie’s unique working style of rounding up and retrieving cattle wide and fast, then controlling them with an intense gaze known as an “eye” and a stalking style of movement. As the American Kennel Club (AKC) breed standard states, “Breeding based on this working ability made this breed the world’s premier herding dog, a job the Border Collie is still for. used all over the world.
Versatility, your name is Border Collie
Border Collie experts and the AKC standard agree that this breed “is and should remain a true, natural, unspoiled working herding dog.” Not only is the Border Collie a superior herder, but they have proven themselves to be formidable competitors in performance tests such as obedience, agility, rallying, dock diving and tracking. The one activity the Border Collie isn’t perfected at, or even claims to be good at, is being a lazy couch potato.
Exercise requirements
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Due to the breed’s working heritage, Border Collies are demanding and energetic. They do best in homes that can give them plenty of exercise and play, with humans or other canine companions.
Due to their great need for mental stimulation, many Border Collies will develop problematic behaviors in homes unable to meet these demands. To cure their boredom, Border Collies are known to chew holes in walls and furniture, digging, and other destructive activities. Border Collie clubs and rescue groups advise anyone considering this breed to first ensure that they can provide the necessary exercise as a suitable outlet for the Border’s high energy and stamina.
A working Border typically works several hours a day, using their personality and intelligence to control difficult livestock. The breed becomes distressed and frustrated if left isolated, ignored, or inactive. They can be motion sensitive and chase moving vehicles and bicycles, behavior that can be corrected with proper training. Border Collies will also express their strong desire to keep a herd by guarding small children, cats, and dogs.
Show versus work versus performance
Border Collies from dog show lines will look the most alike because their breeders produce dogs that meet a written standard that describes the ideal Border Collie in terms of size, build, head and body shape and body shape. general appearance. Those from active lines will show the least uniformity, as it is the dogs’ stamina and herding ability that are valued most, and physical appearance is of little importance. Border Collies from performance lines, bred to excel in agility, rallying, and other canine sports, will fall somewhere in between.
More than black and white
Although the vast majority of Border Collies seen are black and white, the breed comes in all colors, combinations, and markings. The AKC standard states that “All colors shall be judged equally, with no color or pattern being preferred over another.” You’ll find tricolor, chocolate, blue and blue merle, and red Border Collies in all shades from copper to blond.
Border Collies also come in two coat lengths. Tight-fitting, dense, weather-resistant double coats are necessary in both cases, but the more common coarse-haired variety has feathering on the forelegs, chest and hips, while the smooth variety has a short coat over the whole body, usually coarser in texture than rough.
Border Collies in the media
Few breeds have been seen on TV and in movies more often than the Border Collie, and that exposure has certainly played a big role in their popularity. Besides Borders in several dozen TV commercials, we remember Bandit from the TV series little house on the prairie and Shep, the star of the British children’s show Blue stone. The Border Collies will play on the big screen, with Nana in snow dogs, Fly
In babyjessie in farm animalDraws in animation Rover Dangerfieldand Mike in Down and out in Beverly Hills.
Celebrities cross the border
Not surprisingly, many actors, singers, musicians, and sports personalities are passionate about their Border Collies. The list of stars includes James Dean, Anna Paquin, Tiger Woods, Dierks Bentley, Jerry Seinfeld, Ethan Hawke and Jon Bon Jovi.