Border Collies

The Border Collie is widely considered the most intelligent dog breed in the world. Ranked first in Dr. Stanley Coren's landmark breed intelligence survey, the Border Collie learns new commands in fewer repetitions and obeys them more reliably than any other breed studied.

This remarkable cognitive capacity comes paired with an equally extraordinary working drive, boundless energy and a deeply ingrained need to work that makes the Border Collie one of the most rewarding, and one of the most demanding, dogs a person can own.

Origins and Heritage

The Border Collie's name refers to the border region between England and Scotland, the hills and valleys of Northumberland, the Scottish Borders and Cumbria, where the breed was developed over centuries to herd sheep on open, unfenced hillsides.

Unlike the livestock dogs of many continental European traditions, which drove and guarded flocks over long distances, the Border Collie's role was to gather and control sheep through a combination of intense sustained pressure, precise positioning, and, most distinctively, a penetrating, fixed stare known as "the eye."

The modern breed traces to a single dog born in 1893 in Northumberland: Old Hemp, bred by Adam Telfer. Old Hemp was described by his contemporaries as working sheep with a calm, silent intensity unlike anything they had seen, no barking, no chasing, simply the fixed gaze and crouching approach that moved sheep through the power of controlled psychological pressure.

Old Hemp became an extraordinary stud dog, siring as many as 200 pups and is considered the foundation sire of the modern Border Collie.

The International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS) was founded in 1906, and for most of the following century, the Border Collie was defined not by its appearance but by its ability to work. The ISDS Sheepdog Trials became the defining selection events for the breed, and champions at these trials, which test a dog's ability to gather, drive and pen sheep with precision and control, were the most sought-after breeding dogs.

The AKC recognized the Border Collie as a breed in 1995, placing it in the Herding Group. This was controversial among working dog enthusiasts, who feared that show ring selection would erode the breed's working ability. The debate between working-line and show-line Border Collies continues to this day.

Physical Characteristics

The Border Collie is a medium-sized, athletic dog of deceptive power, its muscular frame and tireless endurance are not immediately apparent from its moderate dimensions. The breed comes in two coat varieties: the more common rough (medium-length) coat, and a less common smooth (short) coat. Both are double-coated with a weather-resistant outer coat and soft dense undercoat.

Physical Characteristic	Males	Females
Height	48-56 cm (19-22 in)	46-53 cm (18-21 in)
Weight	14-25 kg (31-55 lbs)	12-19 kg (26-42 lbs)
Body type	Athletic, medium-length body, agile
Coat (rough variety)	Medium, flat or slightly wavy
Coat (smooth variety)	Short, dense
Eye color	Brown (most common), blue in merles, odd-eyed
Ear type	Semi-erect or erect, with tips folding forward
Lifespan	About 12-13 years

Color is highly variable in the breed: the classic black-and-white is most common, but Border Collies come in blue merle, red (chocolate), red merle, blue, sable, tricolor and other patterns. Color has no bearing on working ability or intelligence. The intense, oval-shaped eyes with a concentrated, focused expression are considered a defining feature of the breed's working character.

Exceptional Intelligence

The Border Collie's intelligence is not merely anecdotal. Dr. Stanley Coren's survey of obedience instructors, published in The Intelligence of Dogs (1994), placed the Border Collie first in its ranking of breeds. The criteria used were working and obedience intelligence: how quickly a breed learned new commands and how reliably it obeyed on the first command given. Border Collies ranked highest on both measures.

The most dramatic demonstration of Border Collie intelligence came from the documented case of Chaser, a Border Collie owned and trained by retired psychology professor John W. Pilley at Wofford College, South Carolina.

Through years of systematic training, Chaser learned to identify, by individual name, 1,022 distinct objects.

Chaser could categorize objects by both name and function, and could learn new words through "fast mapping" (inferring that a new word referred to an unfamiliar object among familiar ones).

Pilley published his findings in the peer-reviewed journal Behavioural Processes in 2011.

The Working Drive: A Double-Edged Gift

The Border Collie's intelligence is inextricable from its working drive, the intense, focused, purposeful energy that makes it an extraordinary sheepdog. This drive is not simply high energy, it is specifically channeled energy with a strong compulsion toward herding behaviors: gathering, eye, stalking and driving. A Border Collie deprived of an outlet for this drive does not simply become bored, it develops serious behavioral problems.

Well-documented maladaptive behaviors in under-stimulated Border Collies include:

Obsessive ball fixation. Many Border Collies that are given balls as exercise substitutes for herding develop compulsive fixation, staring at, carrying, or obsessively seeking the ball for hours. This is a stress behavior, not play.

Shadow and light chasing. Compulsive chasing of shadows, reflected light and moving patterns. Once established, this behavior is difficult to extinguish and can be distressing to the dog.

Repetitive circling and fence-running. Stereotypic motor behaviors that develop when herding instincts have no appropriate outlet.

Destructive behavior and self-harm. Dogs without sufficient mental and physical stimulation may destroy furniture, household objects, or harm themselves.

Border Collies are not suitable pets for sedentary households, for people who are away from home for long periods, or for those who cannot provide at least two hours of vigorous, mentally engaging activity daily. For exercise guidance see Pet Exercise and Enrichment: Keeping Pets Active .

Health Conditions

The Border Collie is a generally healthy breed with a life expectancy of about 12 to 13 years, reflecting its origin as a functional working breed where only fit, healthy dogs were selected for breeding. However, several hereditary conditions are present in the breed and should be screened for.

Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA). A congenital developmental defect affecting the choroid, retina and sclera of the eye, shared with the Rough Collie and Shetland Sheepdog. Severity ranges from subclinical to vision-threatening. A reliable DNA test exists. Responsible breeding programs test all dogs and do not breed dogs that would produce severely affected offspring.

Hip dysplasia. Hip evaluation of breeding stock is recommended.

Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome (TNS). A severe inherited immune deficiency causing profound inability to fight infection. Affected puppies have an impaired immune system and eventually die from infections they cannot fight. DNA testing is available and completely prevents the birth of affected dogs when used responsibly.

MDR1 (ABCB1) mutation. Shared with Collies and Shelties, the MDR1 mutation causes dangerous sensitivity to several drugs including ivermectin, loperamide and certain chemotherapy agents. DNA testing is available.

Epilepsy. Idiopathic epilepsy is more common in Border Collies than in many breeds. The genetic basis involves multiple loci and is not fully characterized. Affected dogs should not be used in breeding.

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). A progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by accumulation of lysosomal storage material in nerve cells. DNA testing is available for the form affecting Border Collies, and responsible breeders test all breeding stock.

Health Condition	DNA Test	Frequency
Collie Eye Anomaly	Yes	Common
Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome	Yes	Moderate
MDR1 mutation	Yes	Present in breed
Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis	Yes	Uncommon
Hip dysplasia	OFA X-ray	Present in breed
Epilepsy	No	Elevated

Training and Sport

Training a Border Collie is an extraordinary experience for an experienced dog handler and a potential nightmare for someone who does not understand the breed's requirements. They are capable of learning virtually any skill taught to dogs, including complex trick sequences, elite competitive obedience, search and rescue, detection work and of course herding. For training guidance see Training a Puppy: Science-Based Approaches for Success .

Border Collies dominate agility competition internationally at the highest levels. Their combination of speed, tight turning ability and cooperative working relationship with handlers makes them consistently competitive across all agility venues. They are equally dominant in disc dog (flying disc) competition, competitive obedience and flyball.

Their intelligence means they can learn bad habits as readily as good ones. Inconsistent handling, ambiguous cues, or accidental reinforcement of unwanted behaviors will produce a clever, creative dog that has learned to get what it wants in ways its owner finds frustrating. Clear, consistent, positive training from the very start is essential. The Intelligence of Dogs comparison is explored further at Dog Intelligence: Canine Cognitive Abilities .

Living with a Border Collie

The ideal Border Collie household is one where:

• At least one household member has genuine experience with high-drive herding breeds
• The dog receives a minimum of 2 hours of varied, vigorous, mentally engaging activity daily
• There is space to run, a house with a securely fenced yard is strongly preferred over apartments
• The owner is committed to continued training and engagement throughout the dog's life
• Children in the household are old enough to understand that the dog is not a toy and may attempt to herd them

Border Collies are not recommended for first-time dog owners unless those owners are prepared to invest heavily in education about the breed and commit to an unusually high level of daily engagement.

How is a Border Collie different from an Australian Shepherd?

Both are medium-sized herding breeds, but they come from opposite sides of the Atlantic. The FCI breed standard gives Great Britain as the Border Collie's country of origin, while the Australian Shepherd, despite its name, developed in the United States. It takes its name from an association with Basque sheepherders who came to the United States from Australia in the 1800s, and it became a farm and ranch dog popularized through rodeos and western riding.

Their sizes overlap closely. The FCI Border Collie standard sets an ideal height of 53 cm (21 in) for males, with females slightly less, while the Australian Shepherd standard prefers 51 to 58 cm (20 to 23 in) for males and 46 to 53 cm (18 to 21 in) for females. The Australian Shepherd comes in blue merle, black, red merle, or red, with or without white and tan markings and has a docked or natural bobbed tail. The Border Collie standard allows a variety of colours, provided white never predominates.

How does a Border Collie compare with a Golden Retriever?

The two breeds were developed for different jobs. Both trace to Great Britain, but the FCI classes the Border Collie as a sheepdog and the Golden Retriever as a gundog, and the AKC standard describes the Golden as primarily a hunting dog. The difference shows in build: the Golden Retriever is the larger, heavier dog, with an AKC weight range of 65 to 75 pounds (29 to 34 kg) for males and 55 to 65 pounds (25 to 29 kg) for females.

Height follows the same pattern. The AKC standard calls for 23 to 24 inches (58 to 61 cm) in male Golden Retrievers and 21.5 to 22.5 inches (55 to 57 cm) in females, against an FCI ideal of 53 cm (21 in) for a male Border Collie. Coat colour is far narrower in the Golden: its FCI standard accepts any shade of gold or cream, but not red or mahogany, while the Border Collie comes in a wide variety of colours.

Summary

The Border Collie is the pinnacle of working dog development, a breed of extraordinary intelligence, physical capability and purposeful drive, developed over centuries for a demanding and specific task. In the right hands and environment, the Border Collie is deeply rewarding, capable of achievements that no other breed can match.

In the wrong environment, the same qualities produce a miserable, behaviorally disturbed dog. Prospective owners owe it to the breed, and to themselves, to honestly evaluate whether they can meet the Border Collie's exceptional requirements.