Border Collie
Border Collie
- Sizemedium
- Weight13.6–20.4 kg
- Lives10–14 years
- Popularity in Mexico★★★
Character
Border Collie temperament
A medium dog from the herding group, in twelve traits from 1 to 5:
- Energymarathoner
- Affection with familyglued to you
- With kidsmiddle of the road
- With other dogsmiddle of the road
- With strangersparty with everyone
- Playfulnessplayful for life
- Guarding instinctmiddle of the road
- Adaptabilitysettles anywhere
- Trainabilitylearns on the fly
- Barkingreports everything
- Mental stimulation it needsneeds a job
- Prey drivechases anything that moves
Distinguishing features
Border Collie characteristics
- Ears
- semi-erect
- Height
- 46–56 cm
- Weight
- 13.6–20.4 kg
- Muzzle
- medium
- Coat
- double coat
- Coat length
- short, long
- Colors
- any color
- Life expectancy
- 10–14 years
- Sheddingmiddle of the road
- Coat caremiddle of the road
Life expectancy
How long does a Border Collie live?
10–14 years
The breed sets the range; how long each dog lives depends on its weight, its exercise, its teeth and its check-ups with the vet.
The long profile
Long profile, in Spanish for now
The long version of this breed — character, care and origins, in Lord Chucho's voice — exists in Spanish and hasn't been translated yet. The hard data on this page (traits, features, lifespan) is the same in both languages.
Buying guides
What to buy for a Border Collie
What to buy, by what it needs:
What we'd give Choco
For a dog like this one
Affiliate links: it costs you the same. How they work (in Spanish)
AI image: the real product may vary KONG Classic
The classic that survives teenage-Labrador jaws. Stuff it with frozen treats and you just bought an hour of peace.
AI image: the real product may vary Chuckit! Ultra Ball
A ball that bounces evenly, floats and doesn't fall apart on day three. If your dog lives for the ball, this is THE ball.
AI image: the real product may vary Level-2 treat-dispensing puzzle
For the dog that's bored of everything: let it earn the kibble by thinking. Start at level 2; level 1 they solve in their sleep.
AI image: the real product may vary FURminator for double coats
On double-coated breeds it pulls out loose hair by the kilo. Your couch will thank you more than the dog will.
What people ask
Frequently asked questions about the Border Collie
How big does a Border Collie get?
An adult Border Collie stands 46–56 cm at the withers and weighs 13.6–20.4 kg.
Does the Border Collie need a lot of exercise?
The Border Collie scores 5 out of 5 on “Energy”: marathoner. On that scale, 1 is “couch potato” and 5 is “marathoner”.
Is the Border Collie good with kids?
The Border Collie scores 3 out of 5 on “With kids”: right in the middle of the scale. On that scale, 1 is “better without kids” and 5 is “excellent”. Even with a 5, no dog should be left alone with small children: supervising them is the adult's job.
Does the Border Collie get along with other dogs?
The Border Collie scores 3 out of 5 on “With other dogs”: right in the middle of the scale. On that scale, 1 is “lone wolf” and 5 is “life of the dog park”.
Is the Border Collie easy to train?
The Border Collie scores 5 out of 5 on “Trainability”: learns on the fly. On that scale, 1 is “negotiates every command” and 5 is “learns on the fly”.
Does the Border Collie bark a lot?
The Border Collie scores 4 out of 5 on “Barking”: reports everything. On that scale, 1 is “nearly silent” and 5 is “reports everything”.
Is the Border Collie a good guard dog?
The Border Collie scores 3 out of 5 on “Guarding instinct”: right in the middle of the scale. On that scale, 1 is “not a guardian” and 5 is “born guardian”.
Does the Border Collie shed a lot?
The Border Collie scores 3 out of 5 on “Shedding”: right in the middle of the scale. On that scale, 1 is “barely sheds” and 5 is “hair everywhere”.
Can a Border Collie live in an apartment?
The Border Collie scores 5 out of 5 on “Adaptability”: settles anywhere. On that scale, 1 is “needs its space and routine” and 5 is “settles anywhere”. An apartment is fine, being shut in is not: every dog needs to get out every day.
Health
We only publish each breed's health topics after reviewing them carefully. We guide you, but we're not your vet: if something about your dog worries you, the internet doesn't replace a visit to the vet.