Border Collie Training Profile

Weight: 30 to 55 pounds

Height: 18 to 22 inches

Lifespan: 12 to 15 years

Border Collie Temperament and Behavior

These are beautiful, hard-working dogs who love an active lifestyle.

They’re named after their place of origin, which is between England and Scotland in an area known as the Anglo-Scottish border.

Border Collies are best known for their herding ability; their ancestors are believed to have been Roman herding dogs and Viking Spitz-like dogs, which were crossbred after both of those breeds arrived in England.

In fact, the most famous Border Collie, a dog named Old Hemp, won the first official sheepdog trial with a revolutionary method of herding: staring down sheep instead of utilizing the more common methods of barking or nipping at them.

The instinct to herd is so deeply ingrained in these dogs, they’ll sometimes attempt to herd anything that moves, including other animals, small children and even automobiles.

Border Collies get along well with older children and they enjoy being with dogs of the opposite sex. They’re also friendly toward their owners, but it can take them some time to warm up to strangers.

But they need to be doing something or they will become restless and very likely destructive, attacking furniture, other dogs and howling and barking, due to their strong desire to be active. They can also easily develop separation anxiety as a result of inactivity.

Border Collie Training Tips

Despite showing some signs of concerning behavior, these dogs are not typically aggressive.

When they do display signs of aggression, it will start off very tame, but it can build up to more dangerous behaviors, such as biting. At first, they may start disobeying and displaying signs of dominance by not listening or even growling if you try to control them, for example.

If a Border Collie displays signs of aggressive behavior, it’s best to back away and give them their space; don’t try to force anything.

In most cases, aggression is a symptom of another problem, and once the problem’s been determined, steps can be taken to solve it and prevent aggressive behavior.

Fortunately, Border Collies are generally very easy to train due to their intelligence and desire to please. Once they’ve completed the necessary training steps, they will once again be a well-behaved, happy member of the family.