Border Collie puppies

About the Border Collie

The Border Collie was developed on the hill farms of the Anglo Scottish border as a working sheepdog, controlling stock at a distance through eye and body position rather than noise. This is a medium sized, athletic dog of 46 to 56cm and 13.6 to 24.9kg, in either a rough feathered or a smooth coat, both dense and weather resistant. Their intelligence is genuine and constant: they watch, anticipate and problem solve, rating at the very top for trainability while sitting mid scale with children and other pets.

This breed is rated very high energy, and a walk around the block does not touch it. They need hard daily exercise and a job, whether herding, agility, flyball or obedience, or they will herd whatever is available, including children, bicycles and traffic. Grooming is a pin brush once or twice a week, daily during the moult. If your life is quiet, think carefully before bringing home the clever dog people see on television, because without work that intelligence turns into noise, nipping and obsession.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Border Collie puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a very high energy breed. The mistake owners make is trying to tire them out physically. Training, scentwork and puzzles will do more than distance ever will. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hip dysplasia, which breeding stock should be hip scored by x-ray before mating
• Collie eye anomaly / choroidal hypoplasia (CEA/CH), detectable by DNA test on both parents and on an eye examination
• Multi-drug resistance mutation (MDR1), detectable by DNA test, and worth knowing before any anaesthetic or worming drug
• Trapped neutrophil syndrome (TNS), detectable by DNA test on both parents

Your Border Collie puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Border Collie.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 13.6 to 24.9 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 36 inch (36 x 24 x 26 in, 91 x 61 x 66 cm) for an adult of up to 24.9 kg; chew toys made for medium breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other medium breeds

More on the Border Collie

Previous: Border Aussie · Next: Border Terrier

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Border Collie breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/border-collie/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Horacio Cambeiro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.