The Border Collie is a dog in itself famous: there are generations that have grown up with Lassie’s adventures and more recent ones have seen other specimens of this breed starring in commercials or television series.

The predominant feature? Intelligence . _

• Origins
• Morphology
• Psychology
• Treatment

Origins of the Border Collie

It was born as a sheepdog in the United Kingdom as early as 1700, even if the name by which it is known is recently coined. It has been used as a working dog, to guide and control flocks, in the areas between Scotland and England.

It is assumed to be the result between the crossing of the reindeer shepherd and the shepherd de la Vallée . Its physical beauty and elegance have made it stand out and be introduced into society, thus becoming a coveted companion dog over time and very suitable for pet therapy .

Morphology of the Border Collie

The Border Collie is one of the medium-sized dogs , it can reach a height of 53 cm at the withers for 23 kg of weight.

It is a very agile , fast and morphologically well proportioned specimen, it is defined as a wolfhoid for its appearance, the eyes are well spaced and brown or amber in color; the color blue is also allowed.

The ears are of medium size generally straight. Its coat has a medium length hair , in some specimens it is also long, soft with a dense undercoat and the color is allowed in different variants: two-tone or tricolor, red with white, black, brown. The most common is black and white. The tail is long, hairy and curved ends.

Border Collie Psychology

It is a very docile, balanced and extremely intelligent breed. It is a dog born to work , therefore it is easily trainable, ready to obey commands.

The Border Collie is indissolubly attached to his family and his owner. He immediately knows his habits and behaviors that he knows how to memorize and do with him.

He is very respectful of the spaces of the house and of those assigned to him. He doesn’t like being alone for too long. Suitable for living with children and other animals, he will certainly show his innate qualities as a shepherd dog, trying to push his life companions of which he will feel guardian.

Border Collie care

The Border Collie is a very resistant dog with a good life expectancy, in fact it can live up to 15 years. It is generally a dog that is in good health.

You may suffer from hereditary conditions related to the skeletal system, such as dysplasia of the hip or elbow or related to vision, such as retinal atrophy, which can lead to blindness.

The Border Collie needs constant exercise . He loves “training” with his owner, he is a champion of agility , of obedience tests, of retrieve, everything that gives him the opportunity to interact exclusively with his handler and to be able to please him makes him a happy dog.

Because the Border Collie’s coat is dense, it needs to be brushed at least a couple of times a week .

Nutrition must necessarily be commensurate with the degree of physical training, well balanced and varied from summer to winter.

It is advisable to divide the meal into two moments of the day, as it could be subject to stomach dilation or torsion, due to stress, given the marked sensitivity of this type of dog.