Breed of the Week 3

As I was looking through the different breeds that come to daycare I kept seeing pictures of a particular dog that just screamed "BLOG ME!"...so although everyone knows about Border Collies, I just couldn't resist.

From the CKC site:

ORIGIN
(Listed) The craft of tending flocks of sheep was introduced to the British by the Romans and it wasn't long before Celtic clans developed their own types of sheepdogs to tend to these tasks. One of these, the Border Collie, is recognized as the finest sheep-herding dog in the world. While appearance has been a major concern in many breeds, the working ability has always been the prime criterion in this breed.

TEMPERAMENT
Intelligence and trainability are a hallmark of the Border Collie. Alert and eager, the breed can display a single-mindedness for the task at hand. Affectionate with friends, the Border Collie may be reserved toward strangers.

ACTIVITY LEVEL
‘Highly active’ only begins to describe the Border Collie. Swift, agile, tireless and with an incredible desire to work, the Border Collie is not for the couch-potato. This high-energy dog needs to work and if there are no sheep handy, it will thrive on such activities as flyball, agility, Frisbee-catching and advanced obedience.

COAT
There are two varieties of coat in the Border Collie. The smooth coat is short over the entire body with some feathering on the forelegs and chest. The rough coat is medium to long and may be flat or slightly wavy. Both varieties carry a soft undercoat beneath the weather-resistant outer coat.

COLOUR
The Border Collie comes in many colours and colour combinations. The most common is black with white markings on the collar, blaze, stockings and tail tip. However, dogs may be a solid colour (with the exception of all white), bi-colour, tri-colour, merle or sable.

GROOMING
Both coats are easy care and may be maintained with regular brushing.

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A good Border Collie is one with a job- fetch, tricks, regular walks, haiking, camping, agility, obedience, flyball...pretty much anything to keep them physically and mentally active. In the house they should be calm and relaxed, only turning into busy dogs when asked or out doing something fun- but without exercise will be busy all the time. Border collies are VERY smart, so smart in fact that they often train their owners without them even knowing! Almost all of the Border Collies that come to daycare have trained us how to play fetch with them...and will convince us over, and over, and over to throw the ball.



The border collies at daycare tend to be good players, but mostly love to be with us. They are often at our feet, or pushing a ball into our hands. They are very much people dogs, who just want to please. As mentioned in the breed description above they come in all colors and two coat varieties. Most common is a black and white with a rough coat. We do have a few smooths that come, and they all have different ears it seems!



Border Collies do make GREAT pets, if you are active. They are not for couch potatoes, nor are they for fairweather walkers. They need exercise every day, and will get pretty creative to exercise themselves. One must be on their toes if you own a Border Collie!