Border Collie Info & Border Collie Breeders

Before anything else the Border Collie is a working dog. The breed is widely regarded as the world’s greatest sheepdog and is likely the most widely used working dog today. Border Collies were originally developed in and for the harsh conditions on the Welsh and Scottish borders with England. The land was suitable for little except sheep and with the introduction of sheep grew the need for a suitable herding dog.  With the introduction of International Sheepdog Trials in 1906 the outstanding abilities of the Border Collie became well known worldwide and the breed became very much sought after.  Particularly those requiring sheep dogs like New Zealand and Australia.

Border Collies are ranked number one in Stanley Cohen's ‘The Intelligence of Dogs’ and it would be hard to find a breed that is more receptive to training than the Border Collie.  They thrive on praise and take on all new tasks with eagerness and a great desire to please.  As well as being highly intelligent, Border Collies are extremely energetic, athletic, and have great stamina.  They require considerable daily exercise and mental stimulation.   As pets, it is critical that they have plenty of play and exercise with humans or other dogs.

Because of this combination of athleticism, intelligence and trainability, the breed is perfect for those wanting to compete in various sports and trials.  Border Collies are represented among the leaders at competitive levels - excelling in agility skills, obedience, sheepdog trials and Frisbee (TM).   These competitions suit the breed perfectly, Border Collies are highly represented, and they and often win. For those who wish to reach high levels in dog sports, the Border Collie is a gift from heaven.   

Provided they get ample exercise and are sufficiently occupied, the Border Collie will get along quite happily with other dogs, and children. This breed can be sensitive and should be very well socialized as a puppy to prevent shyness. To be truly happy, Border Collies need a lot of consistent leadership, extensive daily exercise, and a job to occupy their minds.

This breed lives for serving you day in and day out. They are not ideal pets for people who don’t plan to spend a lot of time with them. Border Collies are too intelligent to lie around the house with nothing  to do.  Do not take on a Border Collie unless you are willing to put many hours a day into keeping them well exercised in both mind and body.  Without adequate stimulation and exercise border collies can develop neurotic behaviors.   When not challenged daily they can and will become destructive and known for chewing holes in walls and biting and chewing on furniture out of boredom.  

Physical characteristics

The Border Collie is a medium sized dog. The body is slightly longer than it is tall.  The oval eyes are set well apart and brown in colour, except in merles where one or more eyes may be blue. The medium sized ears are set well apart, either carried erect or semi erect. The medium sized tail is set low reaching at least to the hock, raising somewhat when the dog is excited. The double coat is weather resistant, dense and close-fitting. There are two coat varieties: a short, sleek coat (about 1 inch (2.5 cm.) long) and a coarse, rough coat (about 3 inches (7.6 cm.) long). The Australian recognised coat colours come in black and white, tri-colour (black/white/tan), red & white, chocolate and white, blue and white blue merle (see more on colour below). The longer haired variety should have a mane and tail brush. The hair on the face, ears and front legs is always short and sleek. Since Border Collies are bred for working ability and intelligence rather than for physical beauty, conformation varies widely.

Grooming

The Border Collie needs regular combing and brushing to keep the coat gleaming and to prevent tangles and dread-locks.Shaving a coat can impact a Border Collies ability to regulate their temperature and often a coat will not grow back the same therefore shaving your Border Collie is not recommended and regular grooming should suffice.   Extra care is needed when the soft, dense undercoat is shedding which for males is generally once/twice a year and females before each breeding cycle. Regular warm hydro-bathes and blow drying assist during the shedding period and keep the coat clean and healthy. Check the ears and coat regularly for ticks. This breed is an average shedder.

What is the average price for a Border Collie Puppy?

In recent years there has been an increase in pet owners wanting colour variations and with that a rise in the number of breeders catering to this demand and breeding solely for the colour market. Border Collie puppies are sometimes advertised as certain ‘rare’ colours.  In reality – no colour is ‘rare’, and these puppies should not be sold at a higher price than a non-rare or more common colour.  While some breeders charge up to double for a coloured border collie compared to their black/white border collies, good breeders do not charge any more for colour than they do for black/white nor do they charge more for females pups over males or vice versa.  The average price from an ethical breeder for a quality bred puppy from fully health tested parents should be between $2800 - $3500. 

Problems can arise when multi-coloured litters are the aim of a breeding program because dogs of better quality in other ways in terms of structure and conformation, are overlooked because they may not carry the desired colour consistently.   Avoiding these quality animals may be a concern for the future of the breed because the structure and conformation of the coloured Border Collie cannot be improved if only lower class dogs are consistently being used in a breeding program.  

Some breeders have a genuine colour preference and prefer something different to the "common" black/white border collie. The more ethical, responsible breeders still breed quality animals by not limiting their options by choosing to breed for colour alone. If you are looking for a coloured border collie puppy, these are breeders you should seek out.  Regardless of a breeders objectives, health testing should be an integral part and parcel of a breeding program.

Border Collie Colour Variations

Traditional colours recognised by the breed were:
•    Black/white
•    Blue/White (or dilute)
•    Red/White
•    Chocolate White
•    (Black) Tricolour - Black/white/tan
•    Blue Merle 

However recently the breed standard was updated to ''a variety of colours permissible'' and now the numerous other known Border Collie colours available are recognised in Australia.    White should never predominate. 

Other colours include:
•    Chocolate Tricolour (chocolate, white, tan)
•    Lilac/White (dilute chocolate - by combining blue/white and chocolate white)
•    Chocolate Merle (Chocolate x merle)
•    Slate Merle
•    Sable/White, Shaded Sable, Seal/white - Sable/seal is a coat pattern. The expression is based on many genes working together
•    Sable/Merle - Crossing dogs carrying both sable and merle coat patterns
•    Blue Tricolour (Blue, white, tan)
•    Champagne, Caramel, Blonde, Wheaten and White - Different terms for red/white border collies by those who don't know the breed standard or are trying to upmarket the dog by giving it a flashy name. Red/white comes in a variety of shades from a pale yellow through to a dark rich rust.

To learn more about the breed standard visit ANKC - Border Collies 

Please see this link – Bryning Border Collies - Colours  a kennel in the UK (where these colours ARE recognised) for a summary of the various colours and their genetic composition.   

Thanks to Tracie Thompson of Mystiqview Border Collies, and Letchimi Wright - Bordermojo Border Collies for contributing to this information.

Check our listings for Puppies for sale here and click on the links to our breeders below to go to their profile page.  You can also click here to search for Registered Border Collie Breeders by location.