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A breed of dog called Border colony was bred exclusively as assistants for shepherds who grazed large flocks of sheep in the highlands located in England and Scotland. The value of these shepherd dogs is that they are incredibly attentive and have good eyesight, they can focus on long distances.
Border Collie dogs are quite active and are extremely enduring, thanks to which they have gained immense popularity in farming circles around the world. This breed is easy to learn and train. It is in connection with this factor that Border Collie can often be found as a participant in a wide variety of sports competitions among dogs.
To make sure that this breed was not bred in vain, and that it is truly a professional in the field of sheep grazing, you can literally observe it once during this lesson. It will immediately become clear to any person that she loves what she does, and that it really gives her pleasure. This is expressed in an adequate and timely response to all the commands that the shepherd gives her, as well as in the competent management of the livestock, even if it is large enough. These qualities could not remain unnoticed by other shepherds from around the world, and therefore, from the moment of its appearance, border collies managed to quickly gain worldwide popularity and become popular in farmer circles.
This breed of dogs has quite standard average sizes and is not particularly large in size. It has an average fatness and can be in the range of 14-22 kilograms. Excessive activity of the border collie can be easily explained, it is due to a special purpose, for which, in fact, the breed was bred. Namely, the daily grazing of the sheep stock for a long period of time in the area of the mountain ranges, with which England and Scotland are so rich. The distances that this breed can overcome without any problems are on average 70-80 kilometers daily, and, if necessary, up to one hundred kilometers. Therefore, if a hardy and active dog is needed, then this breed can be the best option.
Dog temper
No matter how ideal this breed of dog may seem, some drawbacks are still present. Their manifestation is possible only in the case when the family in which the border collie lives is pretty cool and indifferent to the animal. It is with this attitude that the exclusive positive characteristics are replaced by disobedience, stubbornness and complete disregard for the commands that the owner gives her. The manifestation of such behavior on the part of the dog is possible only in the case of a disregard for her attitude. If you give her enough time and take good care of her, she will never disappoint her owner. In addition, taking the Border Collie in the family, the potential owner must clearly understand that such a dog is extremely necessary for regular mental and physical stress, the implementation of which he will have to provide.
Since the main purpose of this breed of dogs is shepherding, it is not surprising that it will be incredibly attracted to various concentrations of animals, especially in large groups.This applies not only to sheep, but they can also show great interest in grouped children, cats, and even in moving vehicles, which the animal will willingly chase. This behavior is due to the natural natural instinct of the dog and its direct duties, for the implementation of which, in fact, this breed was bred. Consequently, the owner will not be able to change the animal’s behavior and make it calmer, even when using the daily training from the most experienced specialists and dog handlers. This is the main feature that every potential owner who intends to get a border collie should know. Taking a dog of this particular breed, a person should clearly understand that it needs a lot of attention, it needs daily walks and various active games. This is necessary, first of all, for the full realization of the energy that accumulates in her every day.
Border Collie is great as a pet for any active person, and the ease and simplicity of training a dog will save a lot of time on training. Her temperament is quite quiet and family, she is gentle and sensual to all members of the family, she is not inclined to manifest aggression. Thanks to the social adaptation of the animal from a very early age, its mental abilities will develop much more dynamically, in addition, a friendly position will be developed regarding people around.
Most often, border collies as a pet are chosen by those people who are aimed at spending active time with her, namely, doing her dressing so that she can take part in various events. First of all, such as: sports dog competitions, focused on dexterity, the execution of various kinds of commands, all kinds of physical exercises for dogs, searching for a person or any object. In order for the Border Collie to become a real and indispensable assistant and friend, you should take care of its social adaptation in the environment in advance. And the sooner this adaptation begins to happen, the better for both the puppy and his owner.
History of breed origin
The emergence of the ancestors of the Border Collie breed in England occurred at a time when people began to realize that for more efficient grazing of a large number of sheep, they urgently needed helpers in the form of dogs. Naturally, these animals became most in demand in the mountainous areas between Scotland and England, since it was there that at that time was the largest congestion of shepherds and sheep breeders. What is noteworthy, initially these dogs had some differences among themselves, which directly depended on in which area they were bred. Each individual breed of a shepherd dog had a direct association with the area in which it was bred. It is thanks to these associations that all sorts of varieties of the name of this breed began to appear, often the Border Collie breed belonged to: Welsh Shepherd Dogs, Northern Shepherd Sheepdogs, Heideln Collie and others. The word "collie", which is present in the vast majority of names, gives a clear definition of the dog's roots, since it comes directly from the Scottish dialect.
The first appearance of this breed on public display occurred in 1860, when the Border Collie became a member of the Second Dog Show, which was held outside of England. It was at this exhibition that the Border Collie was spotted by Queen Victoria. Since then, the queen has become an ardent fan of this breed and expressed great interest in her. The English breeder James Lloyd had to spend a fairly large amount of money in order to breed and train this breed.Specially for the development of shepherd’s abilities in this breed, in 1876, a flock of one hundred sheep was brought by James Lloyd from the Northern England region to one of the royal estates in London.
To date, the Border Collie breed is recognized as the best shepherd breed in the world. However, at the moment, the breeding of these dogs is carried out not only so that they help to graze a large livestock of sheep, also border collies have become full-fledged members of many families around the world.
At the end of October 1995, the Border Collie dog breed was officially recognized by the American Kennel Club.
Character and temperament of Border Collie dogs
Each representative of the Border Collie breed is characterized as an active, intelligent and hardworking animal. It is quite easy to learn and grasps all the techniques of training on the fly, as the implementation of various exercises gives such dogs great pleasure.
This animal has a playful and naughty character, which is caused by the need for constant employment, it simply can not sit idle for a long time. If this dog will be without any active occupation for a long time, then the owner should be ready for various dirty tricks on the part of his pet. For example, digging holes or reckless pursuits of moving vehicles. If the owner needs a dog that will lie down for a long time on the rug without any action, then he obviously should not start a border collie as a pet, since this dog was bred in order to be active and mobile for a long time. Do not forget that its direct purpose is to actively participate in grazing a large number of sheep.
This animal, despite its playfulness and endless life energy, is incredibly sensitive and able to understand its owner almost on an intuitive level; it executes commands immediately and without any whims or discontent. Thanks to such dedication on the part of the broder collie, she is quite light and pleasant to train. Naturally, with such a temperament, she will be able to feel comfortable being exclusively in an active family, or with a host who purposefully intends to engage in her training to participate in various sports competitions. If such a dog does not undergo timely social adaptation to the environment from an early age, then it is possible that it can grow up secretive and shy.
Pet Care
This breed of dog is that category of animals that do not need any specific care. Her six can periodically molt, but this rarely happens and does not cause much trouble for the owner. Basically, molting is not more than two times a year. In order to prevent the appearance of pellets on the animal’s hair, it is recommended to comb it thoroughly once or twice a week.
Bathing usually occurs once every two to three months, but only on condition that the animal is not exposed to strong daily pollution. If the dog is prone to frequent dirtying, then, accordingly, it will have to be bathed several times more, perhaps even several times a month, which in turn may not affect the general condition of his skin and coat very well in the future.
Thanks to weekly brushing of the oral cavity and teeth, not only the animal’s fresh breath is preserved, but also sanitary standards are observed - it also helps to avoid tartar in the future. The training of border collie to brushing your teeth should occur at an early stage.
Since this breed is predisposed to the appearance of various ear diseases of an infectious nature, its owner is required to conduct a thorough examination of the animal's ears weekly. In addition to examination, it is also necessary to treat the auricles with special solutions that can only be prescribed by a veterinarian.
Boder Collie Training and Training
The main thing that is required from the owner is his desire to train his pet and to be diligent in this process, since the dog’s childhood is considered to be the best time to start training.
This animal loves the manifestation of increased attention to itself and active actions on the part of man, therefore, devoting as much time as possible to classes with him, the results of training and training will be achieved much earlier. A notable feature of this breed is that the Border Collie is a true champion in the field of performing difficult tasks that are directly related to the manifestation of dexterity and physical preparation of the animal. Most often it is this breed that receives the champion title in competitions related to long jumps or other similar tests.
Health and Disease
On average, this breed lives from 14 to 22 years. They are prone to diseases such as:
- congenital deafness;
- cerebellar degeneration;
- epilepsy;
- hip dysplasia.
Eye diseases in the form of: nodular episcleritis, dislocation of the lens, cataracts, eyeball abnormalities, generalized progressive retinal atrophy.
Some interesting facts
- This breed is quite smart and quick-witted, and therefore perfectly understands the owner and all his commands on an intuitive level, it often happens that she literally foresees what her owner wants from her.
- Due to the peculiarities of its breed, the border collie is very active, and, therefore, needs substantial mental and physical stress on an ongoing basis. This is necessary to maximize the potential of the animal, so that it does not engage in an independent search for entertainment that its owner does not always like.
- Since at the instinct level the pursuit of moving objects in a Border Collie is embedded in blood, taking a walk without capturing the leash becomes a problem. Chasing cyclists, cars, various animals and even children cannot be avoided.
- This dog needs to go through a period of social adaptation from the very first day he appears in the family, because if this recommendation is not followed, there is a high probability that the animal will grow up shy and shy, and will try to avoid contact with people in every possible way.
- Due to his shepherd’s instincts, the Border Collie can unintentionally escape, therefore, it is necessary to constantly monitor the dog’s movement.
Video: Border Collie dog breed
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