Border Collie

The Border Collie is a British herding dog from the Anglo-Scottish border — a medium-sized working dog widely regarded as the most trainable of all breeds.

History

It descends from the working sheepdogs once found across the British Isles, refined by border shepherds for the crouching, staring "eye" that lets one dog control a whole flock. It still competes at the top of sheepdog trials, the work it was built for.

Temperament

The breed is known for intelligence, drive and sensitivity, with an appetite for work that never really switches off. That reputation for cleverness comes from its working record rather than any measurement, and it cuts both ways: a Border Collie without a job finds one, usually a destructive one.

Care and training

It needs a great deal of daily exercise and, just as much, mental work — herding, obedience, agility, anything that occupies its head. The medium double coat, rough or smooth, sheds seasonally and needs regular brushing.

Health

Known tendencies include hip dysplasia, inherited eye conditions such as Collie eye anomaly, epilepsy, and a drug sensitivity carried in some lines. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.