Border Collie

Patellar Luxation

Legg-Perthes Disease

Hip Dysplasia

Heart murmurs

Border Collies should be fed high-quality dog food, whether commercially manufactured or home-prepared, with your veterinarian?s supervision and approval. The diet should be appropriate to the dog?s age (puppy, adult, or senior), and adjustments will be required as their needs change with age. Some dogs are prone to getting overweight so watch your dog?s calorie consumption and weight level. Treats can be an important aid in training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog?s weight or diet. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.

There are two types of coats in this breed. The rough coat is medium-length and feathered, while the smooth coat is shorter and coarser. Both are dense and weather-resistant double coats. The shedding season usually occurs in Spring or Summer.

During shedding season, regular brushing will help to keep excessive shedding at bay.

Both types of coats require similar grooming: brushing the dog with a pin brush once or twice a week or more often if necessary to keep the coat free of mats, tangles, mud, and debris. Their weather-resistant double coats need weekly brushing to keep the coat oils well distributed and prevent matting in the rough variety. Bathe only as needed ? about every four months or when they're really dirty or start to develop a doggy odour.

As with all breeds, the Border Collie's nails should be trimmed regularly, at least once a month. Check their ears once a week for dirt, redness or any bad odour that may indicate an infection. Wipe them out weekly with a cotton ball dampened with gentle, pH-balanced ear cleaner to prevent any ear problems.

As you groom, check for sores, rashes, or signs of infection such as redness, tenderness, or inflammation on the skin, in the nose, mouth, and eyes, and on the feet. There should be no redness or discharge in the eyes. Keeping a close eye on your pet will allow you to detect any possible health issues early and seek advice from your vet.

This highly-driven, athletic breed is extremely energetic and requires daily exercise beyond just a walk around the block or a quick romp in the backyard. They thrive when they have a job to do and space to run as they love vigorous activities that can match their energy level and enthusiasm.

When they are fully mature, they love jogging or running along beside a bike. Border Collie fits well with an active family and those that are into high-energy activities.

Veterinary care is essential to a dog?s health and wellbeing; however, the frequency of treatment and checkups will depend on the dog.

Scheduled health checks once or twice a year with your vet are important to ensure your Border Collie is healthy and happy throughout all life stages. In these annual visits, your vet will complete a physical examination, take your dog?s temperature and check his heartbeat, among other things. Routine maintenance for your dog gives you a chance to track your dog?s growth and development, discuss any concerns with your vet.

Border Collies are easy to please and make good family dogs as long as he is raised and trained from a young age. He gets along well with children and other pets, though his natural instinct to herd will cause him to nip, chase, and bark at kids (especially very young children) and animals, so socializing them well from a young age is advised. Because of these tendencies, they do best with older, well-behaved children.

They are workaholics and require an owner with sufficient time and energy to keep them occupied and happy. These energetic dogs love nothing more than to settle down for a good cuddle when the workday is done.

Border Collies are eager to please, are highly intelligent and highly trainable. Their aptitude and submissive nature make them easy to train, but his high intelligence also means that they need lots of stimulation to keep them occupied. They are superstars at canine activities such as herding, obedience and agility.

Use treats to guide him in learning appropriate behaviours. If, for instance, you are training your Collie how to sit, then you can use his favourite treat by bringing it in front of his nose and then moving it slowly above his head to encourage him to sit. Once they get the hang of the trick, you can cut down on the treats.

Border Collies get along well with other pets. They are affectionate towards friends and usually sensibly reserved with strangers. A play-date with another dog with the same nature is good company for a Border Collie and will help make sure the dogs get adequate physical activity.