Border Collie
The Border Collie is a herding breed from Anglo-Scottish border, standing males 19–22 in · females 18–21 in at the withers, weighing males 31–44 lb · females 26–42 lb. Recorded lifespan is 10–17 yrs.
- Breed group
- Herding
- Origin
- Anglo-Scottish border
- Height
- males 19–22 in · females 18–21 in
- Weight
- males 31–44 lb · females 26–42 lb
- Lifespan
- 10–17 yrs
Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Border Collie is taller than 44% of the measured breeds, heavier than 31%, one of 27 in the Herding group.
Living with the Border Collie
Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Border Collie’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.
- Affection with family
- 5 of 51 independent · 5 devoted
- Good with young children
- 4 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Good with other dogs
- 3 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Openness to strangers
- 4 of 51 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend
- Watchdog / protective nature
- 3 of 51 unbothered · 5 vigilant
- Energy
- 5 of 51 couch potato · 5 busy all day
- Exercise needs
- 5 of 51 a short walk · 5 a job to do
- Playfulness
- 5 of 51 only when invited · 5 non-stop
- Barking
- 3 of 51 only to alert · 5 very vocal
- Shedding
- 3 of 51 barely · 5 constantly
- Drooling
- 1 of 51 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel
- Tolerates being alone
- 1 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates hot weather
- 4 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates cold weather
- 4 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.Border Collie on AKCBorder Collie on DogTime
Breeds that look like the Border Collie
A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Border Collie.
English Springer Spaniel
Mucuchies
Romanian Bucovina Shepherd
French Spaniel
Stabyhoun
Russo-European Laika
Height 0–38 in
- Border Collie19–22 in
- English Springer Spaniel19–21 in
- Mucuchies22–28 in
- Romanian Bucovina Shepherd27–31 in
- French Spaniel22–25 in
- Stabyhoun19–21 in
- Russo-European Laika21–24 in
Weight 0–220 lb
- Border Collie31–44 lb
- English Springer Spaniel45–55 lb
- Mucuchies66–110 lb
- Romanian Bucovina Shepherd110–200 lb
- French Spaniel44–55 lb
- Stabyhoun40–55 lb
- Russo-European Laika45–55 lb
Lifespan 0–20 yrs
- Border Collie10–17 yrs
- English Springer Spaniel12–14 yrs
- Mucuchies10–12 yrs
- Romanian Bucovina Shepherd10–15 yrs
- French Spaniel10–12 yrs
- Stabyhoun13–15 yrs
- Russo-European Laika10–12 yrs
Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.
Guides that mention the Border Collie
Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed.
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