Breed

# 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.

![A photograph of the Border Collie](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/border-collie.webp)

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.

Compare the

Border Collie

with another breed

## 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.

Around people and other dogs

Affection with family

5 of 5

1 independent · 5 devoted

Good with young children

4 of 5

1 not suited · 5 very good

Good with other dogs

3 of 5

1 not suited · 5 very good

Openness to strangers

4 of 5

1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend

Watchdog / protective nature

3 of 5

1 unbothered · 5 vigilant

What they will ask of you

Energy

5 of 5

1 couch potato · 5 busy all day

Exercise needs

5 of 5

1 a short walk · 5 a job to do

Playfulness

5 of 5

1 only when invited · 5 non-stop

Barking

3 of 5

1 only to alert · 5 very vocal

Around the house

Shedding

3 of 5

1 barely · 5 constantly

Drooling

1 of 5

1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel

What they tolerate

Tolerates being alone

1 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Tolerates hot weather

4 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Tolerates cold weather

4 of 5

1 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 AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/border-collie/)[Border Collie on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/border-collie)

## 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.

- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/english-springer-spaniel.webp)English Springer Spaniel](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/english-springer-spaniel/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/mucuchies.webp)Mucuchies](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/mucuchies/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/romanian-bucovina-shepherd.webp)Romanian Bucovina Shepherd](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/romanian-bucovina-shepherd/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/french-spaniel.webp)French Spaniel](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/french-spaniel/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/stabyhoun.webp)Stabyhoun](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/stabyhoun/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/russo-european-laika.webp)Russo-European Laika](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/russo-european-laika/)

Side by side

Height 0–38 in

1. Border Collie19–22 in
2. English Springer Spaniel19–21 in
3. Mucuchies22–28 in
4. Romanian Bucovina Shepherd27–31 in
5. French Spaniel22–25 in
6. Stabyhoun19–21 in
7. Russo-European Laika21–24 in

Weight 0–220 lb

1. Border Collie31–44 lb
2. English Springer Spaniel45–55 lb
3. Mucuchies66–110 lb
4. Romanian Bucovina Shepherd110–200 lb
5. French Spaniel44–55 lb
6. Stabyhoun40–55 lb
7. Russo-European Laika45–55 lb

Lifespan 0–20 yrs

1. Border Collie10–17 yrs
2. English Springer Spaniel12–14 yrs
3. Mucuchies10–12 yrs
4. Romanian Bucovina Shepherd10–15 yrs
5. French Spaniel10–12 yrs
6. Stabyhoun13–15 yrs
7. 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.

- [Dog Pooping in Their Crate? Here’s Why & How to Stop It](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/dog-pooping-in-crate/)
- [Crate Training: How Long Can You Crate a Dog For?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-long-can-you-crate-dog-for/)
- [The Intelligent Canine: How Many Total Words Can a Dog Learn?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-many-words-can-a-dog-learn/)
- [Frustrated with Your Dog's Lack of Attention? Try These Training Tips](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-to-get-your-dog-to-listen/)
- [Effective Communication: Teach Your Dog to Ask to Go Outside](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-to-teach-dog-to-ask-to-go-outside/)
- [When Do Puppies Calm Down?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/when-do-puppies-calm-down/)

See the

Border Collie

on the breed map

Read about the

Border Collie

on Wikipedia
