Border Collie: temperament, training and care

At a glance

Temperament

• The most trainable of all breeds
• Herds anything that moves
• Restless without mental work

Training tips

Teach an Off Switch as early as Sit: settling on a mat is a skill.

Border Collies usually pick things up quickly, which also means they learn bad habits quickly. Keep sessions short and varied, and reward the calm behavior you want to see more of.

Start with a marker word, sit, come and leave it. For a puppy, see the puppy training guides.

Common challenges

• Restlessness without enough mental work.
• Herding children, other pets, bikes and cars.
• Sensitivity to noise and harsh handling.
• No off switch. Teach relaxation as a skill. See mat relaxation.

Puppy training

Border Collie puppies learn incredibly fast, including things you didn’t mean to teach. Teach calm settling as early as sit. Socialize gently with sounds and movement.

Lifestyle

These dogs are usually happiest with a job: trick training, scent work, agility or herding-style games. Mental exercise matters as much as running.

Exercise and energy

A healthy adult Border Collie typically needs around 90 to 120 minutes of activity a day. Walks alone rarely cover it: add sniffing games, training and play so their brain gets tired too. Puppies need much shorter sessions while they grow.

See how much exercise a dog needs and our games and enrichment ideas.

Health to watch

Things the breed is known to be prone to. Ask your vet what to check for your dog.

• Hips and elbows. Prone to joint problems: keep them lean and ask the vet to check the joints each year.
• Eyes. Prominent or sensitive eyes: see the vet the same day for squinting or a cloudy eye. See: Eye Injuries.