Border Collie | History, characteristics, food and care

Between many dog races There is only one that stands out for its great intelligence and this is given by the quality of response at the time of your training. This is what Dr. Stanley Coren refers in his book "Dog intelligence”We are talking about Border Collie or also known as Collie of border in Spanish, Considered today as the smartest dog in the world. If you already have a border Collie as a pet you will have been impressed by its agility, fidelity, obedience and learning ability. Continue reading and you will know how to take care of this exceptional race in the best way.

Size: Medium.
Weight: Between 17 and 20kg.
Hair type: Long (12cm) or double -layer (8cm) hair.
Character: Strong, dominant and faithful.
Health: Good health
Life expectancy: Between 12 and 15 years.

Origin and History of the Border Collie

The Border Collie is a fairly old dog. His first appearance was made in Europe specifically on the border between Scotland and England. It was introduced by the Galas tribes we know as Celts between the 5th century and I before Christ. Although in its origins it was used as grazing dog, today is one of the most remarkable races in sports and canine exhibition competitions almost always achieving unsurpassed results.

Historical records dating from 1570 attest to the Border Collie in activities as shepherd shepherd in the United Kingdom regions. Was A dog that could direct the flock regardless of the presence of the master or climatic conditions, with efficiency and firm personality. By 1860 this breed began to become more popular after they knew they were Pets preferred by Queen Victoria and a portrait of one of his dogs that is very similar to the current Border Collie is exhibited for this date.

The name Collie It has several connotations. Some researchers claim that it is a word of Celtic origin that means "useful." Others believe that it comes from the word Coley which means "black" or the Welsh word Coelius, which expresses "faithful." There are also those who claim that the word comes from the word Colley mentioning a type of Scottish sheep. Regarding "Border"It is already much clearer because it reminds us of the place where this race or its first ancestors appeared to step Border Collie.

Physical characteristics of the Border Collie dog

The Border Collie It is an athletic dog and very good way. It is very well provided. It has a lot of energy and should always be moving. It is advised for breeding to keep it in open outdoor spaces where you can carry out your exercise routines. It is an animal that enjoys very good health. There are two specimens of this race: that with short hair and long hair.

These are their physical characteristics:

Size. The Border Collie is a medium -sized dog. Its height is usually between 45 and 55 cm. The males are a little higher than the females reaching 50 to 55 cm and the females between 46 and 52 cm.
Weight. Being a medium -sized dog, the appropriate weight does not exceed 20 kilos. The males weigh between 17 and 20 kg. and the females between 15 and 18 kilos.
Head. The Border Collie is a wide and powerful head dog. His cheeks are thin.
Snout and truffle. His snout is elongated and finished in tip, short and very strong. The truffle is usually black with its well -developed holes. Depending on the fur the truffle can be brown.
Jaw. Of strong teeth and maxillary. Your bite is in the form of scissors.
Ears. Of medium size and separate. Some specimens of this breed are owned erect, semicaired or totally fallen. Its auditory system is very sensitive to external noises.
Eyes. Oval, medium and separate. His gaze is very expressive and sweet. They always demonstrate joy or attention to any movement. The predominant color is the brown, but there are usually specimens that have them blue or two colors (blue-brown) being each eye of a different color.
Neck. Strong, medium and muscular length that widens in the part that joins the back.
Body. Rectangular and very well proportioned. Longer than high. It is a very slender and athletic dog.
Extremities. Its limbs are strong and muscular. Its legs are strong and oval form.
Line. It is long, low and curved on the tip up.
Fur. There are two types: long hair (12 cm) and short (8 cm). In both cases this breed has a double layer. The color varies between black, brown, black with white, tricolor, Blue Merle and Blue Merle Tricolor. This breed also includes specimens in tricolor brown, red merle red, Merle Tricolor, Seal, Seal Merle, Saber, Saber Merle, Lilac and Lilac Merle.

Life expectancy. The Border Collie is a dog that enjoys very good health as long as we give the indicated care. If this is so, he can live between 12 and 15 years.

Intelligence, character and personality of the Border Collie

There is Three things that stand out in this dog breed And they are: their intelligence, character and personality.

Intelligence

It has an innate intelligence that makes it stand out above any other race. If in any dog's race your learning capacity on obedience standards is achieved after 30 or 40 repetitions, your learning is achieved after the 5 repetitions and new standards of obedience must be taught, since it is a dog that does fall into the monotony demonstrates immediately lack of interest in continuing to do the same routine that you have already learned. That is why Your learning ability is exceptional And surprising things can be achieved, as long as your coach is willing to enrich that learning.

Character and personality

The Border Collie is a dominant race, of strong personality. It is made to direct herds with all the security and firmness as if your own owner did. As a companion at home it is a faithful ally and great guardian. He is always attentive to the lowest noise or movement and will take care of family members with total security. It is a very energy dog and likes to be in motion so you decide have a border Collie in your family You should know that this race needs it to take it for a walk and perform recreational activities at least three or four times a day. If you use the Border Collie as a work dog or work, it will never disappoint you because it loves to feel useful.

Another of the important things that stand out from this race is the look. It is a very observant and intuitive dog so, if you are cheerful or sad for some reason, your partner will be the first to be pressed since It is a very sentimental race that creates a very strong bond with your master. With children it makes a very close relationship. In short, it is a very disciplined dog.

Border Collie puppies

Border Collie puppies are some Very active and restless puppies. Like every puppy must be kept with his mother to the weaning that begins with the appearance of the first teeth. The food to be replaced must be rich in calcium and protein ideal for medium dogs in growth stage. Remember that you should not overcome your puppy so with daily portions of 120 grams divided into three batches is more than enough.

With regard to his training, he must begin at 6 weeks of being born. Start with simple standards such as throwing a ball and brings it to you, calling it to come to you and use the positive reinforcement to motivate it for your good actions. With regard to care, remember to bring it to its medical control strictly since the veterinarian will know how to indicate vaccination times and know how to indicate if our pet is growing in a healthy and happy way.

In our blog you can learn more about how to educate a puppy.

Border Collie Food and Health

If there is a weak point at the Border Collie, it is its stomach, so you must be very careful with the food you select for this dog breed. It is not that this breed is complicated to eat, but because it is delicate stomach we must be carefully tested until we are with the type of food indicated.

Feeding

The food we select should be ideal for medium breeds. When it is a puppy chooses food -rich foods, protein and rice -based cereals. You can combine a dry food with a humid one, but you must do it little by little and with a lot of observation before any reaction that may arise. When your border collie begins the adult stage (this is achieved from the year), select food and quality feed with a high protein content since This breed likes to always be in motion and its energy wear is high. Food portions at this stage should not exceed 450 grams per day.

Already entering the last stage of life and when it begins to age You should prevent this animal from reaching this life with overweight And that will depend on the food you have given you throughout your life. Anyway, consult the veterinarian who will know the type of food and the proportions he needs, although it is advisable to reduce the dose a bit since his life is not as active as when he was a puppy or a young adult.

Health

He Border Collie is a race that usually enjoys good health. They are very active dogs whose intelligence also helps maintain a healthy mind. In the same way it is very important that you are very aware of your visits to the veterinarian. With twice every six months it would be more than enough to establish the vaccination calendar and general check unless any condition appears and we have to go to the doctor.

Anyway, some hereditary diseases that can occur in this race are:

Hip dysplasia

It is given by a femur and hip problem. This produces a lot of pain that it limits the animal's movements. To prevent its appearance, it is important that the animal receives the necessary type of food in addition to the appropriate portions according to its age and is not exposed to excess physical training. That is why you must be aware of the food relationship - adequate physical activity so that this hereditary disease does not appear.

Dissencer osteochondritis

This disorder affects the joints. The Border Collie is a very active animal and always makes unexpected movements or turns. In one of those sudden movements it can happen that the bone under the cartilage in the joints dies because there is no blood flow. If you observe that your animal begins to limit after a few days and this does not improve then you must go to the veterinarian to make an radiography and apply the proper treatment.

Epilepsy

This disease has a high genetic load. Epilepsy attacks that may occur in your dog may appear at the rate of socio -environmental problems such as an explosion, burst, storms or also caused by poisoning or beyond as brain damage. If this case will occur at your border Collie the treatment you receive will be for life. This breed unlike others has greater life expectancy.

Eye problems

Border Collie get to have vision problems. One of the problems that may appear and is of hereditary type has to do with congenital deformation in the membranes of the eye by an anomaly in its development. This can lead to the loss of partial or total vision. Also the appearance of cataract is another of the diseases that may appear, although it is treatable and curable you must be attentive; So when you take it to your veterinary visit, you ask you to make an eye review to be sure that your pet is not suffering from any of these diseases.

Parasites

For being the border collie animals of a lot of physical activity and for always being exposed to fields, gardens, parks and other types of places where other types of animals and other breeds of dogs are life, They are very likely to have some types of parasites such as ticks or fleas. Being a very hair dog and that is something that these types of parasites love, we recommend that you make almost daily and very deep reviews every time you brush it. We suggest that you use some of the products that your veterinarian can recommend as pipettes, talclaces or antiparasite necklaces. Dogs of this breed that make life outside the cities and in the fields where they have contact with other types of animals, should be placed the pipette or necklace to avoid mosquito bite that causes leishmaniosis.

Border Collie care

The border Collie have a quite delicate digestive system and do not always react well in the face of food marks changes. It is important that you try little by little until you find the right feed. If you observe that your dog vomits then it is a symptom that food is not doing anything well. If you get to change the brand or flavor, we recommend that you gradually introduce it until we are with the right food and the animal feels comfortable and satisfied. A tip: Test with hypoallergenic pet foods (gluten -free).

Another care of which we must be very pending is brushing. The border collie are dogs that have a double layer of hair and it is very common to house many parasites. To the border collie with long and thick hair (because there is another type that has it more thin and soft) the hair usually forms many knots, so with a couple of brushes a week and a deep review would be more than good. Within the care you should not forget the moment of the bathroom. These dogs have a very elegant appearance And his fur, if he is well taken care of, makes him look very distinguished. It is advisable to bathe it every four or six weeks. Use special products for long fur dogs. When we bathe it, it avoids refreshing it with circular movements, rather uses the fingertips to massage your skin and undo the knots that may have been formed.

The Border Collie It is a very intuitive and sentimental animal. He likes to be in company and is able to perceive any mood through which we are going through. They do not like to be alone and it is not recommended that they remain like this for a long time because they stress and distress easily by not perceiving the presence of their owners. We recommend that you give you a lot of love and affection. That you gratify it when you do your job well with a positive stimulus, a squeeze or caress or with one of the pets for pets found in the market. Tell her that he will know how to respond with gestures to some words that can get used to recognizing.

Education and training of the border collie

Education and Training of a Border Collie It must be done both physically and mentally. The first thing you should know is that This canine breed demands high physical activity. Usually people who are very active and who practice sports such as jogging or riding a bicycle or who practice hiking The border collie would be the ideal pet to be in company and take them with them. It requires daily walks, which does not exceed two hours in your routine, always divided into 40 -minute sessions. Take it to a park and let it run and relate to other dog breeds, and it is good that you get used to being among people to improve what we call its socialization process.

If you are a very sedentary person and that you do not like to go for a walk or walk then better forget about having a collie eder, because otherwise this animal will become a torment that will not stop barking and destroy everything in its path. If you want to know the reasons why a dog has visits our article: Why do dogs howl? In summary, you will have a nervous and crazy pet that will destroy the entire house, and this is a consequence of the lack of attention. Another of the things you can practice and that Border Collie loves It is to take it to parks or training places where there are circuits with bars jumps, tunnels where you can jump, crouch and do all kinds of acrobatics. The dogs of this breed always stand out in sports and AGILITY.

On the other hand, do not forget that We are talking about smarter dog in the world. You have to stimulate your mind and memory. To do this we recommend that you practice memory games like hiding something and that he looks for it and brings it to you, or maybe play hide and seek. Also games with images give surprising results. Use specific words that your border Collie can recognize as "come here", "Sit", "go", "run" in short, keys that he can recognize the first call of your voice. These dogs are very intelligent and you will be impressed with what you can learn in 4 or 5 lessons. There are also many interactive toys in the market that can help stimulate their intelligence.

Finally, don't forget that This breed learns very fast So do not fall into innumerable repetitions or always teach you more of the same. Always offer new training and things to learn, to assume new challenges with greater degrees of difficulty and complexity and you will see and develop your pet in a joyful, healthy and happy way. Discover other dog breeds in our blog:

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