Border Collies

Border Collies are a breed of herding dogs that originally came from Scotland and Wales. They are considered the smartest dogs in the world. They are super-hyperactive and are good for herding livestock. They are affectionate towards people they know and are sometimes protective of certain family members. They need lots of mental and physical stimulation.

Border Collies are medium-sized dogs that have a double coat. They come in many colors the most popular being black and white. Other colors are black tricolor (black/tan/white or sable and white), red and white, and red tricolor (red/tan/white), blue, lilac, red merle, blue merle, brindle and "Australian red"/gold. They have pointed ears, slim bodies, blue or brown eyes, and fluffy coats. They live 9-12 years.

Border collies mostly have sweet, loving temperaments. They strive to please their owners and are normally very obedient. They are only truly happy when they have a job to do. Chasing a Frisbee, a tennis ball, agility, herding or even tug-of-war is considered work to them. These hard-driven dogs, if they don't have a job to do, will find ways to amuse themselves, whether you like it or not. This includes digging holes, eating furniture, chewing the floor, chasing cars, bikes, or kids, and barking for no reason.

Border collies are excellent at any dog sport. They are very good at agility, herding, freestyle, nose work, Frisbee, Flyball, and search and rescue. They are especially good at agility with their lithe bodies and incredible jumping abilities.

Our particular two dogs are opposites of each other. Gen is fast, skinny, introverted, agile, hyper, and always focused on work. Bosco is stocky, friendly, mellow, and un-motivated. Gen has pointed ears, is mostly black with white on her nose, paws, stomach, chest, and on the tip of her tail. Bosco has floppy ears, a white collar, a blaze on his face, mostly white legs, and a white tip on his tail. However, Gen is much smarter than Bosco and learns tricks much faster. She, unfortunately, has issues with other dogs if she doesn't "meet" them first. Bosco adores every person and every dog he meets. We love them both though, even if they get on our nerves sometimes.