The Border Collie
The Border Collie has been with functionality as its
number one priority. These sheep herding wizards have
been abundant in Great Britain since at least the 1800s.
Most of these dogs were considered to be fetching dogs
who had the ability to circle stock and guide them back
towards the shepherd.
Sheepdogs (as the Border Collies were called) became
very popular and in 1873 the first official sheepdog
trial took place to test the qualities and functionality
of these animals. These events led to the emergence
of one of the first famous Border known as Hemp.
Hemp did very well at the trials and later on sired
a high number of offspring. In fact, he is often considered
to be the father of the Border Collie. Hemp's way of
herding was done with intimidation, using eye contact
with the livestock - exactly the same way as we so often
associate today with the Border Collies method of herding.
Although these dogs were very popular and functioned
superbly at their sheepdog abilities, it wasn't until
1915 that the Border Collie was officially announced
as the proper name for the breed. And as soon as the
Border came to America they were instantly appraised
by serious shepherds who needed these animal's magnificent
herding abilities. Amazingly enough, it took many years
until the AKC finally came to officially recognize the
Border Collie dog breed as a show dog.
Personality
As far as temperament is concerned, Borders have enormous
amounts of intelligence and are highly obedient with
the right owner. While these attributes are positive,
it can make for a disastrous house dog when kept enclosed
with little exercise and no discipline. Border Collies
are tremendously loyal and can be very protective concerning
its family, so be aware of its somewhat reserved and
almost guardian-like personality to pop up whenever
in the company of other new dogs and or strangers.
Border Collie Health Information
Typically, Borders have a life span of up to 15 years
or so, with 12 being about the average. This dog breed,
compared to many others, does not have as many health
problems as many purebred dog breeds do. Major concerns
are things such as seizures, hypothyroidism, PRA, PDA,
CEA, OCD, and lens luxation.
Taking Care Of Your Border Collie
This is one dog breed that completely thrives off of
physical and mental stimulation - and they must have
it each and every day. You could easily say that the
border collie simply needs a job to do whenever possible
- but then that would not be completely true. These
dogs MUST have a job to do to be most happy! Of all
dog breeds, the Border is by far the most extremely
work-oriented. In fact, they are practically genetically
programmed for work.
Borders can certainly live outdoors in very mild to
cool climates, but of course it prefers and enjoys the
company of its family inside the house, especially at
night. However, this is one dog breed that should never
be forced to live in a small apartment - they need exercise,
exercise, exercise. Best advice I could ever give you
is that if you want to get a Border Collie, then make
sure that it is given plenty of exercise - or you too
will be very unhappy. A tired Border is a happy Border.
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