The hardest part of being a pet owner is to decide which dog breed you will have to own. There are actually lots of dog breeds to choose from and each one is unique from the other. But, there will still be one breed that can stand out from the rest and steal your interest. One good breed consideration is the Border collie. However, you do not know them yet and you do not have an idea about the different types of Border collie.
In this blog post, we will show you the various types of a Border collie that would be fit for your preference. We also have here some of the basic details about them so that you will an idea of what kind of dog you will be bringing home. So, are you excited to have a Border collie? If yes, let’s start and get to know them better!
Border Collie Basic Facts and Information
Breed Name: Border collie
Group: Herding
Height: 19 – 22 inches for male / 18 – 21 inches for female
Weight: 30 – 55 pounds
Life Span: 12 – 15 years
Average Litter Size: 6
Approved Color: Brown, black, red, and white
The Border collie is known for being an energetic and athletic dog breed. They are generally medium-sized herders who hold a muscular body built. Their eyes are in almond color which makes them look intelligently. In the world of canines, the Border collie is the most agile, witty, and highly durable dog breed.
Moreover, the characteristics of the Border collie that usually help them to stand out from agility training are their intelligence, athletic ability, and trainability. This dog breed tends to acquire a great feeling of happiness when they actually perform jobs pertaining to agility, obedience, or herding works. Though they tend to be sociable in front of their friends, the collies became reticent once with strangers.
History of the Border collie
Dog breeding became one of the Roman occupations that greatly influence the life of British people during the Roman Empire. Moreover, most legions occupied by people had established their own food source from their livestock. And, expect that a presence of livestock in one legion means the presence of herding dogs as well. At that time, herding dogs which were imported by the Romans appeared to have a big, heavy-boned body.
As the time of Roman Empire dissolution took slow, the Vikings also invaded Britain and they also came along with their own dogs. Their dogs were smaller but speedy, spitz-type herders. When these two breeds from the Roman Empire and from the Vikings group met and crossbred, it gave way to the birth of the sturdy and agile herders – the Border collie.
Perks of Having a Border Collie
Although having a simple black and white coat combination, the classical looks of the Border collie make everyone fall in love with them. Yet, do not forget that there are still other different types of Border collie that you may encounter. But, before we jump into that, let us first try to identify the advantages of letting this dog breed a new addition to our family.
*They have high level of wittiness
Aside from herding and work to guard cattle and sheep, the Border collie also has the ability to perform other tasks. They are very quick at learning new things. In fact, the Border collie belongs to the group of breeds considered as the most versatile ones. With this, training the Border collie would never be a problem as they really love to obey their owners.
*Cost less compared to other dog breeds
Generally, owning or purchasing a Border collie is so easy in terms of your budget. The cost of a puppy of this dog breed is averaging from $300 to $1000. You may actually buy a Border collie pups at an average cost of $700. And, if you have a tight budget but you really like to have one, you can occasionally get it for as low as $200 if you are that lucky enough.
Drawbacks of Having a Border Collie
If owning a Border collie entails some advantages, there are also drawbacks that you may encounter as you go along the way. Come and check it out!
*Regular brushing and grooming is a must
The Border collie is an average shredder, so expect them to shed more during the winter season. Because of that, one of their basic requirements is brushing at least three times a week.
*Always need for large space or spend more time to the outdoors
This is a very important note that you have to keep in mind when you decide to purchase from the different types of Border collie. If you living in an apartment, this dog breed is not your match. They actually require a big space, like a backyard, where they can run freely.
But, if you do have that spacious lot outside your house, make sure that it is surrounded by high fencing to prevent the Border collie to go out without your awareness. Remember, the collies are great escape artists. Basically, the recommended fence measurement is about 8 to 10” high and 3” metal below. Also, consider putting additional closures on top of latches.
*Staring, nipping, barking, and being destructive are some of their negative behaviors
When you bring home a Border collie, expect to see them staring at you. This is their way of letting you know that they already prepared to accept a new task. Since herding runs on their blood, they will still do it with people around them including children and other pets. Nipping the back legs is actually the way of expressing their herding nature. Moreover, they also tend to bark and chew things around if boring moments come in.
Different Types of Border Collie: Based on Physical Looks
Generally, the Border collie was bred to elicit their working ability. But, then along with breeding for their ability purpose alone, some physical traits and differences also evolved and highly noticeable. With that, here are the four different types of Border collie in terms of their physical attributes. Yet, working style and temperament may also be dependent on the different types of Border collie.
BORDER COLLIE TYPE 1 – The Northumbrian Type
Among the different types of Border collie, it is the Northumbrian type in which the modern-day collies link their bloodlines. It is actually known as Old Hemp which was born in the year 1894. Adam Telfer, originally bred and owns this one of the different types of Border collie. He lived in Northumbrian, England where the name of this type of collie came from.
The Old Hemp basically came from breeding a very strong-eyed, reserved black bitch to a black and white tri-colored canine having loose eye, kind, and an extrovert. This breeding generally resulted in one of the different types of Border collie that possessed a powerful and delicate working ability.
On a physical aspect, the Old Hemp is the manifestation of the Northumbrian type of Border collie. You can basically distinguish it from other different types of Border collie due to its medium-sized body built having a rough coat and little white coat trimmings.
BORDER COLLIE TYPE 2 – The Wiston Cap Type
One of the different types of Border collie is the Wiston Cap which was bred from the dog J.M. Wilson named Cap. Because of a great breeding and stud trial performed by Jock Richardson came out the Wiston Cap type of Border collie. Their distinct physical feature is being rough coated that has numerous white coat trimmings over the chest, collars, and forelegs.
Moreover, compared to other different types of Border collie, the Wiston Cap’s body seems to be larger and the head is bigger and blockier. Naturally, they have an attitude of being an overworking dog and highly obedient in nature.
BORDER COLLIE TYPE 3 – The Nap Type
Generally, the primary distinguishing feature of the Nap type Border collie is its smooth coat. As you will notice, this type is the only one that possesses that kind of coat among the other different types of Border collie. The name was patterned from the name of a dog White hope Nap.
The personality of this one of the different types of Border collie tends to be strong, powerful, and swift. In terms of their coat, despite being smooth, it is somewhat short yet has an undercoating which serves as insulation from the weather.
Most dogs bred under this one of the different types of Border collie possessed longer legs and a shorter body built. With this, you will see that their contour is more on a quadrate form compared to the others. Due to these characteristics, Americans in the Southwest used this one of the different types of Border collie to work cattle on big grange.
BORDER COLLIE TYPE 4 – The Herdman’s Tommy Type
The last among the different types of Border collie is basically named after Herdman’s Tommy that tends to be the grandson of the Old Hemp. In terms of the physical, this one of the different types of Border collie holds a medium-sized bony structure. When it comes to their coat, it was a rough black and white color with some tan patterns. Their distinct characteristics compared to the other different types of Border collie are being good-tempered, strong-headed, and very significant.
Different Types of Border Collie: In terms of the Coat
Based on our discussion above, we’ve mentioned that out of the 4 different types of Border collie which all have a rough coat, there is only one type that was smooth-coated. From this, it obvious that there are two different types of Border collie based on their coat texture. And these are the rough-coated and smooth-coated Border collie. In addition to that, there as they were bred, other different types of Border collie came out and possessed various types of coat.
1-Rough-coated Border Collie
The rough-coated Border collie basically has hair around its belly which is not that long. Well, that feature is a great advantage for working dogs like collies. Among the different types of Border collie, the Northumbrian, the Wiston Cap, and the Herdman’s Tommy types are the ones that show off a rough coat.
2-Smooth-coated Border Collie
Most of the smooth-coated type Border collie also has short-length fur. Moreover, the smooth coating of this dog breed seems to accentuate their ears. Among the different types of Border collie, the Nap type is the one that is also recognized as a smooth-coated Border collie.
3-In-between Coating Border Collie
Well, this one of the different types of Border collie based on their coat is very interesting. Basically, they hold a great combination of the coat texture which means that you will notice some Border collies that have rough coats on other parts of their body and have smooth ones on the other portions.
One example of this in-between coating type of Border collie is Scout, a Border collie owned by Andy Cummings of Minnesota. He has lengthy fur around his tail, ears, and head, yet his body holds a short length and almost smooth fur.
4-Curly Coated Border Collie
Actually, this one of the different types of Border collie in terms of the coat tends to be recognizable as a rough-coated type. But, considering the difference between the terms “rough” and “smooth”, it shows that this Border collie does not fall in either of the two types. This type of Border collie has totally curly hair all over the body or over the back and rear. But some collies under this type have wavy fur with a little curl on the middle or end portion of their hair.
5-Bearded Border Collie
This type is actually confusing. When we say Bearded collie, we may initially think that it is another breed of dog, right? Well, sometimes it is and sometimes it may not. As of now, the Bearded collie is already a separate dog breed. But, when we say “bearded” under Border collie, it is considered as other different types of Border collie based on their coat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: WHAT IS THE RAREST BORDER COLLIE COLOR?
A: Actually, the most popular color that makes the Border collie well-known is the powerful combination of black and white. This coat color allows them to look stunningly intelligent and highly affectionate. However, the rarest color of the collie that you will have to see is the LILAC.
Q: WHICH IS BETTER MALE OR FEMALE BORDER COLLIE?
A: When it comes to gender comparison of the Border collie, the male seems to be very eager to catch more affection from their owners. Along with this, they will also show more of this affectionate behavior in return. As they grow older, the male Border collie will have the ability to keep the puppy-like spirit compared to their female counterpart that is more introverted and reserved.
Q: WHICH IS BETTER BORDER COLLIE OR AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD?
A: Two of the most intelligent dog breeds are the Border collie and the Australian Shepherd. But, between the two, the Border collie is bona fide smarter. In fact, the Australian Shepherd falls on the 42nd spot of being the smartest dog. But, the first place goes to the Border collie which is considered as the king of dog intelligence.
Q: WHAT IS A BORDER COLLIE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD MIX CALLED?
A: Crossbreeding the Border collie with the Australian Shepherd will generally result in a dog breed mixture called Border Collie Australian Shepherd Mix. This is popularly known as the Border Aussie. It appears to be a medium-sized dog that has a long, lustrous coat. Their life expectancy goes for 13 years.
Q: WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MY AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD BORDER COLLIE?
A: The cross breed mixture of Border collie Australian Shepherd will generally offer excellent companionship and always eager to have lots of love. They also give this back to you in return. These two dog breeds possess kind-heartedness and gentleness. Moreover, they always want to work hard and play hard as well. But, if you opt for this dog breed mixture, expect to have a quiet dog most of the time.
Final Words
There are different types of Border collie which you can choose to be your pet and loving companion. Generally, the types of collie highly depend on their working ability and physical looks. Aside from that, you can also identify a Border collie based on its coat type. But, regardless of the type, the Border collie is still that breed of dog that is always eager to be the center of your attention. And they will also do the same to you in return so that you will spend a better and long-lasting companionship.
