π Border Collie
Temperament
Brilliant, sensitive, eager-to-please, intense. Border Collies bond closely with their handler and often have a "soft" temperament β harsh training breaks them. They're famously prone to obsessive behaviour: chasing shadows, light, cars.
Exercise
120+ minutes daily plus structured mental work. Agility, flyball, herding, frisbee, obedience trials, scent work β they excel at all of them. A walk alone is not enough.
Grooming
Medium-length double coat. Brush 2β3Γ weekly, daily during moult. Light feathering on legs and tail picks up debris. Bathe every 6β8 weeks.
Health
Generally healthy. Watch for: hip dysplasia, Collie eye anomaly (CEA β DNA test), MDR1 drug sensitivity (DNA test before any medication), epilepsy, deafness in some lines.
Full Border Collie profile β