🐕 Border Collie
Temperament
Brilliant, sensitive, eager-to-please, intense. Border Collies bond closely with their handler and often have a "soft" temperament — 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 — they excel at all of them. A walk alone is not enough.
Grooming
Medium-length double coat. Brush 2–3× weekly, daily during moult. Light feathering on legs and tail picks up debris. Bathe every 6–8 weeks.
Health
Generally healthy. Watch for: hip dysplasia, Collie eye anomaly (CEA — DNA test), MDR1 drug sensitivity (DNA test before any medication), epilepsy, deafness in some lines.
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🐺 Siberian Husky
Temperament
Friendly, outgoing, mischievous. Huskies aren't protective and make terrible guard dogs (they greet thieves like family). They're famously vocal — howling, "talking", whining — but rarely bark. Independent, not eager to please.
Exercise
120+ minutes of vigorous daily exercise — running, scootering, bikejor, sled-style work. Huskies were bred to pull a sled all day; they cannot be exercised enough by walking. Never trust a Husky off-lead in an unfenced area — recall is famously unreliable.
Grooming
Heavy double coat. Brush 2–3× weekly, daily during the two annual coat blow seasons (when they shed enormously). Self-cleaning coat — bathe only every 8–12 weeks. Never shave a Husky — the coat insulates against heat and cold.
Health
Generally robust. Watch for: hip dysplasia, eye disorders (cataracts, PRA, juvenile cataracts), zinc-responsive dermatosis, hypothyroidism. Lifespan averages 12–14 years.
Full Siberian Husky profile →
