Choosing Your Border Collie

Choosing your Border Collie needs to be done carefully.

Before you choose a Border Collie as part of your family there are some things you need to ask yourself:

Do you want an adult dog that is already trained?
Or do you prefer a puppy that you can train right from the start?
Or, maybe you are thinking about rescuing a Border Collie.
Whichever you choose, they all come with their own set of issues and challenges, and the choice will depend on the needs of your family and lifestyle....

Choosing a Border Collie Puppy

If you want a puppy make sure it is for the right reasons. Border Collies puppies are cute bundles of black and white fluff, full of energy that requires training from the day they come home.

Are you prepared for what a puppy needs to grow into a well-balanced member of your family? Do you know how to train a Border Collie puppy? Are you prepared for the time and commitment it takes to train a puppy?

If you answered yes to all these questions start looking for a reputable Border Collie breeder where you can see the parents. Check the parents for aggressive behavior, timidity, and hyperactivity. Ask the breeder about the history of the parents:

about their health
check for any hereditary diseases, such as hip dysplasia, in the background
ask if the parents have had their health checks and ask for proof
check the dogs are registered with the national kennel council if you are buying a purebred dog
ask about their temperament
 

Why Buy from a Registered Border Collie Breeder

Do not buy from pet shops or puppy mills as the puppies sold here are from unknown origins, brought up in poor conditions, have a poor start to life, and usually are not even the breed they are sold as. Buying from pet shops and puppy mills is only supporting their poor practices, although we feel sorry for them sitting in cages in a store window.

Buying from a registered breeder means they should be breeding for the benefit of the breed and to the national breed standards to produce puppies in good health with uniformity across the breed in colour, size, and temperament.

A good breeder will work their dogs either in the obedience, herding, or agility rings or show them to produce champions. Good breeders are knowledgeable and want to impart their knowledge to potential puppy buyers, especially inexperienced ones.

Buying your Border Collie from a reputable breeder will give you peace of mind knowing they are always there to help and support you throughout your Border Collie’s life.

Buying an Adult Border Collie

If a puppy is not for you and you want to buy an adult dog reputable breeders sometimes have adult dogs for sale. If not, then there is Border Collie rescue and the shelters across the country where you can find many Border Collies needing new homes.

Border Collies from a shelter are temperament tested to ensure they will make good family members, but this does not mean your Border Collie does not need consistent training, love, and exercise to help it fit into your family.