KENAI
Border Collie

The breeds · herding

AKC Herding · UKC Herding · FCI standard 297

Border Collie.

FCI utilization: sheepdog, section 1 Sheepdogs, with working trial. AKC standard preamble: the world's premier sheep herding dog, bred for biddable stock sense and the ability to work long days on rugged terrain; a natural and unspoiled true working sheep dog. UKC: bred for working ability rather than type; known for 'eye' on stock. RKC: still working sheep (and cattle) in the hills.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

13.1YRMedian lifespan · sources differ13 to 13.2, measured on real dogs. A second study puts life expectancy at birth at 12.1; both are shown below.
21INHeightdogs 21, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
26–55LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 30 to 55 lb; breed bitches 26 to 55 lb.
2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayRKC: more than 2 hours per day. Britannica: at least an hour of jogging, vigorous play or training every day. AKC breed page: high drive, needs daily exercise beyond a walk around the block, and a job to do. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 21 in (18 to 24) · bitches 18 to 22 in

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2014

Center left blank: the standards give only 'slightly less'.

Weight

dogs 30 to 55 lb · bitches 26 to 55 lb

Breed clubAKC breed history

No standard sets a weight. The AKC and Britannica bands are breed-wide and count in both sex rows.

Coat

AKC: two varieties, rough and smooth, both with close-fitting dense weather-resistant double coats; top coat straight or slightly wavy and coarser than the soft short dense undercoat; rough variety feathered on forelegs, haunches, chest and underside; all colors and markings equal, color secondary to gait. UKC: long, medium or smooth. FCI: moderately long or smooth

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2015

Shedding

AKC standard: seasonal shedding is normal; AKC breed page: daily brushing during shedding season, AKC shedding score 3 of 5. Britannica: spring and fall. RKC: sheds yes

Breed clubAKC breed history

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · AKC standard: two varieties, both close-fitting, dense, weather-resistant double coats (rough variety medium length with feathering, smooth variety short). FCI 297: moderately long or smooth, soft dense undercoat. Britannica notes the breed prefers fairly cool weather

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2015

Derived from the coat descriptions (3 = medium double). The smooth variety would sit a tier warmer. Britannica's cool-weather remark is editorial.

How long they live, and what they costSources differ

Two numbers, two measures. Median lifespan: in a large sample of this breed, the age by which half had died; read it as the typical lifespan (UK, 2024, 584,734 dogs). Life expectancy at birth: how many years a newborn of this breed is expected to live, worked from the death rates at every age in UK veterinary records, the same life-table method used for people (VetCompass, 2022). It runs lower because every early death pulls the average down and because it comes from clinics, not registries. KENAI leads with the median and shows the other beside it. Neither is averaged.

Median lifespan

13.1 years (13 to 13.2)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

Dogs Trust figure is a median across UK dogs, mostly pets. The AKC page prints a 12 to 15 year band; it is not used here.

Life expectancy at birth

12.1 years (11.8 to 12.3)

MeasuredTeng K.T., 2022

Sources differ with median_lifespan_yr: a different measure (life expectancy at birth from vet records vs median age at death) and sample; both shown, never averaged. Wikipedia repeats both figures.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

RKC: more than 2 hours per day. Britannica: at least an hour of jogging, vigorous play or training every day. AKC breed page: high drive, needs daily exercise beyond a walk around the block, and a job to do

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than 2 hours = 150. Low is Britannica's one-hour minimum.

Exercise need

RKC: more than 2 hours per day (small house possible, large garden suggested). AKC breed page: extremely energetic; a Border Collie that does not work must have vigorous exercise daily; not for an owner who prefers to stay indoors or travels often; AKC energy level 5 of 5

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC breed page trait scores (1 to 5): energy level 5, mental stimulation needs 5, playfulness 5, trainability 5, barking 4, adaptability 5

Breed clubAKC breed history

AKC editorial scores on a 1 to 5 band, not C-BARQ means.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · RKC: grooming more than once a week; medium coat; sheds. AKC breed page: pin brush once or twice a week, more often if needed, daily during shedding season

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: more than once a week = 3.

Grooming

RKC: more than once a week. AKC breed page: two coats (rough medium-length and feathered, smooth shorter and coarser), both dense weather-resistant double coats; pin brush once or twice a week, daily in shedding season. Britannica: brushing several times a week, daily at the spring and fall shed

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI utilization: sheepdog, section 1 Sheepdogs, with working trial. AKC standard preamble: the world's premier sheep herding dog, bred for biddable stock sense and the ability to work long days on rugged terrain; a natural and unspoiled true working sheep dog. UKC: bred for working ability rather than type; known for 'eye' on stock. RKC: still working sheep (and cattle) in the hills

Breed clubFCI-Standard N 297, 2009

Also used on

Wikipedia (editorial): cattle, free-range poultry, pigs and ostriches; removing unwanted wild birds from airport runways and golf courses. RKC: obedience, agility, and sniffer work detecting explosives and drugs. AKC breed page: herding events, obedience, agility, rally, tracking, flying disc and flyball

EditorialWikipedia

Single editorial source for the non-sheep stock and airport uses; the RKC and AKC activity lists are registry statements.

Range

AKC standard: one of its greatest assets is the ability to work out of sight of its handler without commands. Wikipedia: ISDS national trial course 400 yards; international final course 800 yards, with a double fetch gathering 10 sheep from 800 yards away

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2015

The 800 yard figure rests on Wikipedia's description of the ISDS international test.

Search pattern

AKC standard: gathers and fetches stock with wide sweeping outruns, then controls it with an intense gaze called 'eye' and a stalking style of movement. UKC: body balance lets the dog change speed from high speed to a creep, a stalk to a steady lift. Wikipedia and Britannica: takes direction by voice and whistle at long distances (commands such as 'come bye', 'away', 'look back', 'that'll do')

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2015

Sheepdog work, not a gun-dog quartering pattern. Single dog working alone on the stock.

Field trial standard

ISDS sheepdog trials: first recorded trial at Bala, North Wales, 1873; society formed 1906; five main trials each year in the UK and Ireland (national trials in July and August, the International in September, a World trial every third year); the stud book registers working Border Collies by ability. Britannica: trial dogs bring sheep to the handler and pen them, scored by deductions from a point total. AKC breed page: Borders compete in herding events; the breed joined the AKC Herding Group in 1995

Breed clubInternational Sheep Dog Society

Trial rules (ISDS Rules for Trials) were not read; this records the format as the Society and Britannica describe it.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

9.9% · 9.9% dysplastic of 21,233 OFA hip evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 89.3% normal; mild 6.5%, moderate 3.1%, severe 0.3%; breed rank 131 on OFA's list

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is probably higher. OFA's all-data table prints no start year.

Elbow dysplasia

1.8% · 1.8% abnormal of 9,164 OFA elbow evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 98.1% normal; grade 1 1.4%, grade 2 0.3%, grade 3 0.1%; breed rank 131 on OFA's list

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

Voluntary registry: affected dogs are under-reported and evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, so true prevalence is probably higher. OFA's all-data table prints no start year.

Most common disorders

AKC breed page: screen breeding stock for hip dysplasia, progressive renal atrophy, deafness, epilepsy, collie eye anomaly, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and trapped neutrophil syndrome. Wikipedia (editorial): leading causes of death in a 2004 Kennel Club survey were cancer 23.6%, old age 17.9% and cerebrovascular disease 9.4%; also notes collie eye anomaly and Border Collie collapse

EditorialAKC breed history

Registry and encyclopedia prose; the Kennel Club survey figures are Wikipedia's citation of a 2004 survey that was not opened.

What the studies found

Population-level findings, shown as a spread. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog.

Aggression, as studied

C-BARQ online sample, 163 Border Collies: 8% of owners reported a snap, bite or attempt to bite at a stranger, 1.8% at an owner, 13.5% at an unfamiliar dog and 5.1% in dog rivalry (Table 4)

StudiedDuffy D.L., 2008

The breed is in the online survey only, so Table 5 prints no breed mean and the subscale scores are not recorded. Population finding, never a prediction for one dog.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 5; Mental Stimulation Needs 5; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 4; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 3; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 5; Adaptability Level 5.

Breed clubAKC breed history

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

Side by side

Or let the selector rank the Border Collie against your own answers.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 11 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
BC

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

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