The differences between Border Collies and Collies

Narrated from: Dog Breeds

Everybody knows who Lassie is; and everybody knows that Lassie is a Collie. However, if you are into dogs you may have heard that there are different kinds of Collies!

You may have heard the term “Border Collie” in the news – just recently Chaser amazed the world with her intelligence! However, Border Collies have nothing to do with Lassie – we are actually talking of two different breeds.

Lassie is what we would call a “Standard Collie”. Standard Collies also come in two varieties – Rough Collie and Smooth Collie. However, the main difference here is the length of the coat. Some organizations consider long- and short-haired Collies to be different breeds; others accept them as variations of a common dog breed.

Both Rough and Smooth Collies make excellent pets and are considered “family dogs”, especially if they are housebroken at an early age. They are very active and demand a lot of attention, and also make excellent show or working dogs.

The Border Collie is different from ordinary Collies. The breed also originates from England, but the Border Collie was developed a little farther to the north, on the border between England and Scotland – hence the name.

Border Collies are generally smaller than regular ones, but not by much. In appearance they resemble Smooth Collies, since their hair is shorter – though there is still a decent amount of fur for grooming! Border Collies are considered a highly intelligent breed – a Border Collie named Chaser can recognize more than 1 000 words! Border Collies have often appeared in films and also tend to excel in different kinds of dog sports.

However, if you want to pick a Collie, have it in mind that Border Collies are tougher to handle. Border Collies have a more distinct herding instinct – this means that they should be trained very well, or they may become dangerous for small children. But here intelligence turns out to be a major drawback – Border Collies are quite difficult to train. These dogs are very active and you need to find a way to keep them entertained! Leaving the dog alone in the house would make it extremely unhappy – and bored Collies tend to bark. A lot.

So, be warned if you are considering adding a Border Collie to your household – only do that if you are up for the challenge of the most intelligent dogs on the planet!

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