Are Border Collies Good For First Time Owners? It’s an exciting and life-changing experience. Border Collies are loving, loyal companions, but they also require time, lots of effort, and responsibility.
When getting a dog for the first time, owners should be well-prepared to ensure a smooth transition for both, himself and his new pet. The first thing to do is to choose the breed that matches their lifestyle.
Training and Socialization are the second steps after getting a border collie for a well-behaved and confident dog. But first-time owners should prioritize socializing their dog, and it can be done by exposing the dog to different places, people, and other animals in a controlled manner.
Temperament, energy level, and grooming, these factors play a crucial role in determining the perfect breed for you. Breeds like Golden Retrievers, Labrador, and Cavalier King Charles are known for being great for first-time owners.
But on the contrary, Border Collies are a whole different breed specifically bred to herd and run, they are known on the field for their endurance, agility, speed, and high energy.
All this only works when border collies are trained properly and their high energy is channeled to a specific routine or work.
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Are Border Collies Good For First Time Owners-Can I get a Border Collie as my first dog?
So, Are Border Collies Good For First-Time Owners? The answer is yes and No. For information on the physical and behavioural aspects of the Border Collie breed, read our specific article on what they are known for. Let’s have a look at the challenges and solutions.
Preparation
There are many things to be taken into account before getting a puppy. First of all, one should get a good grip of knowledge about the border collie breed, the breed’s nature, its characteristics, its behaviour, and the time and efforts required to get a pet collie.
It will be a good idea to get a training from a dog trainer so the trainer can guide you smoothly through the needs and preparation, and the psychology to get in the rhythm and be ready for the arrival of the puppy. A lot of things depend on the owner’s personality as well.
So it is wise to get expert advice before bringing in a hyper-active breed. Getting expert help will help you to know how to create a bond and to teach basic commands to the puppy.
You will also have to puppy-proof the house by identifying and getting rid of harmful and toxic things like electrical types of equipment and any medications or any chemicals which can be harmful for the puppy, because they tend to bite on everything.
Mental Stimulation
Border Collies are wonderful and loyal companions. But they’ll be pretty destructive and you’ll end up with undesirable behaviour of the puppy.
Border Collies have a very intense work drive and they require a great deal of mental and physical stimulation. In the initial puppy phase, you must create a strong bond and mutual understanding with the pup.
And with that, to feed the pup’s mental stimulus, you can give the pup something like a puzzle or any mentally challenging task.
Don’t worry about the training, as this breed is highly trainable. For the start teach the pup basic things like sit, wait, and lie down.
Exercise
We have written a great deal on the border collie breed in details for what they are known for and you must read it out to gain a clear perspective.
Ok. So about the exercise, if you have time or you don’t have time, you will have to give the collie the exercise he needs. It doesn’t matter if you live in a small apartment, daily a two hour walk is a must.
To use all the pent up energy of your collie, you can take your dog on long walks, or in a park, or in a garden. Jogging in the morning can be a suitable time with your dog. If you are lazy morning person then you can hire a dog walker.
This idea to get the dog some workout in the mornings can help you with behavioural issues, excessive barking, and chewing, and destroying furniture, etc. As a collie one has to take efforts on an individual basis as well.
Training
Are Border Collies Good For First Time Owners? Yes. If they can give time and effort to train them. Training a dog is the most beautiful gift you can give to your dog and yourself. See, particularly, the border collie was bred to herd and run.
Now this herding instinct and running thing can’t make them a lap dog or at house dog.
If proper training is not provided, then these dogs get restless. They will don’t know what is expected of them, because this breed loves to please their owners a lot. And when nothing is given to them, they’ll start acting on their own.
To make it easy, let me tell you one thing, this border collie breed is very easy to train and is a quick learner. Only thing required of you is dedication and little effort.
A dog trainer can help you a lot. Border collies don’t just love walks, they love to go on an adventure, hiking, and they perform at top position in dog sports and agility competitions.
So the training can channel the hyper energy of the dog positively, building up good socialization and preventing behavioural problems.
Playing fetch at a park, giving a puzzle game to solve, will keep their mind engaged. This activity happening on a day-to-day basis will keep the dog fit and relaxed. It’s all about mental stimulation.
Time Investment And Effort
Patience and consistency are the key factors to a happy border collie dog. It doesn’t matter if you have time or not, whether you are a full-time working person or a stay-at-home person/owner, you’ll have to figure out some amount of time for your collie.
Giving a little time and training daily will fetch a good reward in the long term. You’ll love it, the training, the socialization, the bonding, and mutual understanding given its high intelligence nature.
Commitment to consistency, positive reinforcement can make a border collie an fantastic companion.
Grooming Needs
Border Collies are a low maintenance breed. They also don’t need a lot of space, if a proper time and space are arranged for them to stretch out, run, and play with the owners.
Only the coat, which is a thick coat, needs brushing and care. Due to a double coat, there can be skin infections, hair tanglings, allergies, hair loss, and what not. And it is also not advisable to fully trim the coat, it can cause great damage.
Regular brushing and using a good dog shampoo will do a lot of work easily. Or for detailed care of the coat and information on shampoos, read our article on shampoo and coat care.
Is a Border Collie a good beginner dog?
In OUR opinion YES. But if you have read this article carefully and are ready to take the efforts and be dedicated towards the training and caring, then you can go ahead with the collie breed.
So Are Border Collies Good For First Time Owners? You have gotten the answer you are looking for in this article.
Are Border Collies good guard dogs?
Rather than saying good guard dogs, border collies are good watch dogs. Their herding instincts make them naturally alert and watchful. Yes, they can bark and alert the owner when there is some suspicious activity or any stranger comes.
Due to the natural temperament of intelligence, they can not be aggressive towards intruders or even protective. They are traditional herding dogs and will do their job best in herding sheep.
Yes they can be good family dogs too, given their friendly and pleasing nature but not guard dogs.
Are Border Collies OK to be left alone?
No. They have separation anxiety, so it’s not a good thing to left them alone
Can Border Collies be aggressive?
They can be pretty aggressive if proper training and socialization is not done..
Do Border Collies pick one person?
Border Collie breed need pack leader to lead. So yes they tend to pick one person.
Do Border Collies get bored easily?
They are high energy breed and they need lot of mental stimulations and physical exercises.
Is a Border Collie a good beginner dog?
Maybe or maybe not. Complete knowledge of the breed is necessary before getting one.
What’s the best dog for first time owners?
First time owners should get a small dog breed like English Cocker Spaniel, Pug or Dachshund.
Conclusion
You have decided to get a border collie pup and are prepared for the care and training. But there are other things as well to be taken into account like grooming, vaccinations, trainings, socialization, temperament of the dog and many more.
Dogs think of themselves as a family member when they grow up in a loving family. And then there will be routine examinations, some medical and health problems, for example like hip dysplasia which is common problem in collie breed.
Before getting a border collie all this information one should kept in mind and be ready to welcome this smart, intelligent and wonderful breed with warm hearts.
