Breed traits
- Energetic with great stamina
- Highly intelligent and trainable
- Strong herding instincts
- A hard-working dog that thrives on mental and physical stimulation
- Very alert and aware of its surroundings
- Sensitive and often responsive to the subtlest command
- Forms a strong bond with its people, but can be wary of strangers
Why collies land up in rescue
Border Collie Rescue grew out of the need to find homes for the ever-increasing number of unwanted border collies. We re-home hundreds of collies a year — and invariably they are given up because their herding instinct, left untrained and undiverted, turns destructive.
A border collie who is not mentally stimulated will turn to his environment for some “action”. Action includes:
- Running paths through your landscaped garden
- Redesigning your irrigation system
- Chewing and digging
- Herding anything that moves — playing children, cats, cars, the lawnmower
- Chasing children and nipping them if they won't stop or move in a certain direction
- In some dogs, genuinely neurotic behaviour
Almost none of these are bad dogs. They are under-employed dogs. If you can offer the work, there is no better companion on earth.
Care
What a collie actually needs
If you can honestly tick all four of these, we would love to hear from you.
Exercise — real exercise
A walk around the block is a warm-up. Collies need daily off-lead running, fetching, swimming or training sessions. A tired collie is a wonderful collie.
A job to do
Mental work matters as much as physical. Obedience, agility, trick training, hide-and-seek with toys — give that brain a task or it will invent one you won't like.
Time with their people
Collies bond hard. Eight hours alone in a townhouse garden, day after day, is how most of our rescues start. If your household is out all day, this is not your breed.
Space and security
A secure, decent-sized garden and solid fencing. Herding instinct plus an open gate equals a collie herding traffic.
Please help us promote
Sterilisation and neutering. Education. Responsible breeding. These are the only ways to start solving the problem — remember that thousands of healthy pets face euthanasia every month in South Africa, and many wonderful adult dogs are waiting for approved homes.