Many Border Collies end up in rescue centres because their owners have been attracted by their appearance and were not prepared to meet the dog’s need for mental stimulation and physical activity.
A friend once said to me “You are so lucky, you always manage to buy such well behaved dogs” –errr no!! I make them that way with a lot of hard work.

A little of the history of the Border Collie has to be understood to make its needs clear.
As the name suggests, the breed originated in the border counties between England and Scotland. It was bred to work for long hours, in all weathers, herding sheep over large areas of rugged moorland country.

The breed is tremendously intelligent and has great determination and stamina.
Little wonder then that a Border Collie which is taken for a short walk and then confined to a house will find ways to occupy and amuse itself and this will often lead to destructive and antisocial behaviour.

A Border Collie needs to have its brain exercised as well as its body. It needs work, but a job to a Border Collie does not necessarily involve livestock. Any activity such as frizbee or even chasing and retrieving a ball will suffice. As long as the dog is crouched down with its eyes and attention fixed on something, it considers it work and is happy. This is why Border Collies excel at activities such as flyball, agility and obedience work.

Border Collies are usually eager to please and learn quickly. The real key is consistency. The whole family must agree on the words used as commands. There is little point in one person saying get DOWN and another person saying get OFF, the dog will not realise that they mean the same thing. Your dog does not understand the meaning of the words, it just understands the actions that it associates with them.
You must decide what behaviour is to be allowed and stick to it. Great confusion and upset can be caused if a dog is sometimes allowed on the furniture but at other times is stopped. If it is allowed to greet you enthusiastically and jump up when you are wearing old clothes but has to keep a distance when you are dressed in your Sunday best, it will not understand muddy paws and dog hair, it will just feel bafflement and rejection. If it is allowed to play ball in the lounge, then it is ALWAYS allowed to play ball in the lounge, not just when you are in a good mood and feeling indulgent.

Kennel Club Standards for Border Collies – Taken from their Website

General Appearance
Well proportioned, smooth outline showing quality, gracefulness and perfect balance, combined with sufficient substance to give impression of endurance. Any tendency to coarseness or weediness undesirable.
Characteristics
Tenacious, hard-working sheep dog, of great tractability.
Temperament
Keen, alert, responsive and intelligent. Neither nervous nor aggressive.
Head and Skull
Skull fairly broad, occiput not pronounced. Cheeks not full or rounded. Muzzle, tapering to nose, moderately short and strong. Skull and foreface approximately equal in length. Stop very distinct. Nose black, except in brown or chocolate colour when it may be brown. In blues nose should be slate colour. Nostrils well developed.
Eyes
Set wide apart, oval-shaped, of moderate size, brown in colour except in merles where one or both or part of one or both may be blue. Expression mild, keen, alert and intelligent.
Ears
Medium size and texture, set well apart. Carried erect or semi-erect and sensitive in use.
Mouth
Teeth and jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Neck
Of good length, strong and muscular, slightly arched and broadening to shoulders.
Forequarters
Front legs parallel when viewed from front, pasterns slightly sloping when viewed from side. Bone strong but not heavy. Shoulders well laid back, elbows close to body.
Body
Athletic in appearance, ribs well sprung, chest deep and rather broad, loins deep and muscular, but not tucked up. Body slightly longer than height at shoulder.
Hindquarters
Broad, muscular, in profile sloping gracefully to set on of tail. Thighs long, deep and muscular with well turned stifles and strong well let down hocks. From hock to ground, hindlegs well boned and parallel when viewed from rear.
Feet
Oval, pads deep, strong and sound, toes arched and close together. Nails short and strong.
Tail
Moderately long, the bone reaching at least to hock, set on low, well furnished and with an upward swirl towards the end, completing graceful contour and balance of dog. Tail may be raised in excitement, never carried over back.
Gait/Movement
Free, smooth and tireless, with minimum lift of feet, conveying impression of ability to move with great stealth and speed.
Coat
Two varieties: 1) Moderately long; 2) Smooth. In both, topcoat dense and medium textured, undercoat soft and dense giving good weather resistance. In moderately long-coated variety, abundant coat forms mane, breeching and brush. On face, ears, forelegs (except for feather), hindlegs from hock to ground, hair should be short and smooth.
Colour
Variety of colours permissible. White should never predominate.
Size
Ideal height: dogs: 53 cms (21 ins); bitches slightly less.
Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.
Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Border Collie Colours
The Kennel Club states that any coat colour is permissible as long as white does not predominate.
The traditional colour that most people associate with the breed is Black & White, with the classic markings of white on the chest, forelegs, collar or ruff, tip of the tail and hind feet.

The main colours are as follows:
Black & White – As above

Black Tricolour – As the Black & White but with tan or brown markings on the cheeks, eyebrows, legs and underneath the tail.

Blue Merle – Merle is a modifying gene that distributes the black pigment patchily over the body giving random patches of black, white and grey shades. Its effect can also cause the dog to have blue or partially blue eyes, Since merle causes random modifications, however, both dark-eyed, blue-eyed, and odd-coloured eyes are possible. Merle is a dominant gene so that regardless of its parentage, a dog or bitch that does not show merle colouration cannot pass it onto its offspring. Merle should never be mated to Merle as the resulting pups could have eye problems and/or deafness.

Red & White – A rich chocolate or mahogany colour. Red is a recessive gene so it is not necessary for a dog or bitch to show red colouration in order to produce red pups, but both parents to have to be carrying the red gene.

Red Tricolour – As the Red & White but with tan markings on the cheeks, eyebrows, legs and underneath the tail.

Red Merle - Basically the same patchy colouration as the Blue Merle, but based on shades of red/brown.

Blue & White – This is a dilute Black colour. It is a recessive gene and so once again can be produced from parents who both carry the gene but show different coat colours.

There are many more colours which are less frequently seen such as:

Lilac & White - (Basically a dilute Red, it gives an almost pinkish colouration).

Sable & White – Each hair is shaded along its length. Often dark at the root and sandy brown at the tip. It is a common colour in the well known (Lassie) Rough Collie breed.

Golden (Australian Red) & White - A lighter shade than the chocolate red. This is a rich golden colour.