This is a very fun dog. I used to house sit for one, and it wouldn't leave me alone for a minute. Craved attention and if the word park was mentioned I definetely wasn't getting out of that one. Loved to play fetch, run around, jump extremely high, and act ridiculously hyper around other dogs. Great with kids and kids love this dog. I wouldn't want one, just because I would feel bad that I couldn't spend 24/7 with it. But for a family with a big yard it would be great. Or someone who needs some company cause I couldn't imagine having a down day with one of these guys around.

High energy dogs that need their space. A great dog if you have a farm or just own a lot of land that they can more or less run free on. But even a lot of people who would have enough space for many other dogs just don't have enough for a border collie.

UPDATE: My parents' curent dog Bud is about half border collie. He apparently inherited the typical collie hyperactivity, but not the intelligence. Bud is a pretty good farm dog, but he's as dumb as a rock.

These are very smart animals. They are one of the best sheep herding animals in the business. Oh, yeah, and their trainers have to know a thing or two, as well.

There smart yes, but very active and need lot's of training and attention or they will get bored & into trouble if there not worked on a daily basis. We have 3 Border Collies and there a handful  but we love them. Id only recommend this breed to the most devoted dog lover with tons of expertise on this breed and time for them.

If you do not have sheep, think twice about getting this breed. Incredibly intelligent, great personality and easy to train, however this is a breed that is too smart for its own good. It NEEDS a job, like it NEEDS air. If you can not provide him with that than think twice about getting one.

BUYER BEWARE!!! Do NOT buy a Border Collie from Lacy's Border Collies, now THOMPSON'S BORDER COLLIE'S, DR. KAREN THOMPSON in NEW KENT, VIRGINIA 23124, unless you want a dog that has CLUSTER SEIZURES!! After owning an epileptic dog, we asked many times about the line before buying a puppy and were told that none of the dogs had any history of seizures. WRONG! After we saw the first seizure, we called and then they remembered about a dog seizing in the line!! They're answer was to give us another puppy. Why would we want another dog from this line?? This is unethicial and heart breaking for us to see our dog suffer and know that he is not going to enjoy a normal healthy long life. Today he seized for over 2 hours, medicated, and we had to take him to the ER. This will cost about $500.00!! Not to mention to stress on his organs, etc. DO NOT BUY FROM THIS BREEDER UNLESS YOU WANT A SICK DOG AND HEART ACHE!!

so smart

very beauitful dogs

they drive me crazy

aww

Good dogs :)

Intelligent. LOVE IT

Highly intelligent and fiercely loyal. Border Collies are great dogs. Need a large yard, they get bored very easily.

cute

AWWWWWW!!! cute

I have one! They are such characters! Just make sure to keep the occupied because they get bored easily and can get very pushy

I havent had one, but I bet they're good dogs.

Very smart dogs. kind too.

Good dogs, but a little hyper and noisy. They are always trying to herd something.

lovely

They say this is one of the smartest breeds around. But with intelligence comes quirkiness. My friend's collie has some issues with strangers.

My friend's border collie has a vocabular of about 400 words - including "left" and "right."  Smart dogs.

These are smart herding dogs. They'll look you right in the eye, unlike most dogs.

GREAT dogs but a little on the smelly side! Other than that they are one of the best dogs you can get!

I live in New York City and have a border collie who is now 4 years old.
She was brought in to a local pet store, along with other dogs, and was put up for adoption. She was 8 weeks old.
I live in a small apartment and she is well adjusted and not destructive at all. I live a couple of blocks from a dog park and I take her there an hour before work and an hour after. She runs and loves to play ball and frisbee. For the most part she gets along wonderfully with other dogs except she sometimes gets aggressive towards dogs that are ill behaved. I once read a quote that 'border collies suffer no fools' which is true in my dog's case.
So I must disagree with people who think border collies are not suited to be strictly pets and in a city as well!
In my dog's case the quality of our time is more important than the quantity. She knows her routine and is well adjusted. I have never been subjected to any destructive behavior.
And I have never formally trained her. I just speak to her and it seems like she totally understands English.
One example: Sometimes in the morning when we are playing ball she will sometimes place the ball in front of me a few inches out of reach (when I am feeling tired and lazy i sit on the bench with coffee) I say to her "I am not getting off this bench to get you the ball" What does she do?
She gives me a look, picks up the ball and literally puts the ball into my hand! I love her.

The smartest and one of the most active breeds around, these are definately not for the city dweller.

My mother bred these when I was growing up, and I came to love them, but they are a working dog more than a pet, and unless you are prepared to spend a lot of time running and exercising them, you should not have one.

I don't know much about dogs, but this breed shows more intelligence than humans who still believe in WMD's. . .an amazing breed of smart dogs. . .

We had a border collie for 14 years and she was absolutely the smartest dog ever.  It's like she came already trained and understood English perfectly.  Very sweet temperment.  Hilarious to watch her herd the other dogs in the neighborhood.  Could turn on a dime and incredibly fast.  Great dog.

these dogs are the greatest, they have a great temperament,and to go with that they are very fine looking and the smartest dog. I gt suzy a year and a half ago and she is so loveable she does everything on command and she has such a great personality. These are truly the best dogs.

I have three BCs, and I love them dearly. All three are very different. Misty (12) is very work orientated and confident, but has her neurotics quirks. You must watch children with her, and she absolutely MUST have a job. She has only recently become more physically affectionate in her old age, but she is absolutely, hands down, the most brilliant dog I have ever met. Norah (2) is very soft, extremely obediant, and extremely loving. She can be trusted with anyone and any creature. She is somewhat timid in that she can be cowed by a sharp word, but she is confident in wherever she goes and in meeting new people. She is a little shy of new dogs. Suzu (2) is a shelter dog, and was VERY dog aggressive when I got her. She is awesome with people of all sizes, but must be carefully watched with other dogs and cats. Anything quick moving brings out an instinct to chase which must be immediately dealt with. She knew nothing when I got her, but has learned quickly. She has proven very obediant for such a dominant, independant dog. BCs in general tend to be obediant, and often easy to train. Their intelligence varies, but their trainability makes them seem brilliant even if they are about average. The smart ones can actually be harder to train! They herding instinct can make them a handful to deal with, and the simply MUST have a job. A mental job is far more important than a physical one for them. I do not, under any circumstances, believe that BCs are great for the average dog owner. They require a lot of time and dedication, and are rarely a casual house pet (not to say that there aren't exceptions). I reccommend them for people who want to be active with their dogs. This isn't to say that you have to be doing a sport with them, just that you spend a good portion of your free time and off days doing things with them. A bored border collie is one of the most destructive forces on the face of the planet. They invent their own games, and most of them don't agree with home life. That being said, I will always have at least one (they are like potato chips), and I think they are the coolest dog on earth. My dogs are all equally amazing, but they could have been something else for a casual dog owner.

Very similar to Aussies (Australian Shepherd). I read your reviews and feel you're describing Tazzy (my Aussie). I can give him commands or just talk to him. He knows 100s of words and phrases. He does challenge his position within our family (his pack). But, protects his younger brother (our 5 year old son). He loves to memorize TV advertisements (ones with dogs or cartoon characters that he likes). Tazzy is a 7 year old Red Merle with two Blue eyes. He's awesome and can read your mind.

Our neighbors had a border collie who was very smart and nice.She was also good with their kids when they were small.

Border collies are so smart! i think they're one of the smartest dogs in the world. They're medium sized and very good natured. They are very very energetic so need walkin alot, they are good at agility and obidience. B-collies are sooooooooo cute!

border collies are a great breed of dog they are easy to train and r the smartest dog in the dog family they r close to the smartest animal

We have three male ABC registered BC's; got them all as puppies from a breeder who trains and uses working dogs; (Sam,age 11, Tag,age 9, and Pete, age 3.) They have totally different personalities; one a clown, one workaholic, and one fairly laid back, but are all BUSY, smart, agile, sometimes stubborn, loving, BUSY, and gentle with children and older adults. They LIVE to work and play hard. They herd the tractors, cars, lawn mowers, vacuum cleaner, the broom, our guineas, any critters, including mice and gophers, cows, each other and us. They quickly learned to respond to verbal and hand signals (maybe half a dozen 10 minute sessions for some things). All know the difference between "I'm going to work" and "I'm going...to the barn, mailbox, garden, pond, garage, storage shed". I estimate that they all know about 100 different words and phrases, maybe more. They love to swim in the pond, chase any water moving, play ball, play frisbee, play fetch. The youngest, Pete, age 3 made it his job to "raise" a flock of guineas; he sleeps under the tree where they roost, and circles it over and over if they don't settle down quickly enough to suit him at night. You need to be young at heart to raise these dogs from puppies, and it helps a lot if your knees and back are still fairly limber!

Would love to have one of these little guys and train it in agility. ut, at my age, I don't think I could keep up with it.

A very intelligent dog and rarely do you see one with a bad temperment. But they are active and love to work so not for the couch potato type person.

I can name ten people in less than 30 seconds that don't have the same intelligence as a Border Collie! Probably the smartest breed I've ver seen. Great ranch dogs...pretty good home dogs, if you have ALOT of patience! Great with your kids...they'll herd 'em all day long!

I have a border colie lab cross with border collie markings and a brain like a border colie.They need more exersize than i thought and love to heard you when you do walk them. If you cant walk them dont have them.but vearry obedient and veary loyal! I love thies doges. but thet shed loots.and take a lot of time to brush them.

Extremely active. This is a dog that will never give you a moment's peace. Don't even try to own one if you have a small yard, because it won't work!

dont particulary like them...prefer bigger dogs, but if you are old or you want a medium sized pet...it's good for you

BORDER COLLIES ARE THE SMARTEST AND PRETTIEST BREED AROUND. I OWN 2. A BLUE MERLE AND A TRI COLOR. THEY COME IN MANY COLORS AND FUR CAN BE SMOOTH OR LONG. THE EARS MAY PRICK OR SEMI-PRICK. MY DOG PICKS THINGS UP FOR ME. HE FINDS THE REMOTE FOR ME. HE LOVES TO GO FISHING AND PLAY ANY SPORT. WILL NEVER GET ANOTHER BREED. SMARTEST BREED EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We got a 1 year old Border Collie from a pet rescue. She had apparently escaped from her previous owner and was stray for a while, she was very skinny. She wandered into a supermarket and was sent to the pound. She's the brightest dog I've ever had, an incredibly fast learner. Very strong hearding instincts, always circling around us when we go for a walk and treats our kids like they are her flock. Great friend, always by your side.

I second "anmalone".

I love this breed smart and loyal and loving.Truely mans best friend.

Border of what? All collies are insufferable.

We have one of these now, and for the most part she's a good dog. She tends to jump up on us and scratches, and her claws are like, well, claws. She's very energetic, in fact probably too energetic, but she's very loving, and she gets along very well with the other dogs.

Best dog I've ever had. I think their language and communication ability is superb. My dog can answer simple yes/no questions, tries to talk to me (control me), and understands at least 30 words. He knows who different family members are and goes to each of them when asked. I think if I had more time he could even be trained further in language skills. He requires lots of attention, but it isn't hard because he is always with me when I am home. He only barks when he hears someone outside or if he wants to yell at me (which is rarely). He also loves other dogs and thrives on meeting new dogs on our walks. The only negative aspect of my border collie is his shedding, especially here in Arizona where it is hot. He stays inside unless we are out too. I did have 2 border collies, but they both "herded" me and it was making one of them a little mean (both males), so we had to find him a nice home. My dog still looks around when we say the other dog's name and it has been over 6 years ago that we split them up. SMARTER than the avg. dog. BTW- we live near a yippy dog and the noise drives me crazy! I am so thankful to have my border collie and I tell him every day!

What a joy simply to think about these wonderful dogs.They are an integral part of the landscape here in the Welsh countryside.Seeing them at work,rounding up and penning sheep,is a mesmerising pleasure.Incredibly intelligent,loyal,good-natured and affectionate, the stalwart friend to farmer and child(i knew and loved many when young)alike.Though patient and gentle,they like to be active,so are not best served by enclosed,monotonous spaces and lethargic or housebound owners.But no praise is too high.

Border Collies are intelligent and fun dogs, ours gets along great with the entire family (including young active boys, a female golden retreiver and a cat...plus some caged animals that he ignores). The herding instinct is intriguing and can be somewhat of a headache. Our border collie has various paths set up around the yard (practically ditches..forget about grass growing there for a couple of years). From an airplane it may appear that we have crop circles in our backyard. He is a wiz at catching a frisbee and tennis ball, is very active and loyal yet gentle. He insists on everyone being together..will "herd" my husband and myself into the family room if the kids are in there..and isn't truly happy in the yard until we are all in a tight group. The boys definitely keep him busy as they rarely stay in one spot for long. Make sure you have room for them to run and get their energy out and enjoy their loyalty and intelligence .