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MediumHerding Group

Border Collie

The Border Collie was developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region in the late 1800s for sheep-working by 'eye' — the crouching stare and intense focus that characterize the breed.

Calculate Border Collie age
Lifespan13.1 yrrange 13–14
SizeMediumHerding Group
Weight30–55 lb13.6–24.9 kg
Senior at7 yrgeriatric at 11

Gallery (3)

About

About the Border Collie

The Border Collie was developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region in the late 1800s for sheep-working by 'eye' — the crouching stare and intense focus that characterize the breed. AKC recognition was delayed until 1995 to protect working-line integrity.

Aging

How Border Collies age

RVC VetCompass data from 20,886 dogs gives a median lifespan of 13.1 years. Collie-eye-anomaly carriage is the defining inherited risk (breed-club screening is standard); osteochondritis dissecans at 2.4% reflects working-drive joint stress.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 13.1 yr · range 13–14Senior careSenior at 7 · geriatric at 11Common health issues12 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
30–55 lb(13.6–24.9 kg)
Height
18–22 in(45.7–55.9 cm)
Coat type
Medium
Colors
BlackBlueBlue MerleRedRed MerleSableWhite & BlackWhite & Blue MerleWhite & RedLilacSaddleback SableSable Merle
Temperament

Temperament

How Border Collies tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

intelligentaffectionateenergeticalert
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~6 yr

    Adult-Onset Cardiac Disease (Echocardiogram)

    Description and veterinary guidance for Adult-Onset Cardiac Disease (Echocardiogram) land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~8 yr

    Degenerative Myelopathy

    Description and veterinary guidance for Degenerative Myelopathy land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~5 yr

    Periodontal Disease

    Description and veterinary guidance for Periodontal Disease land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
90min
per day

Border Collies are high-output dogs — plan for 90 minutes of daily activity across a mix of walks, off-leash play, and purposeful work.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.