#1 — Romans brought sheepdogs to Great Britain
The first civilization to master the art of herding and raising sheep was the Roman Empire. Bringing shepherds and sheep to the British Isles, they set the foundation for an established wool industry.
Because lot’s of the sheepdogs couldn’t stand the cold weather, Celtics started to breed their own. They were smaller and more agile. The Name ‘collies’ was derived from the ancient Celtic word colley, which means faithful or useful.
#2 — Their name comes from the region they lived in
The ‘border’ in their name comes from the fact that they were initially bred on the border of Scotland. It’s believed that James Reid, secretary of the International Sheepdog Society, minted the name ‘Border Collie’ when he described the dogs to colleagues.
#3 — They are furry geniuses
Dogs in general are pretty intelligent, but no breed can beat the collies. They were bred to be independent and solve problems on there own even for complex tasks.
#4 — Training them is still dog training
But because they are so smart, you need to train them right from the outset. They learn very quick and pick up on everything but may develop bad habits. When they are bored they also could default to barking, nipping or whining.
When training them, make sure they stay focused on the task at hand, if they are not engaged their attention will wander.
#5 — They are the ultimate herding dogs
Well, this is what they were bred for … to chase and organize animals. The Celtics used their predatory behavior and modified it to suit the need of herding. This means border collies are in fact hunting dogs which do the stalking, crouching and nipping but without the killing.
Thanks to their independence and intelligence border collies most likely make the best herders. In fact some owners actually rent sheep for their collies to herd, because it’s so deeply ingrained in their nature.
#6 — Crouching is a technique
Because they have a space between their shoulder blades, these dogs can move in a catlike crouched position. This lets the collies move swiftly while staying low to the ground. This technique is used to herd animals with extreme precision.
#7 — They have “The Eye”
This intense stare is another trick of these intelligent dogs. It’s used to intimidate other animals or you can catch this look when your have something delicious in your hand.
#8 — Border Collies have a big vocabulary
In the world of smart dogs, collies are the smartest breed, and the smartest of them all could be Chaser. A female border collie working with John Pilley, a professor of psychology. At the age of 5 months Chaser learned that different toys have different names.
Since then, she’s learned more and more words and amassed an impressive vocabulary of about 1,000 names and nouns for her unique toys. When John is saying a specific name for something, Chaser will go and get it from her collection.
#9 — Rolling down a car window in record time
One of the more unusual world records, Striker holds the record for “Fastest Car Window Opened by a Dog” by rolling down the manual car window in just 11.34 seconds — World Record!
#10 — Staying active is obligatory
If you like to lay around with your dog, I recommend a different breed. Because of their intelligence, border collies are easily bored when left without task. They are working dogs and enjoy having something to keep them busy all day.
Maybe you can liken them to children – they are active and need to be exploring out and about!
