Brown Border Collies are often referred to for their white and chocolate colored coat. Border Collies are commonly found in a combination of black and white. The brown color is caused due to the presence of the “b” gene. This gene works only when both the parents of the offspring are of the same color. As a result of this gene, the Border Collies acquire brown fur, nose, and eye rims. Their patterns resemble that of the black and white borders. However, their shades can range between light and dark brown. The white markings in these canines are often populated along the collar, chest area, and bottom.
Table of Contents
Brown Border Collie Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Minimal grooming needs
Highly energetic hence requires a lot of exercise.
Scottish Sheep Dog, English Sheep Dog, and Welsh SheepDog
Scottish Sheep Dog, English Sheep Dog, and Welsh SheepDog
Brown Border Collie Personality
Brown Border Collie is a medium-sized, graceful dog with an athletic build. Its muscular body contributes to its effortless gait and powerful endurance. This breed is endowed with a keen and alert expression that signifies its high intelligence. These canines have a flat skull of moderate width and length. The sides of their heads taper to their noses. A well-developed, strong underjaw accommodates teeth that meet in a scissors bite. They have a pair of moderate, soft, oval-shaped dark eyes with a well-defined stop. They can also have unique colored eyes such as green, light to medium brown or golden yellow. Their ears are mobile, sensitive, and naturally upright with drooping tips with a forward or backward fall.
Brown Border Collies are broad-chested dogs whose neck is in proportion to their body’s length and slightly arches to blend into their shoulders. This breed is blessed with a piercing gaze that differentiates them from other breeds. In addition, these dogs are adorned with a long double coat that is dense and weather-resistant.
The feathered, medium-length rough coat
The shorter smooth coat
Friendliness Overview
Affection level
Medium to high
Family-friendly
High
Kid-friendly
Medium to high
Pet-friendly
Medium
Stranger -friendly
High
Adaptability Overview
Good for apartment living
Low
Good to new owners
Low
Sensitivity level
High
Tolerates being alone
Low
Cold-tolerance
Medium
Heat-tolerance
Medium
Brown Border Collie Temperament
Brown Border Collies are highly energetic breeds with a strong herding instinct. They are always keen, alert, and responsive. They are highly tractile working dogs who are always interested in things going around them. This ability also makes them good watchdogs. In addition, they have outgoing personalities, which explains why they love playing outdoors all day long.
Border Collies must be mentally and physically stimulated to avoid boredom and encourage positive behavior. They are lovely, caring, extremely loyal, and overprotective of their pet parents. These canines are great family pets who crave their pet parents’ presence and wish to be around them constantly. They have a natural affinity towards children but are pretty reserved for strangers.
Brown Border Collie Training
Brown Border Collies are easily trainable due to their prudence and love of learning. You can start training them as early as seven months. This will help them learn manners and new tricks with a higher retention rate. They require positive reinforcements to encourage positive behavior. Since these canines have a moderate prey drive, you have to keep them away from small pets. Additionally, early socialization and obedience training prevents unwanted barking and disobedience.
Trainability Overview
Easy to train
High
Intelligence
High
Mouthiness tendencies
Medium
Barking and Howling tendencies
Low
Prey drive
Medium
Wanderlust tendencies
Medium
Brown Border Collie Exercise Needs
Brown Border Collie’s excellent athletic build and high energy call for a scheduled exercise routine for more than two hours. Hence, they require a spacious environment to help them exhaust their energy and love for running around. In addition, you have to maintain a vigorous exercise routine for them. You can also indulge them in canine activities like herding, agility, rally, and tracking. In addition, they enjoy sporting activities like flying discs and flyball.
Exercise Needs Overview
Energy level
High
Exercise needs
High
Intensity
Medium
Playfulness
High
Brown Border Collie Grooming
Brown Border Collies are short-haired and shed less. Consequently, they are pretty easy to maintain. However, to keep their double-coat free of mats, tangles, dirt, and debris, you must use a pin brush to groom them once or twice a week. However, a regular brushing schedule is recommended during the shedding season to minimize their shedding. In addition, they have to be bathed once every few months. However, exercise caution if you are using shampoo as it can dry their skin. Additionally, once you bathe them, ensure to pat them dry to prevent ear infections.
A regular brushing of your dog’s teeth with a dog-formulated toothpaste is recommended to keep periodontal diseases at bay. Additionally, you can schedule an annual appointment with his veterinarian to rule out the emergence of any periodontal diseases.
Once a week, you have to remove any accumulated ear wax, dirt and debris with the help of a cotton ball dipped in pH-balanced ear cleaner. In addition, you can rule out any signs of ear infection during the annual appointment with the vet.
Grooming Overview
Easy to groom
Medium
Drooling tendency
Low
Amount of shedding
Medium
Brown Border Collie Health
Brown Border Collies are a healthy breed. However, they can develop specific genetic health conditions. In addition, they are prone to develop minor issues like:
Ear infection
Eye problems
Skin irritation
Hence, look out for potential signs of the above during the routine checkup with your veterinarian.
Health Overview
Overall health
High
Weight gain tendencies
Medium
Size
Medium
Brown Border Collie Specific Health Conditions
Brown Border Collies are often prone to develop certain health conditions which may prove fatal to them later. Hence, it is vital to watch their symptoms if they are unwell constantly. Here is a list of diseases to know well in advance.
Hip Dysplasia
When the thigh bones do not fit into the pelvic socket of your pet’s hip joint, it results in hip dysplasia, which is a heritable condition.
Other Causes of Hip Dysplasia:
Injuries
Excessive weight gain
Wrong exercises
Symptoms of Hip Dysplasia:
Some of the notable signs that may be present on one or both rear legs include:
Pain
Lameness
Treatment: X-ray screening for hip dysplasia, medication, and hip replacement through surgeries may also be preferred. This condition, if ignored, can be life-threatening.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy
An eye disease that causes blindness from losing photoreceptors at the back of the eye. It can be diagnosed earlier. Dogs with this disorder can survive for many years since they have other senses to compensate.
The gradual deterioration of the eye’s retina marks the progression of this disease. Affected dogs exhibit symptoms of night-blindness which slowly progresses to complete loss of vision. Most of the affected dogs adapt well to their limited or lost vision if they continue to reside in the same environment when they had a vision.
Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome
The White Blood Cells (WBC) are not released accurately from the bone marrow and prevent the dog’s immune system from opposing diseases. Most Collies generate symptoms of this at aroundseven months of age and can die soon after. A DNA swab can diagnose if they suffer from this syndrome early.
Collie Eye Anomaly
CEA is an inherited developmental condition usually seen in breeds like Australian shepherds, Border Collies, Shetland sheepdogs, etc. This disorder can lead a dog to blindness.
Deafness
While some dogs are born deaf, others may acquire it with age. While hereditary deafness is due to genetic defects, acquired deafness results from decreased blood supply to the cochlea of the inner ear, resulting in the loss of hair cells necessary for sound transmission to occur. Deafness may present unilaterally (deafness in one ear) or bilaterally (deafness in both the ears). Bilaterally deaf dogs require some special considerations. To get to know your pet better, you can adopt a reliable scientific test called the BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response), which helps you detect deafness in dogs.
Epilepsy
Border Collies fall under the category of dogs with a higher rate of epilepsy. Although the exact cause is unknown, a genetic base is often suspected. Epilepsy is a sudden spike in the brain’s electrical activity, which results in its malfunction. Some of the signs to look for include:
Symptoms of Epilepsy:
A stiffening of the neck and legs
Stumbling and falling over
Uncontrollable chewing
Drooling
Paddling of the limbs
Loss of bladder control
Defecating
Vocalizing
Violent shaking
Trembling
Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL)
Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Dogs affected by this condition begin to show symptoms between one and two years of age. This disease exerts a significant impact on their behavior, and some of it includes:
Anxiety
Constant circling
Aggression
Compulsive behaviors
Loss of learned skills.
Neurological symptoms include:
Tremors,
Ataxia (lack of coordination),
Localized and generalized seizures, and
Visual impairment
Unfortunately, this disease has no cure, and dogs affected are often euthanized when they reach three years of life.
Brown Border Collie Diet and Nutrition
Brown Border Collies thrive well on high-quality dry dog food. You need to feed them around 1 – 1.5 cups of it per day to satisfy their daily nutritional needs. However, check with your vet if it is appropriate for your dog’s age. As some dogs are prone to obesity, minimize the treats or replace them with less caloric snacks like carrots, apples, and chicken. You have to introduce new foods or treats slowly as collies are known for their finicky eating habits.
Brown Border Collie Living Condition
Brown Border Collies are amicable and love to spend time with their family, other animals, and friends. However, they are pretty reserved with strangers. It is because of this reason that they love their trips to the dog park. Additionally, they long to play and require a lawn or spacious garden to expend their energy, making them unsuitable for apartment life. Being lovely family pets, they are prone to separation anxiety when left alone. Hence, if you are a person who cannot spend a considerable amount of time at home, this is not the right breed for you. In addition, border collies have short hair, making them hotter during the summer months. Hence, ensure to provide them with fresh water to prevent overheating.
Adding a Brown Border Collie to Your Family
Things to Remember Before Adding a Brown Border Collie
To prevent ending up with a weak hybrid pet, always ensure to buy from a reputable breeder who holds the parents’ health records and their lineage. This will help you gain good insight into your pup’s health.
Cost of a Brown Border Collie Puppy
Brown Border Collie’s cost anywhere between $600-$4,000. But these pup’s have no show quality. However, pups with show quality can start from $1,300 to $4,500.
