Outgoing, friendly and affectionate with friends, the Border Collie is reserved with strangers. They are highly intelligent, very motivated, enjoy working, and may become neurotic if not given enough to do.

Bred as a sheep herder, the Border Collie is a tried and true working dog. They take their jobs very seriously, whether that be herding sheep, performing in agility contests, or simply learning a new command.

Border Collies have an unnatural amount of energy and stamina. They are definitely not couch potatoes and they always need a job to do. They possess a “workaholic” attitude that can be overwhelming to someone who is looking for a laid-back dog. Because the Border Collie is a herding dog, they have a strong urge to gather a flock such as children, squirrels, cats, or anything else that moves.

Their instinct to nudge, nip, and bark must be redirected as it cannot be trained out of them.

They are not usually nervous or aggressive, though. If given a task such as competing in dog sports or herding, though, it is manageable.

Border Collies are very intelligent and sensitive which makes them easy to train. They have an uncanny ability to know what you are asking of them before you even ask it. They make great pets for people who live an active lifestyle or for those looking to compete in dog sports.

• Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) which is is a devastating degenerative disease of the spinal cord that can progress rapidly and cause weakness in the hind limbs and eventually paraplegia among genotypically affected dogs.
• Hyperuricosuria, or elevated uric acid level in the urine, which is inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder and is characterized by the formation of bladder stones and occasional kidney stones.
• MDR1, some dogs can have sensitivity to certain drugs and others can experience more serious neurologic symptoms like excess salivation, tremors, anorexia, blindness and possibly death. The following is a list of drugs known to cause reactions: Acepromazine (tranquilizer), butorphanol (pain control), doramectin, doxorubicin, emodepside, erythromycin, ivermectin (found in heartworm medications), loperamide (anti-diarrheal agent), milbemycin, moxidectin, paclitaxel, rifampin, selamectin, vinblastine (anti-cancer agent), vincristine and vinorelbine

• Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA), also known as Choroidal Hypoplasia (CH-Choroidal Hypoplasia), which is inherited as an autosomal recessive disease. The retina gets its blood supply and nutrients from the choroid. In affected dogs, this layer of tissue under the retina does not develop properly, and is thinner than normal. Predicting the severity of an affected puppy is difficult as it can vary greatly, even between affected puppies in the same litter. Severely affected dogs may experience vision loss and retinal detachment.

You can choose the best option for you by clicking below:

For the above tests, if done singularly or as combos, we offer the results in 7-10 working days from receipt of samples to the laboratory.

If they are all included in the most comprehensive test called “DogCheck 4.0“, which also gives information about coat colour traits, the turnaround is 3-4 weeks from receipts of the samples to the laboratory. Please refer to the list below to see all the genes tested in this case.

NOTE: There is an extra cost of £45 to test the genes mentioned on the table as *xP as they are not included in the Dog Check 4.0 Report unless the extra fee has been paid at the checkout.