The Border Collie was first bred in the United Kingdom and the Scottish borders in the 19 th

century. It originated from the successful crossbreed of the Roman and Viking’s ancient
herding dogs. As a result of this union, the Border Collie emerged naturally as an intelligent and
athletic dog which was trained for herding livestock, most especially, sheep. Throughout the
years, the traditional role of a Collie as a working dog or sheepdog remained while also being
kept as a family pet.
If you want to consider owning a Collie, you should be ready to invest a significant amount of
your time in caring, training, and maintaining your dog. Apart from this, you should also
consider the costs involved. There is no fixed price on how much a Border Collie is or how
much you need to spend in maintaining its health and lifestyle. Costs can vary greatly based on
a number of factors such as lineage, breeder’s location, purpose, training, or reputation.

Is a Bordie Collie Right For You?

Before getting a Bordie Collie, it is important to learn the most that you can about this type of
dog such as needs, temperament, or health, among others.
Being smart and workaholic, it can be challenging for pet owners to keep them busy because
they could become a nuisance when bored. Games, agility and obedience traininings, and even
teaching the dog some chores are essential in keeping them happy and satisfied.
Another consideration in raising a Collie is adequate space to roam around. If you live in an
apartment or have a house with an open yard, think twice as they could chase cars or small
children due to their herding instinct. Also, collies need a lot of attention and human
companionship so if you have a busy life, this dog is not for you. Collies need constant activities
that nurture their natural ingenuity.
If you have the time, patience, and commitment to providing a Collie a series of good training
that nurtures his natural ingenuity and need for constant physical activity, then this dog might
be the perfect companion for you.

Buying and Maintaining a Border Collie

There are major costs involved in buying and maintaining a Border Collie such as purchase
costs, set-up costs, and recurring costs.
Purchase Cost
If you are buying a Border Collie puppy from a reputed breeder, expect costs to be higher. DO
not fall for cheap puppies as they might have been breed from unreliable puppy farms and
might lack the necessary health tests and standards.
Collie puppies intended only for pets are priced reasonably lower. If intended to be raised as
both a pet and work dog, the price could significantly go higher. If you think about long-term
investment, remember that buying a high quality puppy can give you between 12 to 15 years of
happy companionship. 
On the other hand, you can also buy adult Collies. A well-trained, healthy, and talented one
with the best bloodline is highly priced and sought-after. In fact, in February 2020, a two-and-a-
half year old Collie named Megan from Northumberland was sold for £18,900 to an American
ranch owner. Note that the average price for a sheepdog is about £2,000. This makes Megan
the world’s most expensive Collie to date.
There are also Collie lovers who opt to adopt from rescue centers. Most dogs in these centers
are already mature and have been said to blend easily with their new families. Adopting is
obviously the most cost-effective way to own a Collie.
Set-up Costs
Now that you have purchased a Collie, it is time to take care of registration and shipping or
transport costs. The shipping and transport of the dog is usually facilitated by the seller for
convenience at a minimal cost. As to the certification, most breeders opt to have their puppies
registered before selling them. Any needed changes to the registration would require a fee.
It is also a good idea to for Collie owners to seek memebrships to recognized Border Collie
associations. Fees vary depending on the type of membership you have with the organization.
Training Costs
When you buy a puppy the next most exciting step to take is to start enrolling in training
classes. The first most important class should be obedience training to help your Collie puppy
settle in as new member of your family and how to behave around people and other dogs too.
Private obedience trainings can cost around $800 and group classes for below $200. Border
Collies learn fast so once he has graduated from his obedience training, you can slowly
introduce simple games and tricks and later add into it depending on his progress.
There are many types of training classes and courses tailor fitted for Border Collies from simple
agility exercises to the more complex search-and-rescue training. There are also expensve
training courses such as scent detection and tracking where you can expect to pay a maximum
of $1,500.
Whether you hire a professional trainer or decide to do it yourself, keeping the dog’s attention
without distraction, consistency, and positive reinforcement are some of the many important
aspects in training a Border Collie effectively.
Miscellaneous Costs
Another significant expense for your Collie is feeding. High grade dog food can be costly but it’s
totally up to the pet owners if they want to stick with dog food or have their dog’s diet
supplemented with other types of meals as long as they adhere to nutritional requirements.
Regular trips to your vet for vacinations or physical exams for your collie is should be
maintained for your dog’s optimum health. A visit to the clinic costs around $50. Other
miscellaneous costs include grooming, purchase of toys or equipment, or perhaps a doggy
house.

In general, the people who are happy owning a Border Collie are those that really committed to their
dogs on a daily basis

The people who make the most satisfied border Collie owners are people who enjoy spending a
lot of time with their dogs and are willing and able to make the commitment to exercise and train in
some way every day: who are very active, who like to hike, jog, and or take long walks with their
dogs; who don’t mind living with a dog that never really settles down, even in the house, even after a
lot of exercise, even when it’s owner is tired from a long day at work; and most importantly, who
have a real job for the dogs to do, whether it’s one of the dog sports that these dogs excel at, or of
course, herding a flock of sheep.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Collie#Life_span

https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/border-collie#/slide/1

https://bordercolliehealth.com/border-collie-price/