We will be in touch soon to confirm.
Breed guide · Dogs
She knows shoes on means a walk. I put mine on in the dark, before the heat.
Last updated 14 October 2026
We will be in touch soon to confirm.
What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Crouched low, eyes fixed on the ball, or on another dog across the park, creeping slowly forward.
What's going onThe crouch and the hard stare are how a Border Collie moves sheep without touching them. At home they are concentrating, not threatening. If they start fixing on shadows or lights instead of the ball, contact your vet early.
At home
Circling the robot vacuum, lunging at delivery bikes and rushing the lift doors.
What's going onThey were bred to stop anything that moves out of line. In a flat that means the vacuum, the bikes downstairs and the lift doors. Give them something they are allowed to herd.
At home
Back from a long run and ready for more, then shredding the post on a quiet afternoon.
What's going onRunning builds a fitter Border Collie who wants more running. Twenty minutes of sniffing out their dinner or learning a trick tires them more than another lap of the park.
At home
At the door the moment you pick up your keys, and already sitting by the treat cupboard.
What's going onThey learn that your keys mean you are leaving, and which cupboard the treats live in, faster than they learn sit. Everyone at home needs the same rules, or they will find the gap.
At home
Shaking on New Year's Eve, and hiding from thunder, the smoke alarm or a dropped pan.
What's going onMany Border Collies are frightened by loud noise, and it rarely gets better by itself. Set up a quiet room before firework nights. A fear of noise that starts suddenly can be a sign of pain, so tell your vet.
At home
Following you round the flat all evening, ears up, waiting for the next job.
What's going onNobody bred an off switch into a Border Collie. Teach them to lie on a mat while you eat or read, and reward the calm, a minute longer each week.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: Running the hills from first light.
In Dubai: Often a day in a flat.
Their work
Built for: Reading a flock and fixing the problem first.
In Dubai: Only the vacuum and the children to herd.
Their weather
Built for: Wind and rain on the border hills.
In Dubai: A summer too hot to run in, for months at a time.
The herding, the fixation on the ball and the chewed skirting board mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a hillside of sheep. You can give them a job, and the ten things below show you how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Border Collie's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Thinking tires a Border Collie in a way running does not.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Thinking tires a Border Collie in a way running does not.
What to do
Split it into two or three sessions: a few minutes of training, part of their dinner scattered in the grass, a puzzle feeder, a new trick each week.
They will not rest by themselves, and an overtired collie is quicker to react.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They will not rest by themselves, and an overtired collie is quicker to react.
What to do
Pick a mat. Reward them for lying on it calmly while you eat or read, and build the time up slowly. After a busy day, give them a quiet one.
The drive to control movement does not go away, so it needs somewhere to go.
Every age, with slower games on soft ground from 7 years
Why
The drive to control movement does not go away, so it needs somewhere to go.
What to do
A big herding ball to push, or fetch with a sit and wait before every throw. Mix it up so the ball is not their only game. When the vacuum comes out, put them in another room at first, then teach them to lie on their mat while it runs.
A running child looks like a sheep breaking away, and they will try to bring it back.
Every age, most of all in the first two years
Why
A running child looks like a sheep breaking away, and they will try to bring it back.
What to do
An adult watches whenever they are together. Teach the children to stand still and fold their arms if the dog circles or nips, and give the dog a tug toy to grip instead.
Scooters and delivery bikes are the fastest-moving things in their day.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Scooters and delivery bikes are the fastest-moving things in their day.
What to do
On the lead near roads and car parks. When something goes past, ask for a sit and reward them for watching it go. In the lift, keep them close until the doors are fully open.
Their double coat was made for wet hills, and they were bred not to stop.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Their double coat was made for wet hills, and they were bred not to stop.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Carry water, and stop the ball before they ask.
A Border Collie shuts down under harsh handling, and many are frightened of loud noise.
Every age
Why
A Border Collie shuts down under harsh handling, and many are frightened of loud noise.
What to do
Train with food and play, never shouting or jerking the lead. Before firework nights, set up a quiet room with the curtains closed and some background sound. If a fear of noise starts suddenly, contact your vet, because it can be a sign of pain.
Hip Dysplasia (HD, a poorly fitting hip joint) is on their record from puppyhood, and Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD, a joint cartilage problem) in the shoulder in their prime.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years and 4 to 7 years
Why
Hip Dysplasia (HD, a poorly fitting hip joint) is on their record from puppyhood, and Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD, a joint cartilage problem) in the shoulder in their prime.
What to do
Keep them lean: you should feel their ribs easily. Rugs where they turn on marble, no repeated jumping while they grow, fast play in short sets, and their hip evaluation booked before they turn two.
Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA, an inherited eye defect in collie breeds) is on their record from birth.
Every age, starting at six weeks
Why
Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA, an inherited eye defect in collie breeds) is on their record from birth.
What to do
Book the eye evaluations their plan sets. At home, watch for bumping into things in dim light or hesitating on the stairs at night.
A working breed keeps going through discomfort, so small changes are easy to miss.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
A working breed keeps going through discomfort, so small changes are easy to miss.
What to do
Run your hands over their ribs, spine, hips and paws, and look at their skin. Brush their teeth every day and their coat several times a week. Weigh them monthly. If they ever have a seizure, time it, film it if you can, and contact your vet. A first seizure, one that lasts more than two minutes, or more than one in a day is an emergency: contact your vet now.
Two of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Working, sport and show lines
Border Collies were bred for work alone for most of their history, so they still vary a lot in size, coat and ears. Coats can be long, medium or smooth, the short-haired collie. Working lines come from farm dogs, sport lines are bred for speed and focus in agility, and show lines for a consistent look. A sport-line dog can be even busier than a farm dog.
Colours
The classic Border Collie is black and white, but they come in a whole palette: red or brown and white, blue, lilac, gold, sable, and merle patterns such as the marbled blue merle, sometimes with tan points. Whatever the coat, every one of them needs the same daily work.
The first six months
Vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Their first ophthalmic evaluation (eye exam) can be from six weeks old, for Collie Eye Anomaly. Keep training to two-minute sessions, many times a day, and move every nip on to a toy from day one.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
A mat or bed for learning to rest, a puzzle feeder, a big herding ball, a harness and lead, and rugs where they turn on marble. Choose a quiet room for firework nights before the first one comes.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Collie Eye Anomaly (an inherited eye defect in collie breeds) is on their record from birth. If you are choosing a puppy, ask the breeder about both parents' eye results, and meet the mother if you can.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep watching your feet. If they stop caring about your shoes, call your vet.
Before they were yours.
Before the 1870s
Collies gathered sheep on the open hills between Scotland and England, often far from the shepherd, deciding for themselves what to do next.
What they still carryStamina, and a habit of making their own decisions.
1873
The first sheepdog trial was held at Bala, in North Wales, in 1873, and farmers began breeding from the dogs that won.
What they still carryA dog judged on what they can do.
1893
Old Hemp, born in Northumberland in 1893, moved sheep quietly with a hard stare instead of barking. Many Border Collies today go back to him.
What they still carryThe eye: the crouch and the stare.
1906 to 1976
From 1906 the International Sheep Dog Society registered dogs on working ability alone. The name Border Collie was first used in 1915, and The Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1976.
What they still carryCoats, sizes and ears that still vary from dog to dog.
Today
In the UAE a Border Collie is a family or sport dog in a flat or a villa, with no sheep in sight.
What they still carryA drive to work all day, even when it is 45°C outside.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Border Collie suits you, so might these.
Australian ShepherdThe same kind of herding dog, bred on American ranches from British stock, a little bigger, with the same need for a job every day.
Rough CollieThe same kind of dog: a Scottish sheepdog cousin, calmer, in a long, full coat.
German Shepherd DogThe same high energy and need for real work, and a similar reserve with strangers, in a bigger guarding breed.
Pembroke Welsh CorgiA similar summer routine: a coat that sheds just as much and walks in the cool hours, in a smaller dog on much shorter legs.
