Border Collie Exercise

Had Enough Yet?

I am very interested in getting a Border Collie. As an avid runner, I'm looking forward to being able to workout with my four-legged companion. My question is -- what's the endurance level of a Border Collie? Should I count on being able to have the dog accompany me on a two-hour run at say 6:45 per mile pace? Any advice is appreciated.

Ummm.... let's see. They were bred to run 50-100 miles a day over hill and dale, some of which at breakneck speed. Trust me, 2 hours at that pace will, for an in-shape Border Collie be little or no problem. By way of example, one of mine used to run 15 miles a day (actually she did about 30 considering her circling around and side tangents) while I "kept up" with her (barely) on a bicycle. I never timed it but it had be close to 4 minute miles for her. We'd come back, she'd pant, lie down for about 3-4 minutes, and then get up looking for more things to do with me. She also did 3 Frisbee training sessions a day, plus swimming, plus generally running around. On weekends, she did even more in a day. I've never seen her tired.

Border Collies can be great running companions but don't get one just for that reason. There are better breeds as jogging companions that can keep up quite nicely. Don't forget that these are working dogs and jogging for them may be merely a pasttime.