The Border Collie has become an incredibly popular breed to mix with others. Its incredible attention span and intelligence have it regularly coming in at the top 10 of many favorite breed lists. So what would happen if you mixed the highly energetic Border Collie with a family favorite, like the Labrador?
The Border Collie Labrador mix is also known as the Borador, Border Collie Lab or Border Lab. This dog breed is the ultimate mix between fluffy, fast, and agile.
The Border Collie Labrador mix is an active and fun-loving breed. In this guide, we will dive deep into the breed so you can decide whether the Borador is the dog for you.
The Origins of the Borador
Like many other designer breeds, the Borador has a hazy history. However, its popularity has risen in the last 10-20 years with many breeders choosing to breed this mix.
Designer breeds are different from what we would call mutts. Mutts tend to be oopsie litters. Unplanned and entirely unintentional, they are not bred for any specific demand or job.
Designer dogs however are purposely crossbred from selected pure breeds. Most often due to demand for that type of dog. The breeds are selected to have compatible personality traits and to provide dogs with certain aesthetics that potential owners may be looking for.
When it comes to the Borador specifically, breeders mixed the high-energy, hard-working Border Collie and the lovable Labrador to reap the benefits of both breeds.
The Border Collie is a herding breed. Bred specifically for its hardworking and easy trainability, it was perfectly suited to herding livestock, such as sheep.
Originating from the Scottish-English Border, the Border Collie has remained a favorite for centuries when it comes to choosing a working dog. Its intelligence and agility have made it the best dog when speed and obedience are required.
The Labrador is a dog breed that dates back to at least the 1830s. The Labrador Retriever was originally bred by crossbreeding St. Johns Waterdogs and British hunting dogs. You could say the Labrador is one of the first designer breeds.
We even have the first photo ever taken of a Labrador from 1857. Nell was her name and she was a proud companion to the Earl of Home. By the 1870s the name Labrador Retriever had become a much more commonly used name.
The calm collected attitude of the Labrador Retriever means it has become a popular breed for disability assistance dogs. Helping people with disabilities like blindness and autism. They have also become popular as therapy dogs and for detection work. The Labrador Retrievers’ playful personality, obedience, and loyalty have made it a popular family pet as well.
Both the Border Collie and the Golden Retriever have such beautiful yet different personality traits. It’s hard not to see why these two dogs were bred together.
What does the Borador look like?
There are a large variety of looks when it comes to the Borador. They can be bred directly from their parent breeds, the Border Collie and the Labrador. This is called a first cross. They can also be bred back to the original breeds or bred directly from two Boradors. So it can be a real surprise as to how your Borador will turn out.
The Border Collie Labrador Retriever mix is classed as a medium-large sized dog with a weight of anywhere between 30lbs to 80lbs. Generally, they are bigger than Border Collies. As with any mixed breed dog, it is possible to find smaller or even bigger Boradors.
One thing that does seem to be common with Boradors is their short coat. Even though Border Collies can have a real mixed bag when it comes to their coats. Having mixtures of rough coats to smooth coats, the Borador is more commonly found with a smooth coat. This doesn’t mean you can’t get a rougher coated Borador it just doesn’t seem to be as common.
Borador coats and colors
The coat of the Borador is usually short to medium in length, coarse in texture but visually nice and glossy. The Border Collie Labrador Retriever will however have a double coat. This means it has two different lengths of fur on its body. The shorter fur tends to grow very fast and is where a lot of your shedding will come from. They also have a longer additional coat which is much slower growing than the former. Dogs with double coats will require a little more attention in the grooming department. So it’s important to be mindful of this when considering the breed.
The Boradors parent breeds have a wide variety of coat colors, thanks to the Border Collie. With 17 recognized coat colors the Border Collie can come in colors such as:
. black and white markings
. red merle
. blue merle
. tricolor
. white
The Labrador retriever also comes in a neat selection of colors. Most people are aware of the three most popular colors. Black, Chocolate and Yellow but it is also possible to have Labradors with Red, White or Silver coats.
Boradors can be found in many different coat colors. Borador colors include Black, Chocolate, Tan, White, Yellow, and a variety of merles. Any of these colors have the possibility of showing markings of any other color. So it is just a genetic melting pot when it comes to your Boradors coat and pigmentation.
How big does a Borador get?
The Borador has been classed as a medium to large-sized dog. This is due to the medium-sized Border Collie and the larger-sized Labrador Retriever they are bred from. On average, a Border Collie Collie Labrador mix can weigh anywhere from 30lbs to 80lbs and have a height of 20 inches to 22 inches.
As with most dog breeds, it is common for the females to come in a little smaller than their male counterparts. However, these weight and height ranges are simply a guide. Your Borador can come in smaller or even larger than average sizes.
The Borador personality
Like most designer breeds and mixed breeds, the personality of the Borador can be influenced by its parents’ personalities. Any breeder worth their salt will ensure that any dogs they breed will be chosen because they have amazing personalities to pass on. The same breeders should stay away from breeding any dogs that have slightly more undesirable personalities.
Both parent breeds are incredibly intelligent, loyal, and highly active. So regardless of what end of the spectrum your Borador ends up on you can know for certain they will need plenty of exercises to avoid destructive behaviors.
The personality of your Borador will be more reliable when bred directly from a Border Collie and a Labrador. Once you venture into breeding a Borador with another things can get a little more unpredictable.
The Borador has an equal possibility of picking up either the herding instinct from the Border Collie or the retrieving instinct from the Labrador. So keep in mind what it is that you want from your dog when considering this breed.
You can be sure in the knowledge though that your Borador will be energetic, playful, loyal, and very food-driven. Watch out for any tidbits dropped on the floor as it can be a race between you and your dog as to who gets to it first.
The Borador is a real family pet. Displaying loyalty and non-aggressive devotion to all its human companions, perhaps even to other pets within the home.
How to care for your Borador
The Borador can have very specific care needs, especially when it comes to their coat. Both Border Collies and Labradors are double-coated breeds. This means they require a few extra steps for their coat care than single-coated dogs. Due to the Boradors high energy output, they will also need appropriate training and daily exercise to ward of any negative behaviors like chewing or obsessive barking.
Feeding a Border Collie Lab Mix
Due to the Boradors larger size and mid to high-range exercise requirements they need anywhere from one and a half cups to two and a half cups of dry kibble every day. Possibly needing more if you exercise them more often.
When it comes to choosing a food brand for your dog it is best to stick to a reliable brand with good reviews. It is important to check the ingredients of any dog food you choose for your pooch to make sure that the first ingredient on the list is a protein source.
A high protein diet is an important nutritional choice when it comes to your dogs’ diet. Helping them to maintain their energy levels. Also, the better the quality food you feed them, the better quality their coat will be. Good food can also aid good health. Supporting their bones, teeth, muscles, and every other part of their working systems.
Their parent breeds are also known for being fast eaters, or greedy, so finding ways to slow down their eating at mealtimes can be important. Any breed that eats very fast is more at risk of choking but they can also be at risk for a serious life-threatening condition called bloat.
Bloat is a deadly eating disorder in dogs where your dog’s stomach or intestines expand very quickly, which may lead them to twist on themselves. Once this happens your dog can go into shock and more often than not, if not treated quickly, results in death.
One way of slowing down your dogs’ eating is by stuffing their food into products like Kongs. The great thing about these products is that not only do they slow down the Boradors eating but they also provide really important mental stimulation as your dog works out how to get the food out of the Kong.
Exercise needs of a Border Collie Lab Mix
Boradors need a lot of exercise. With one to two walks per day at around an hour each being a normal routine for many dog owners. This breed will love to run and play catch so there are plenty of options when it comes to exercise activities.
Enrolling your dog into agility classes is also an excellent way of tiring your pup out. Group classes also give them the mental stimulation they crave and socializes them with dogs and people.
Boradors are incredibly smart dogs, this means they need more than just walks around the block. They are going to need real mental stimulation as well because a bored dog will inevitably become a bad dog. By no fault of their own might we add.
If you do not give a Borador the exercise and mental stimulation it needs you could be left with a highly anxious dog that exhibits destructive behaviors which will never end well for your furniture or your garden. Unless chewed corners of the sofa and potholes in the lawn are your thing.
Grooming a Border Collie Lab Mix
Because the Borador comes from two different breeds, both with double coats you are going to have to spend a little more time when it comes to grooming them. Double-coated dogs shed more than single-coated dogs but they also experience seasonal shedding.
Seasonal shedding in boradors usually occurs once during the spring and again in the autumn. The Borador will experience higher levels of shedding during these seasons. So although during the majority of the year a brush once a week will suffice, once your dog starts experiencing shedding seasons you may find yourself brushing your dog once or even twice a day to combat the extra hair loss.
Bathing your Border Collie Labrador Mix with specifically formulated shampoo for dogs can also help maintain a glossy, healthy coat. Be careful though, over bathing your dog can strip away too many of its natural protective oils leading to sore and uncomfortable skin conditions.
If you do choose to bathe your dog, once a month is more than enough unless you have a pup who can’t resist rolling in every muddy puddle that crosses its path. Then you may find you have to bathe him a little more often but thankfully most Boradors have short to medium length hair so it is a little easier to wash than a long-coated Border Collie.
We have written a helpful guide on shedding in Border Collies and how to minimize it where all the tips and tricks we have written about can be applied to the Borador.
It is also recommended that you brush your dogs’ teeth regularly or provide them with chew toys or treats that can aid dental health and avoid any issues with their teeth, like dental rot which can leave your pooch in a lot of pain.
Borador Health Issues
One of the big reasons why we crossbreed dogs is the attempt to eradicate breed-specific health issues. However, as much as the health issues may be diluted by crossbreeding there are still some genetically related health issues that it can be good to be aware of in the event your pooch starts to show any signs of ill health.
Luckily serious health issues are uncommon when it comes to Border Collie Labrador Retriever mix. All reputable breeders will have health tested the parent dogs to make sure they are prime candidates to produce a litter of pups.
Some health issues to be aware of, especially if the parent dogs haven’t been health tested, are:
. Collie Eye Anomaly
. Elbow Dysplasia
. Hip Dysplasia
. Hypothyroidism
. Progressive Retinal Atrophy
In the unlikely event that your Borador shows signs of any of these serious conditions, it is incredibly important to get in touch with your vet as soon as possible.
Are Boradors a good family pet?
The Border Collie Labrador Retriever is an excellent family pet. You will find that your dog has an unrivaled loyalty to all who live in the home. This breed gets on very well with children and other pets, especially if they are raised alongside them from the get-go.
Boradors love to play and although this is one of their most fantastic personality traits, it is important to keep a watchful eye on them when they are around small children and animals. Especially so in the beginning until they understand the limitations of children and their expected behavior towards them as they will see children as other puppies.
From previous experience with Borador owners, the more lively and giddy the child the harder it is for the Border Collie Labrador Retriever to maintain composure and correct behavior when they haven’t been fully trained.
As with many of the Border Collie mixes, training is the key to a loving, happy, family pet.
How to train a Borador
Training can be a really exciting time for you and your dog. Not only is it a way to ensure a perfectly behaved pooch but it is also an excellent way for you to bond with your dog.
Thankfully the Border Collie Labrador Retriever is easily trained in part to their smart genetics. Both breeds in the mix are eager to please and love to play, so making a game out of your training sessions is a great way to maintain your dogs’ focus and give them some much-needed mental stimulation.
One of the reasons the Labrador is chosen so often as disability assistance and service dogs is its ability to pick up almost anything you want to teach it. The same goes for the Border Collie when it comes to their work dog training. So whichever genetic traits your Borador picks up you can be sure that training won’t be an issue along as you are consistent with it.
The Borador is also very likely to be food-driven and will do anything for a tasty treat. So treat and reward-based training will work very well with this breed. Treats can be worked in as part of your dog’s daily meals and is another way of making sure your dog receives all the nutrition they need while combating their fast-eating tendencies.
Training should start around the same time basic training starts with most dog breeds – As soon as possible. The Border Collie Labrador Retriever can be headstrong in the beginning, the smarter the dog the more stubborn they can be sometimes, so getting in touch with and joining, local puppy and training classes will get you both off to a flying start.
How much do Boradors cost?
The answer, not as much as you would think. Dog prices have rocketed over the last couple of years but the great thing about the Borador is that they are one of the much cheaper Border Collie mixes out there.
Whereas a purebred Border Collie can cost anywhere up to $1,500, even reaching top prices of $3,500 for top quality pups and the Labrador can reach a costly $1,200. The Border Collie Labrador Retriever commonly comes in with a much lower price tag. Anywhere from $400 to $700 is a reasonable price for this designer crossbreed.
Conclusion
The Border Collie Labrador Retriever is an excellent all-round choice when it comes to choosing your next pet. With its fantastic temperature, insane intelligence, and extra points we have to give this breed for being a real snuggle bug. The Borador is becoming more and more popular, year on year as many families dog of choice and it is so easy to see why.
