Border Collie vs Blue Heeler – Which one is a better dog breed for you?

"Find similarities and differences between Border Collie vs Blue Heeler" Compare Border Collie and Blue Heeler. Which is better: Border Collie or Blue Heeler?

General Appearance Hair & Care Characteristics Good With Health Factors Reproducibility Show differences only

Name	Border Collie	Blue Heeler
Origins	England Scotland Wales	Australia
All Dog Breeds By Country Of Origin
Group	Pastoral Dogs (Herding Dogs)	Pastoral Dogs (Herding Dogs)
Popularity Rank	38	518
Reviews	4	1
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Other Names	Scotch Sheep Dog, Sheepdog	ACD, Cattle Dog, Australian Cattle Dog, Red Heeler, Queensland Heeler
Breed Type	Purebred	Purebred
AKC Group	Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1995 as a Herding breed.	Not recognized by the American Kennel Club.
FCI Group	Recognized by FCI in the Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs) group, in the Sheepdogs section.	Not recognized by FCI.
Breed Recognition	American Canine Registry American Kennel Club America's Pet Registry Dog Registry of America Inc. Federation Cynologique Internationale Kennel Club of Great Britain North American Purebred Registry, Inc. American Canine Association, Inc. Australian National Kennel Council Continental Kennel Club National Kennel Club New Zealand Kennel Club United Kennel Club The American Int. Border Collie Registry The American Border Collie Association	No set
Price	$600-$800	$400-$800

General Appearance - Border Collie vs Blue Heeler

Size	Large	Medium
Weight	Male: 30-45 pounds (14-20 kg), Female: 27-42 pounds (12-19 kg)	30-62 pounds (13-28 kg)
Avg. Weight	Male: 37.5 pounds (17 kg), Female: 34.5 pounds (15.5 kg)	46 pounds (20.5 kg)
Height	Male: 19-22 inches (48-56 cm), Female: 18-21 inches (46-53 cm)	Male: 17-20 inches (43-51 cm), Female: 17-19 inches (43-48 cm)
Avg. Height	Male: 20.5 inches (52 cm), Female: 19.5 inches (49.5 cm)	Male: 18.5 inches (47 cm), Female: 18 inches (45.5 cm)

Hair & Care - Border Collie vs Blue Heeler

Coat	Dense Feathered Straight Short Moderately Long	Dense
Colors	Black & White Tricolor Tan Blue merle Blue merle-tricolor Slate merle Red merle Black Brindle Gold Lilac Red Sable Sable Merle Saddleback Sable White & Blue White & Blue Merle White & Red White & Red Merle White Ticked Seal Slate White & Gold White & Sable White & Seal	Blue Blue Mottled Blue speckled Red Mottled Red speckled
Grooming	Average: The Border Collie requires average grooming effort.	Effortless: The Blue Heeler requires minimal grooming.
Shedding Level	Border Collies shed moderately.	Blue Heelers shed moderately.

Characteristics - Border Collie vs Blue Heeler

Temperament	Intelligent Alert Tenacious Protective Energetic Responsive Loyal	Intelligent Active Alert Hard working Protective Resourceful
Intelligent Rank	Outstanding: Border Collie is one of the brightest dog breeds.	Smart: Blue Heeler's has great intelligence.
Trainability	Border Collies are easy to train.	Blue Heelers are easy to train.
Playfulness	The Border Collie is a highly playful breed.	The Blue Heeler is a highly playful breed.
Sensitivity Level	Border Collies don't like an irregular daily routine, noisy household and frequent guest visits.	They are a little bit more sensitive than other dog breeds.
Affection Level	Border Collies are genuinely loyal, soft and gentle, loving and affectionate dogs toward their handlers.	Blue Heelers may seem unfriendly sometimes due to their independence.
Social Needs	Border Collies need a lot of social interaction.	Blue Heelers are kinda antisocial.
Barking	Low to Average: The Border Collie rarely barks.	Low to Average: The Blue Heeler rarely barks.
Watchdog Ability	Border Collies are one of the best watchdogs.	Blue Heelers are one of the best watchdogs.
Territorial	Border Collies are extremely protective guard dogs.	Blue Heelers are extremely protective guard dogs.
Biting Potential	Low The Border Collie has a low chance of biting somebody.	Low The Blue Heeler has a low chance of biting somebody.
Mouthiness	Border Collies have a strong tendency to nip, chew, play-bite, or herd people.	Blue Heelers have a strong tendency to nip, chew, play-bite, or herd people.
Impulse to Wander or Roam	Border Collies have average wanderlust potential.	Wanderlust potential of the Blue Heeler is strong enough to escape from home.
Prey Drive	Border Collies have an average prey drive, which means that they don't have a high impulse to chase and catch something like a cat or any other small aminals, but it might happen.	Blue Heelers have a higher impulse to chase and catch something than other dog breeds.
Apartment Friendly	Border Collies are not recommended for an apartment lifestyle.	Blue Heelers are not apartment-friendly dogs.
Adaptability	Border Collies adapt very well to lifestyle changes and basically all living environments.	Blue Heelers adapt to lifestyle changes and different living environments quite okay usually.
Tolerates Being Left Alone	Border Collies tend to have separation anxiety when their owners left them alone at home because they bond very closely with them.	Blue Heelers handle alone time quite well.
Fighting Dog	Not really In history, this breed was not really used for combat dog.	Not really In history, this breed was not really used for combat dog.

Good With - Border Collie vs Blue Heeler

Stranger Friendly	Border Collies are average friendly towards strangers.	Blue Heelers are not the most stranger friendly dogs.
Child Friendly	Border Collies are very kid-friendly dogs.	Blue Heelers are not the most kid-friendly dogs.
Cat Friendly	Border Collies are average friendly towards cats.	Blue Heelers are not the most cat-friendly dogs.
Dog Friendly	Border Collies are average friendly towards other dogs.	Blue Heelers are not the most dog-friendly dogs.
Office Friendly	No Border Collie is not the best dog breed for office environment.	No Blue Heeler is not the best dog breed for office environment.
Senior Citizens Friendly	Border Collies are one of the best breeds for elderly people.	Blue Heelers are not the best breed for elderly people.
Pet Friendly	Border Collies are generally with other pets.	Blue Heelers usually don’t get on well with other pets.
Good For First Time Owners	No Border Collies are not good for novice owners, due to their stubborn personality.	No Blue Heelers are not good for novice owners, due to their stubborn personality.
Service Dog	Yes This breed makes good as a service dog.	Not really This breed generally not used as a service dog.
Therapy Dog	Yes This breed makes a perfect therapy dog.	Not really This breed generally not used as a therapy dog.
Detection Dog or Sniffer Dog	Yes A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses (mostly its smell) to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones.	Not really A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses (mostly its smell) to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones.
Search and Rescue Dog (SAR)	Yes The use of dogs in search and rescue (SAR) is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people.	Not really The use of dogs in search and rescue (SAR) is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people.
Boat Dog	Not really Border Collie breed usually doesn't like being on a boat.	Not really Blue Heeler breed usually doesn't like being on a boat.
Cart Pulling or Drafting Dog	Not really A drafting dog or draft dog is a dog bred and used for cart pulling.	Not really A drafting dog or draft dog is a dog bred and used for cart pulling.

Health Factors - Border Collie vs Blue Heeler

Health Issues	The Border Collie is a healthy breed, but there are certain health issues that you should check with your vet regularly.	Blue Heelers are commonly healthy dogs.
Health Problems	Allergies Collie Eye Anomaly Epilepsy Hip Dysplasia Osteochondrosis Dissecans Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)	No set
Life Expectancy	12-15 years	12-15 years
Calculate dog years to human years by breed here
Hypoallergenic	No	No
Energy Level	Border Collies are high energy dogs.	Blue Heelers are high energy dogs.
Exercise Need	Border Collies need a lot of exercises.	Blue Heelers need a lot of exercises.
Sleeping Need	Border Collies don't need too much sleep.	Blue Heelers don't need too much sleep.
Avg. daily food consumption	1.5 to 2 cups of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two or three meals.	1.5 to 2.5 cups of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two meals.
Weight Gain Potential	Average.	Average to High.
Weather & Climate	Prefers average to cold weather conditions The Border Collie can adapt to well to cold weather conditions, some dogs even can be a good mountain dog.	Tolerates warm and cold weather.
Stinkiness	Medium The Border Collie has an average chance of bad smell.	Medium The Blue Heeler has an average chance of bad smell.
Drooling tendency	The Border Collie is a perfect example for very low drooling tendency.	The Blue Heeler is a perfect example for very low drooling tendency.

Reproducibility - Border Collie vs Blue Heeler

Gestation Length	60-64 days	60-64 days
How often can the have a litter?	Once a year. More frequent breeding is not healthy.	Once a year. More frequent breeding is not healthy.
Litter Size	4-8 puppies	1-7 puppies
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