Border Collie vs German Shepherd – Which one is a better dog breed for you?

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

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

Name	Border Collie	German Shepherd
Origins	England Scotland Wales	Germany
All Dog Breeds By Country Of Origin
Group	Pastoral Dogs (Herding Dogs)	Pastoral Dogs (Herding Dogs)
Popularity Rank	38	2
Reviews	0	0
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Other Names	Scotch Sheep Dog, Sheepdog	Alsatian, Berger Allemand, Alsatian wolf dog (UK), Deutscher Schäferhund, Schäferhund
Breed Type	Purebred	Purebred
AKC Group	Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1995 as a Herding breed.	Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1908 as a Herding breed.
FCI Group	Recognized by FCI in the Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs) group, in the Sheepdogs section.	Recognized by FCI in the Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs) group, in the Sheepdogs section.
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	American Canine Registry American Kennel Club America's Pet Registry Canadian Kennel Club 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 German Shepherd Dog Club Of America
Price	$600-$800	$800-$2000

General Appearance - Border Collie vs German Shepherd

Size	Large	Large
Weight	Male: 30-45 pounds (14-20 kg), Female: 27-42 pounds (12-19 kg)	Male: 66-88 pounds (30-40 kg), Female: 49-71 pounds (22-32 kg)
Avg. Weight	Male: 37.5 pounds (17 kg), Female: 34.5 pounds (15.5 kg)	Male: 77 pounds (35 kg), Female: 60 pounds (27 kg)
Height	Male: 19-22 inches (48-56 cm), Female: 18-21 inches (46-53 cm)	Male: 24-26 inches (60-65 cm), Female: 22-24 inches (55-60 cm)
Avg. Height	Male: 20.5 inches (52 cm), Female: 19.5 inches (49.5 cm)	Male: 25 inches (62.5 cm), Female: 23 inches (57.5 cm)

Hair & Care - Border Collie vs German Shepherd

Coat	Feathered	Fuzzy
Colors	Brindle Lilac Sable Blue Gold Red Black	Silver Tan Red Black
Grooming	Average: The Border Collie requires average grooming effort.	Average: The German Shepherd requires average grooming effort.
Shedding Level	Border Collies shed moderately.	German Shepherds are heavy shedders.

Characteristics - Border Collie vs German Shepherd

Temperament	Intelligent Alert Tenacious Protective Energetic Responsive Loyal	Alert Courageous Intelligent Obedient Confident Curious Loyal Watchful
Intelligent Rank	Outstanding: Border Collie is one of the brightest dog breeds.	Outstanding: German Shepherd is one of the brightest dog breeds.
Trainability	Border Collies are easy to train.	German Shepherds are easy to train.
Playfulness	The Border Collie is a highly playful breed.	German Shepherds, like any other dog breed, like playing.
Sensitivity Level	Border Collies don't like an irregular daily routine, noisy household and frequent guest visits.	German Shepherds don't like an irregular daily routine, noisy household and frequent guest visits.
Affection Level	Border Collies are genuinely loyal, soft and gentle, loving and affectionate dogs toward their handlers.	German Shepherds are genuinely loyal, soft and gentle, loving and affectionate dogs toward their handlers.
Social Needs	Border Collies need a lot of social interaction.	German Shepherds need for social interaction is average.
Barking	High: The Border Collie is a very vocal breed.	Low to Average: The German Shepherd rarely barks.
Watchdog Ability	Border Collies are one of the best watchdogs.	German Shepherds are one of the best watchdogs.
Territorial	Border Collies are extremely protective guard dogs.	German Shepherds are extremely protective guard dogs.
Biting Potential	Low The Border Collie has a low chance of biting somebody.	High The German Shepherd has a high chance of biting somebody.
Mouthiness	Border Collies have a strong tendency to nip, chew, play-bite, or herd people.	German Shepherds have a strong tendency to nip, chew, play-bite, or herd people.
Impulse to Wander or Roam	Border Collies have average wanderlust potential.	German Shepherds are not the biggest explorers.
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.	German Shepherds have a higher impulse to chase and catch something than other dog breeds.
Apartment Friendly	Border Collies are not recommended for an apartment lifestyle.	German Shepherds are not the best choice for an apartment lifestyle, but they don't mind being inside if you walk them several times every day.
Adaptability	Border Collies adapt very well to lifestyle changes and basically all living environments.	German Shepherds adapt very well to lifestyle changes and basically all living environments.
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.	Just like every puppy, they are prone to panic, cry, bark, whine when they left alone by their owner.
Fighting Dog	Not really In history, this breed was not really used for combat dog.	Yes In history, this breed was unfortunately used for combat dog.

Good With - Border Collie vs German Shepherd

Stranger Friendly	Border Collies are average friendly towards strangers.	German Shepherds are stranger friendly dogs.
Child Friendly	Border Collies are very kid-friendly dogs.	German Shepherds are very kid-friendly dogs.
Cat Friendly	Border Collies are average friendly towards cats.	German Shepherds are average friendly towards cats.
Dog Friendly	Border Collies are average friendly towards other dogs.	German Shepherds are not the most dog-friendly dogs.
Office Friendly	No Border Collie is not the best dog breed for office environment.	No German Shepherd is not the best dog breed for office environment.
Senior Citizens Friendly	Border Collies are one of the best breeds for elderly people.	German Shepherds are one of the best breeds for elderly people.
Pet Friendly	Border Collies are generally with other pets.	German Shepherds are generally with other pets.
Good For First Time Owners	No Border Collies are not good for novice owners, due to their stubborn personality.	No German Shepherds are not good for novice owners, due to their stubborn personality.
Service Dog	Yes This breed makes good as a service dog.	Yes This breed makes good as a service dog.
Therapy Dog	Yes This breed makes a perfect therapy dog.	Yes This breed makes a perfect 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.	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.
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.	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.
Boat Dog	Not really Border Collie breed usually doesn't like being on a boat.	Not really German Shepherd 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 German Shepherd

Health Issues	Egészségesek Border Collie fajták, de vannak bizonyos egészségügyi problémáik, amelyeket rendszeresen ellenőrizned kell az állatorvossal.	German Shepherds are commonly healthy dogs.
Health Problems	Allergies Collie Eye Anomaly Epilepsy Hip Dysplasia Osteochondrosis Dissecans Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)	Allergies Blindness Bloat Cancer Cataracts Cherry Eye Chronic Diarrhea Cruciate Ligament Rupture Cushing's Syndrome Degenerative Myelopathy Demodectic Mange Diabetes Digestive Problems Elbow Dysplasia Epilepsy Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency Heart Disease Hemophilia A Hemophilia B Hip Dysplasia Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy Lens Luxation Lupus Megaesophagus Myasthenia Gravis Nail Bed Disease Osteochondrosis Pannus Panosteitis Paralysis Perianal Fistula Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) Retinal Dysplasia Seborrhea Vitiligo Von Willebrand's Disease Wobbler's Syndrome
Life Expectancy	12-15 years	10-13 years
Calculate dog years to human years by breed here
Hypoallergenic	No	No
Energy Level	Border Collies are high energy dogs.	German Shepherds are high energy dogs.
Exercise Need	Border Collies need a lot of exercises.	German Shepherds need quite a lot of exercise.
Sleeping Need	Border Collies don't need too much sleep.	German Shepherds 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.	3 to 4 cups of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two meals.
Weight Gain Potential	Average.	Low to Average.
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 German Shepherd has an average chance of bad smell.
Drooling tendency	The Border Collie is a perfect example for very low drooling tendency.	The German Shepherd is a perfect example for very low drooling tendency.

Reproducibility - Border Collie vs German Shepherd

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	6-10 puppies
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