Are Border Collies good in hot weather?
Border Collies were built for cold climates, so a hot spell asks for real care. They can be kept comfortable, but not by accident.
How Border Collies handle the heat
The cooling problem
Border Collies carry a dense double coat evolved to trap warmth. It insulates against heat as well as cold to a point, but in high temperatures it works against them, and humidity makes it worse. The coat is a heat store they cannot simply shed on a hot day.
Practical summer management
Shift walks to early morning and late evening, and skip them entirely on the hottest days. Carry water on every outing, provide deep shade in the garden, and give access to cool floors indoors. The pavement test is simple: press the back of your hand to the ground for seven seconds, and if it is too hot for your hand it is too hot for paws.
Never shave a double coat to "cool the dog down". It removes the insulating layer that also blocks heat and can leave the skin exposed to sunburn. Regular brushing to clear dead undercoat is the right approach.
Exercise in warm weather
Border Collies have high energy, which is the trap in summer. They will keep going past the point that is safe, so it is on you to cut sessions short, choose shaded routes, and swap a run for sniffing and brain games on hot days.
What temperature is too hot?
There is no single cutoff, because humidity, age, weight, and coat all matter. As a guide, take extra care above 20C and treat anything above 25C as high risk for a heavy-coated breed like this. When in doubt, keep them home and cool.
Personality and summer walks
The most intelligent dog breed in the world. But that brain needs a job, or it creates its own.
Intelligent dogs learn to seek out cool floors and shaded spots on their own after experiencing a hot day, adapting their behaviour without much prompting from an owner. An energetic dog does not naturally self-regulate in the heat, and left to its own devices will keep playing or running well past the point that is safe.
Heat, training and behaviour
Teaching a dog to settle in the shade
Border Collies generally learn a reliable "settle" or "go to your bed" command without much difficulty, which is useful on a hot day when the goal is to keep the dog resting in a cool spot rather than pacing about.
Barking and restlessness in a heatwave
Border Collies bark a moderate amount day to day, and that can increase during a heatwave if the dog is uncomfortable and unable to settle properly.
Family and other pets in a heatwave
Border Collies generally do well around children, though hot weather adds a job for parents: making sure excitable play with kids in the garden does not run on longer than the dog can safely handle. A cat in the same household should have its own cool retreat well away from this breed, heat or no heat.
Cost and ageing in hot weather
Border Collies typically live 12 to 15 years, and older dogs of any breed regulate heat less efficiently than a fit adult, so senior border collies need shorter, cooler outings and closer watching during a heatwave. Insurance for a Border Collie in the UK typically costs about £25 to £55 a month, and heatstroke is exactly the kind of sudden, serious vet visit that cover exists for. A Border Collie puppy, usually priced around £700 to £1800, overheats more easily than an adult dog as well, since puppies have less developed temperature regulation and tire without always showing it.
Full guide to Border Collies
Read the complete Border Collie guide →