The Best Pet Door for Border Collies

Border collies are amazing. They are the some of the smartest dogs and the among the most athletic dog breeds, but lots of families mistakenly think they are up to the challenge of having a border collie. Border collies are instinctual herding dogs and are very active but what many people don’t anticipate is that they might end up being too active for their families and as a family pet for children and neglecting a border collie puppy with high energy levels (which doesn’t take much for the attention seeking dog) can lead to negative behavior, which ultimately leads the border collie to end up in a rescue because the family can no longer take care of it.

High Energy

If you are determined to have this breed and can deal with the overwhelming border collie personality, getting a doggie door is a must to help alleviate some of the high energy that comes with having them and their herding instincts. Border collies are obviously very active and energetic dogs, and sometimes allowing them access to the outside whenever they please is a great way for them to remain active on their own and for them to relieve themselves. Allowing your dog to go in and out as she pleases and have daily exercise or play dog sports at the same time might help keep them from tearing up your house or tearing up your yard. Getting a doggy door for your border collie is obviously a long term investment on your end, so you will want to make the right choice when it comes to durability and functionality since border collies are such active dogs. Just like how a great owner needs to have the right characteristics to keep the dog happy, healthy and mentally stable, not just any pet door can survive a border collie temperament. For any high energy breed, you will notice that these sorts of dogs like to run at high speeds or barrel through the flap of the door. Over time, the dog door flap will eventually start to wither at the upper end due to material fatigue. For dogs that gently go out only a few times a day, even the cheaper flaps can last for years and occasionally the whole life of the pet. On the other hand if your dog uses it all the time and doesn't hold back, flaps can really wear out in a hurry.

This can prove costly over the years (on average, a replacement flap can cost you anywhere between $30-$100 depending on the model) as you will need to replace the flap to not let any outside weather conditions into your house. Buying a more economy style pet door may not be the best idea when it comes to owning a high energy dog such as a border collie.

Size

Then comes the question of sizing. In the world of pet doors, height is the most important thing to consider. Standard border collie height can vary between 18" and 22". Border collie size, as with most other breeds, has exceptions, and if you have a border collie mixed breed, they could be shorter or taller, wider or thinner, or anything in between. It's important to measure your pet properly before choosing a pet door size, as having too small a door can hurt your dog!

Flexibility

Another thing to take into consideration when purchasing a doggy door for your border collie is that since they are so highly active, you will want to have a flexible dog door flap, rather than a rigid dog door flap. 

If you were a border collie running around at full speed all the time, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to hit a hard, rigid surface every time you went in and out of the house with your face. From our 30+ years of business experience in the dog door industry, we have had extensive feedback on rigid flaps in general, and we have found that they can sometimes lead to injuries and come with higher risks. We have four different dogs that regularly come to the PetDoors.com office and among our pack is Mikey, a one-year old purebred border collie female. She has what seems like infinite amounts of energy so we've seen first hand how much use and abuse dog doors get. We have a numerous pet doors installed throughout the office, but the one that is best situated to handle Mikey and the rest is the Endura Flap. While it's mainly known for its energy efficiency, what makes it great for a border collie is that it is flexible and it swings on a rod so that you won't have to replace the flap like you do with other types.

The Long Run

Despite mountain biking before work, Mikey really abuses the Endura Flap we have installed at the office all the time. She doesn't hold back , usually exploding through in a black and white blur of happiness but the durability of the Endura Flap is outstanding and we benefit from it everyday. We’ve had many customers call in needing replacement flaps for their dog doors that they’ve had for only a couple months because their active dogs have torn the flap from active use. Bordie collie training is difficult, so finding a pet door shouldn't be! If you want a pet door for your border collie, you should make sure safety and durability is part of decision process.