Getting your Border Collie Ready for Spring

With Springtime approaching, it’s time to think about preparing your dog for the warmer months ahead. From grooming to Spring cleaning, here are our top tips to get your Border Collie ready for Spring. 

 

Grooming 

 

Interestingly, the Border Collie breed actually comes in two variations of coat – either rough (long) or smooth (short). In both cases, it’s a double coat, meaning there is a soft undercoat with a longer, coarser topcoat. This double-coat allows Border Collies to work in all weather conditions, and means their coat looks absolutely beautiful, all year round!  

When it comes to brushing and combing your Border Collie’s coat, once a week should be enough to keep it looking smart and healthy. The undercoat will shed once or twice a year, and this is usually very obvious (when tuffs of hair stick out from the coat), but these tend to be easy to remove by fingers or a comb. 

To avoid uncomfortable and painful matting, you should groom your dog with a comb or rake more often during the ‘moulting’ period – sometimes referred to as ‘blowing coat’ or being ‘out of coat’. 

 

 

In terms of trimming, Border Collies are fairly low maintenance. If you are keen to give your pooch a little trim though, focus on the paws and the back of the hocks and pasterns, as these are the areas that typically require the most attention. You can also trim and shape the ears, although this may not be necessary. 

Border Collie’s nails tend to grow fairly fast, and so they will need to be clipped and filed down on a regular basis – every 2 weeks should be sufficient. 

Bathing should be kept to a minimum to avoid washing away essential oils in the coat. Some Border Collie experts and breeders recommend using mink oil after combing, as this will help protect your dog’s coat from the sun and give it a lovely soft and shiny sheen. 

 

Medication & Treatments

 

As Spring comes around, it’s important to make sure your dog’s vaccinations are up to date. Unfortunately, the warmer weather is a breeding ground for all the nasty doggy diseases, so check your dog’s vaccination card to see when their booster vaccination is due and book your appointment with your vet. 

Fleas can also be a big problem in the warmer months and given how curious Border Collies can be, it’s something you may have to prepare for. Meeting other dogs or rolling around in the long grass is all it takes for your pooch to catch fleas. This can be avoided by treating your dog with flea treatment each month, which is especially recommended during the spring/summer season. 

 

 

Spring Cleaning

 

It’s that time of year for a Spring clean, but don’t forget about your dog! Make sure you wash your pooch’s bedding and blankets using anti-bacterial laundry wash, as part of your spring cleaning routine. 

Clean the areas where your dog tends to lay too, – a good wash will remove all the fur, dirt, and bacteria that have accumulated in your dog’s bed. It might also be worth giving your carpet, floors, and sofas a clean to ensure the house is free of any fleas or parasites that could have found a way into your home. 

 

Garden Maintenance

 

Before we start to enjoy our gardens, it’s worth making sure it’s as safe as can be for our canine companions. Have a quick potter around the garden and make sure there are no gaps or doggie shaped holes in fences! Pour away any stagnant water that may have accumulated in flower pots, watering cans etc as this can be really harmful for dogs to drink. 

Like most dogs, Border Collies tend to enjoy sitting in the shade when the weather is lovely and hot; so if possible, allow for a shady patch in your garden where your dog can relax. Place a bowl of fresh water next to them to keep them nice and hydrated, too. 

Check out our list of Springtime hazards for dogs to make sure you’re extra prepared when it comes to keeping your best furry friend safe in the warmer months ahead. 

 

 

 

What about a Dog-friendly holiday?

 

As it’s looking like we’re set to return to some kind of normality this Spring, you and your four-legged friend can hopefully enjoy some more quality time together; and what better way to do that than a dog-friendly getaway? 

 

Check out our top doggie staycay picks for Border Collies and other medium-sized breeds…