When you have a border collie, it is important to know every trait of your dog.
Only once you know the traits you can easily look after your dog as well.
When you observe your dog, one question which you will often come across is, do border collies have webbed feet?
I will answer this question today.
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Do Border Collies Have Webbed Feet?
Yes, border Collies have webbed feet. However, their webbing is not that prominent.
You might be wondering why?
Before I answer that, I will share the benefits of webbed feet for border collies with you.
Only once you are aware of these benefits is it easy to understand how they use their webbing.
Benefits Of Webbed Feet
I will now share with you how border collies benefit from webbed feet.
1. Easier To Swim
One of the main advantages which border collies have acquired from webbing is that they can swim more efficiently.
The reason for the same is that they can control their feet in a much better way.
Not only that, but their swimming speed is also much higher due to the same.
The webbing ensures that their feet work as paddles. When that happens, they are able to easily propel themselves further with every move. It ensures that they can get in and out of the water in a short time.
The amount of energy which they need to spend to do so is also on the lower side.
Due to the same, webbed feet certainly help them swim better and efficiently, without getting tired.
2. Aid In Digging
It is the general behavior of dogs to dig. It can be to hide a bone or something else.
Many times, border collies dig to expend their own energy as well.
The advantage of webbed feet is that it makes the digging process much easier.
The reason for the same is similar. Just like they use their feet as paddles during swimming, similarly due to the webbing, they use their feet like scoop during digging.
When that happens, they are able to easily displace the soil quickly. It means that they will be able to dig faster as well.
Once again, border collies benefit immensely from their webbed feet.
3. Easier To Walk
Another advantage of webbing is that it can help border collies walk in a more stable fashion.
The webbing certainly makes them easier to move on any terrain.
Even when border collies are walking on uneven terrain or in the jungles, they can do so easily.
Moreover, it helps them while running as well.
Any feature of the feet which helps them gain more control and stability can increase their speed.
It is another way in which webbing helps border collies to walk and run efficiently without spending a lot of energy.
The webbing helps in swimming, digging soil and in moving through the snow as well.
The working principle is the same. Once again, when the dog is trying to move through the snow, the webbing will act as the paddles.
The small displacement is quite quick and frequent due to the same. It means that the border collies will be able to move through the snow as well.
It is one of the reasons why border collies can easily handle colder weather.
As you can see, the advantages which Border collie derives from their webbed feet are quite a few.
It also means that you need to take a few extra steps to ensure that your border collies’ webbed feet are well protected.
How To Take Care Of The Webbed Feet Of Your Border Collies?
There are a few tips which you have to always follow. These include:
1. Clean The Webbing After The Dog Comes Inside
Whether the dog has gone to the jungle, countryside, or in the snow, once the dog comes inside, it is necessary to clean their webbing and dry it as well.
Any water or snow or dirt and grime, left in the webbing can lead to diseases as well as infections. To avoid this entire problem, it is necessary to clean the webbing every time the dog comes inside with dirty feet.
2. Do Not Keep The Webbing Wet
As far as possible, you have to ensure that the webbing is always dry. Only, in that case, it will become easier to maintain the feet hygiene and health of your dog.
3. Do Not Ignore Snow Boots
These days, most pet owners buy snow boots for their dogs. Just because border collies have webbed feet does not mean that they do not need snow boots.
The [amazon link=”B01LYITJ4S” title=”snow boots” link_icon=”amazon” /] protect the paws and feet of the dog from harsh snow and moisture. You have to get snow boots for your dog, irrespective of the webbing.
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4. Inspect The Webbing
Another tip which you have to follow always is to inspect the webbing of your dog from time to time.
If you notice any infection or an injury or even slight discoloration, it is necessary to contact your vet right away. Ignoring this problem can be detrimental to the health of your border collie.
5. Make Sure Nothing Is Stuck In The Webbing
Another factor that you have to keep in mind is that nothing should be stuck in the webbing of your dog’s feet. It can, in turn, become very painful for your dog.
That is why, even if the dog remains indoors for a long time, it is necessary to inspect the webbing. Once you do so, you can avoid any injury, infection, or pain for the dog.
With the help of these five tips, taking care of the webbed feet of your dog is certainly possible and easy.
I will now answer some other questions related to the webbed feet of your border collies.
Is It A Problem If Your Border Collie Doesn’t Have Webbed Feet?
As I have highlighted above, border collies have minimal webbing.
However, in some cases, it can so happen that your border collie does not have webbing at all.
However, that indicates certain things.
Pure-bred border collies have perfected traits. These traits include webbed feet as well.
However, if your border collie does not have minimalistic webbing, it indicates that the Border Collie is not pure-bred.
While this does not change much for your border collies, but when you’re looking to get one, this is a trait which you should look out for.
Why Don’t Border Collies Have Prominent Webbing?
Border Collies have the amount and structure of webbing that they precisely need for their use. This webbing helps them with day-to-day activities quite easily.
Since they have tighter feet, the amount of webbing which they need is minimal. The tighter feet ensure that they will be able to change the direction quite quickly as well.
Greater Control And Less Energy
The tighter feet provide them with greater control as well. The greater control ensures that if you’re going hiking and are looking for a companion, border collies are great companions for that as well.
Not only that, the combination of tighter feet, as well as limited webbing, ensures that border collies can handle the uneven trails and even the most steepest trails quite easily.
The reason for the same is that the amount of energy that they need to expend to navigate the trail is minimal. That is why, irrespective of how difficult a trail you’re navigating, border collies can certainly go with you.
On the other hand, when it comes to normal domestic living, the minimal webbing does not result in any obstruction in that as well.
Moreover, the minimum webbing ensures that the thorns, residue, or other dirt does not stick a lot in their webbing. It means that they can keep infections as well as diseases at bay.
Heavy Webbing
Similarly, if they had heavy webbing, the amount of energy which they would have to put into swimming would also be on the higher side. In that case, the distance which they cover in the pool or the pond will be on the lesser side.
They will expend their energy very fast if they have heavy webbing on their feet. Thus, they will actually be at a disadvantage if they had heavy webbing.
Conclusion
The trait of webbing among border collies has been developed depending on their activity, body size, and body weight.
Accordingly, they have evolved to have minimal webbing. As I have highlighted above, this minimal webbing actually helps them rather than resulting in an obstruction.
If the webbing would have been in any other way, it would have actually resulted in an obstruction for border collies.
Thus, the fact that border collies do not have prominent webbing does not hurt them in any way.
