Yes they are very smart, sometimes too smart for their own good. I wouldnt really recommend them as pets though, as they are very hard to keep happy. They are ment to be out in the fields all day.
When ever I go to stroke her she always growls and shows her teeth- I have actually been bitten once by her for just taking her collar off , she bit right through my thumb nail and into the skin behind. She has also bitten my dad a couple of times just for putting her in the boot of the car, or putting her lead on. Its not as if we do it agressively.
I have met some border collies that are really friendly indeed, but most of them are not cuddly dogs and dont really belong in a normal family home, but on a farm.
Heres a hint though, if you want a border collie as a pet, get it from a breeder that hashad generations and generations as house pets. We got ours from a breeder off a farm which I think was completely the wrong step to take. Thats why I think whatever you do, you cant teach her not to chase the bunnies any more. She also bits your ankles when you cross a road :XAnd its very embarassing when you walk across a crossing where cars have stopped to let you pass, they laugh at you crossing the road with a dog nipping at your ankles.
She is so clever she is impossible to train! :?
