Do Border Collies Drool? How Much Is Too Much?

Drooling is a completely natural and constant response that the body has, to keeping the mouth hydrated and clean from bacteria as well as being helpful with the breakdown of food and protection from foreign objects that could be harmful.

In the case of dogs however, drooling is exacerbated by the fact that they also pant and use their mouths all the time. But do Border Collies drool a lot? Keep reading to find out!

Do Border Collies Drool? 

Border Collies, just like every single dog breed, do drool at least somewhat. Being as active as the Collie is, you’ll likely find your dog drooling more than usual especially while panting after all that sheep herding, ball playing and stick fetching. While it’s completely normal to expect some drooling from your Border Collie, excessive drooling might be cause for some concern.

In this article, we’ll be going over how much a Border Collie drools, how much drool is a bit too much, and what could be some of the causes of excessive drooling.

How Much Does A Border Collie Normally Drool?

For the most part, Border Collies drool a bit, but mainly because of the fact that they’re extremely active dogs, somewhat hyperactive and challenging to maintain.

Now, your Collie will probably not drool as much as say, a BloodHound will at any given time for example, but it’ll definitely be doing more drool tossing than a chihuahua.

With that said, most Border Collie owners would agree that their dog does not drool that much, except in cases where there is food nearby or after a very active day.

In other words, you’re unlikely to find much drool suspended in mid air, hanging off of your Border Collies face like you would with some bigger dogs, unless in some corner case scenarios .

Some activities that can get your Border Collie to start salivating are:

Anticipation Of A Meal Or Treat.

You know how thinking about a meal is enough to get you hungry? This is because the anticipation is all you need. Same is true with drooling, since only the stimulus is needed.

If your dog eats at a certain hour each day or you’ve taught it specific words that it has associated with treats or food, your Collie will start liking its nose in anticipation.

This drooling response from your Border Collie is natural, expected, and was first noticed by Ivan Pavlov which is why we now call it a “Pavlovian response”.

Exercise. 

Exercise is a surefire way to get your Border Collie to start panting and drooling.

Remember that dogs don’t actually “sweat” like us humans do. Instead, they remove excess heat and water, by panting. 

Combustion of biological energy creates carbon dioxide and water, it just so happens that dogs expel that water through their mouths, so you’re bound to get a bunch of drooling from your pup as a result.

Biting

Biting on solids like toys, sticks or bones that aren’t necessarily digestible, will still get your dog to drool as a way to protect their gums, tongue and palate.

Decreasing the friction inside the mouth with excess drool will make injuries and unwanted accidents, a lot less likely and so naturally drooling when biting random things, is overall a good response to have.

What Causes Border Collies To Drool Too Much?

As we mentioned before, some drooling is both expected and necessary. 

But what would make your Border Collie drool excessively? What if your Collie is clearly drooling way too much, even without having done any prior exercise? What things should you look out for?

Some of the reasons your Border Collie might be drooling a bit too much, could be:

• Gum irritation or fractured tooth.
• Facial nerve damage or gland problems.
• Food poisoning and intestinal blockage.
• Anxiety, stress or heat strokes.
• Throat and mouth tumors
• Rabies.

Gum Irritation Or Fractured Tooth

Getting wood splinters, dirt or other foreign objects caught in your Border Collies mouth can cause excessive unwanted drooling, particularly if there’s also gum inflammation or infection.

Fractured teeth, general tooth decay and tartar buildup can also cause your pup to drool excessively and goes hand in hand with gum irritation. If you’ve not properly taken care of your dogs teeth, you’ll might see swelling of the gums, bad breath, and salivation as a result. 

Dental chews and periodic visits to the vet, as well as regularly brushing of your pups teeth to prevent further issues, is a great way to reduce risks further down the line.

Facial Nerve Damage Or Gland Problems

Any surgery or serious injury that might have affected your Border Collies ability to chew or close its mouth, might now make it hard for your pup to contain its drool.

Even something like the swelling of the cheeks as a result of trauma to the face while playing, can cause the muscles of the face to time out, making it hard for your dog to chew and keep in the excess saliva. It might not be noticeable to you, but even the slightest of swelling of this delicate area might be enough.

Same is true for the salivary glands inside of your pups mouth. Occasionally, inflammation of any of these glands can cause uncontrollable drooling. Although usually its not something to worry about, your veterinarian might prescribe antibiotics or anti-inflammatories just to be safe.

Food Poisoning Or Intestinal Blockage

Another very common occurrence in dogs (especially more food motivated dogs) is that they’ll occasionally eat something that they shouldn’t have, which will cause abdominal distress and nausea. 

Excessive drooling might then be a result of general indigestion or food poisoning. Sometimes spontaneous drooling might happen just before vomiting, as a way to protect the mouth against the acid from the stomach.

Causes like a more complex digestive blockage or severe liver issues, might have your pup feeling unmotivated or weak and will clearly show in your dogs behavior, some of which will manifest in a bit too much drooling.

When it comes to ingesting things that might cause drooling; toxics, pesticides, rat poison and chemicals or cleaning products can also on the list of commonly digested products. If you suspect your dog might have come in contact with these, you’d want to get your pup checked just to be on the safe side. 

Anxiety, Stress Or Heat Strokes

Other times, your Border Collie might just be drooling way too much, because of the “heat of the moment”, so to speak.

If you’re pup is anxious, afraid or is feeling stressed for some reason, then drooling, shaking, growling or any combination of those, might all be natural responses.

Heat strokes brought by because of sudden shifts in temperatures, can also be the result of excessive drooling as well as high frequency panting. As long as your dog is not hyperventilating, some cooling down should be enough to bring your pup back to normal. 

The good thing is that these are very short-term reasons for excessive drooling, and can be fixed rather quickly with a bit of your help. Anxiety induced drooling, might need a bit more time since it’ll most likely require some sort of behavioral training.  

Throat And Mouth Tumors

In more severe cases, your dog might be drooling a bit way too much because of a throat or mouth tumor.

Dog mouth tumors most likely resemble small lumps in the gums around the teeth or on the upper palate. More often than not, these lumps can open up and start bleeding. Fortunately Border Collies aren’t predisposed to suffering from these types of tumors.

Although these are not common in Collies and you most likely don’t have to worry, if there is a slight chance you think your dog might have some abnormal mass in the mouth of throat, it’s recommended that you seek veterinary assistance as soon as you can.

Rabies

Rabies is an extremely serious disease that is potentially fatal in dogs and causes drooling as a symptom. Make sure to get your pup is up to date with its regular vaccination against the disease, as the vaccine immunity typically only lasts around one to two years. 

Conclusion

Border Collies, just like any other dog, drool to keep their mouth clean from bacteria to be able to break down food and also as a result of exercise.

Being as active as they are, frequent panting and some drooling is very common in Collies and is perfectly normal, meaning that you should not have to worry in most cases.

In some extreme cases however, excessive drooling might be a symptom of something a bit more troubling, especially when coupled with something like diarrhea, vomiting and general unease and discomfort.

If you suspect your Border Collie is drooling way too much all of a sudden, it’s recommended that you seek out veterinary assistance for your pup, just in case.