A Border Collie's sitter bag needs food for the full week, his own lead and harness, bedding that smells of home, puzzle feeders and one trusted fetch toy, and written notes on exercise and commands. This breed does not coast through a quiet week on good behaviour. A Border Collie who is walked briefly and then left to think will find his own employment, and that employment is usually herding, rearranging, or worrying at a door.
Food and the Feeding Routine for This Collie
Pre-portion your Border Collie's own food into labelled daily bags so the sitter never has to guess a scoop. Sudden food changes upset active dogs, and a week is long enough for a loose stomach to become a real misery for everyone in the house. Add the treats you actually use for training, because a sitter who rewards with unfamiliar rich snacks may undo a settled stomach. Note feeding times beside the bags, and say plainly whether food is scattered in a puzzle feeder, since many Collies eat far better when the meal itself is a small job.
Exercise kit: What an Active Collie Actually Needs
Pack the lead and harness your Border Collie already walks calmly on, not a new set he has never worn. Include a long line only if he is used to one, a ball he is allowed to chase, and a towel for muddy paws after wet fields. Write down how long his morning and evening outings usually run, the route he knows, and whether he recalls reliably or stays on lead around livestock and traffic. A sitter who under-walks a Collie on day one will meet a restless, staring dog by day two, so honesty about the real workload matters more than politeness.
Brain Work to Pack Alongside the Ball
Puzzle feeders, a lick mat, and a snuffle mat belong in a Border Collie's bag as surely as his food does. Mental work tires this breed in a way a short stroll never will. Note the games he already knows, such as finding a hidden toy or practising his settle on a mat, so the sitter is not inventing training mid-week. Leave the exact words for his cues, because a Collie who hears three different words for the same behaviour simply works harder at guessing. Keep sessions short in the written plan and end them with calm time on his bed.
Comforts, Contacts, and the Settling Notes
Tuck in the blanket from your Border Collie's own bed, unwashed, because familiar scent does quiet work overnight in a strange house. Add waste bags, any grooming basics his coat needs after wet walks, your phone number, a backup contact who knows him, and his vet's details in case he hurts a paw or eats something he should not. Flag the small things only an owner knows: the thunderstorm worry, the stare that means he needs the garden, the neighbour's cat he must not rehearse chasing. If he stops eating, paces through the night, or fixates and cannot settle, the sitter should call you first and the vet if illness or injury is suspected.
Sharing those exercise notes, puzzle games, and settling cues through KinsLe's Care Pass gives your sitter the full Border Collie playbook for the week, not just a bag by the door.