A short answer for Border Terrier drool
No — a Border Terrier does not drool a lot. This small working terrier from the border country between England and Scotland was bred to run with hounds and bolt foxes and otters from earths, not to sit with loose, heavy flews. The head is otter-like and neat, the lips meet cleanly, and the jaw is proportionate rather than oversized. In daily life that anatomy shows up as a dry mouth: no strings of saliva on the sofa, no wet patches on your trousers after a cuddle, and no constant wiping of walls or floors.
Expect the exceptions that apply to almost any dog. A Border will salivate a little more while waiting for dinner, chewing something especially tasty, travelling in a warm car, or panting hard after a long run across fields. The wiry beard around the muzzle can also carry water away from the bowl and drip it across the kitchen floor, which looks like drool but is really just a wet beard. Drying the chin with a small towel after drinks solves most of it.
Why Border Terriers stay comparatively dry
Drooling is largely about lip and jaw shape. Breeds with loose upper lips that hang past the lower jaw cannot hold saliva in, so it escapes whenever the head moves. A Border Terrier has the opposite arrangement: a short, strong muzzle, lips that seal, and no deep folds for saliva to pool in. Saliva is still produced for eating and digestion, but it is swallowed in the normal way instead of spilling out.
Individual variation still exists. A Border who is anxious in new places, nauseous on car journeys, or overheated will drool more than usual for a short period, and puppies who are teething chew and salivate more than adults. Those are situational spikes, not the breed baseline.
Living with a Border Terrier day to day
For someone comparing breeds for an apartment, a rented home, or a household that dislikes slobber, the Border scores well. You will not need bibs, drool rags in every room, or protective covers chosen mainly for saliva. A washable mat under the water bowl, a quick beard wipe after meals, and regular dental care cover the practical side. Borders are keen diggers and chasers, so your bigger management questions will be a secure garden, recall around wildlife, and enough exercise — not drool.
When extra drool in a Border Terrier needs a vet
A sudden change matters more than the breed average. Contact a veterinarian promptly if a normally dry Border starts drooling heavily, paws at his mouth, drops food, refuses hard chews he usually enjoys, has bad breath that is new, or shows swelling around the jaw. Those signs can point to a broken tooth, something wedged between teeth, mouth irritation, nausea, or heat stress, and they deserve a hands-on check rather than watchful waiting at home. The same applies if drooling arrives with vomiting, lethargy, or loss of appetite.
For routine choosing, keep the picture simple: this is a low-drool, low-fuss breed for saliva. If a dry mouth is high on your list alongside a sturdy, affectionate, game little companion, the Border fits that brief well. When you bring one home, KinsLe Transferrable Profiles let the breeder or rescue hand over his dental notes, feeding routine, and exercise preferences with his profile, so nothing about how he actually lives gets lost in the move.