Border Collie

The Border Collie is a medium-sized British herding dog of the collie type. It comes from the country along the border between England and Scotland and descends from the working sheepdogs once found all over the British Isles. It is kept mainly to herd sheep or as a companion, and some consider it the most intelligent breed of dog.

History

The breed grew out of landrace collies, and its name comes from its probable home on the Anglo-Scottish border. In 1915 James Reid, secretary of the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS), first used the term “border collie” to separate the society’s working dogs from the Kennel Club’s collies, which came from the same stock but had been changed by the show ring.

All purebred Border Collies alive today can be traced back to Old Hemp, a tricolor dog born in Northumberland in September 1893 and bred by Adam Telfer. He was a quiet, powerful worker to whom sheep responded easily, and his style became the style of the breed. A later stud dog, Wiston Cap, born in 1963, appears in most modern bloodlines and is the dog shown on the ISDS badge.

In the United States the main registry is the American Border Collie Association, which registers about 20,000 dogs a year. The AKC recognised the breed in 1995, over the protests of most Border Collie groups, who feared that working ability would be lost.

Appearance

Working Border Collies vary a great deal, because they are bred for ability and not for looks. Males stand 48 to 56 cm (19 to 22 in) and females 46 to 53 cm (18 to 21 in). The double coat may be smooth or rough, occasionally curled, and it sheds. Black and white is the most common color, followed by black tricolor, liver and white, and red tricolor. Blue, lilac, merle, brindle and solid coats also occur.

The eyes range from brown to green, and odd-colored eyes are sometimes seen, usually in merles. Ears may be fully erect, fully dropped or half-pricked. Show-bred dogs look more alike than working ones, since they are bred to a written standard.

Temperament

Border Collies are quick, energetic and highly trainable. At work they take direction by voice and whistle over long distances, and they herd not only sheep and cattle but poultry, pigs and ostriches. They are among the most successful breeds in agility, obedience, flyball and disc dog, and their keen noses make them good tracking dogs.

Care and health

UK studies have found a life expectancy of 12.1 to 13.1 years. Inherited conditions in the breed include collie eye anomaly, congenital and adult-onset deafness, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and trapped neutrophil syndrome; DNA tests exist for the last two. Some dogs carry the MDR1 mutation, which makes drugs such as ivermectin toxic at normally safe doses. Border Collie Collapse, an unsteadiness brought on by intense and exciting exercise, has been described in several countries, and its cause is unknown.

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