Mary Allen
Border Collie – a beautiful dog
Born sheepherders, the Border Collie has been doing this job for generations. The mix that produced this “super working dog” is unknown, but spaniels and other herding dogs are believed to be among their ancestors.
Intelligent, active, and loyal to its owner, the Border Collie, therefore, makes a wonderful pet – but only for owners who are dedicated enough to dedicate a lot of time and effort to their dog. According to a well-known American study, the Border Collie is the smartest of all dog breeds in terms of obedience and working intelligence.
Border Collie – breed portrait
The Border Collie was sent all over the world to work as a herding dog, so much was his skill in demand. He works instinctively – owners of border puppies will find that from an early age they begin to hold together and direct whatever moves.
This breed competed in the earliest recorded herding dog qualifications, and today its representatives excel not only at herding but also in agility and obedience.
Anyone who keeps a Border Collie as a house dog gets to know its downsides: a lot is demanded of the owner. These Collies need adequate, strenuous exercise as well as mental training. If you don’t have a herd for your dog to herd, you have to come up with a lot to keep the highly intelligent dog busy.
Many solve the problem by letting their dog participate in agility and flyball competitions, or by devising tricky tricks to teach the dog to keep them mentally fit.
Bored Border Collies can become neurotic and destructive, so it’s important to think carefully about whether you’re right for a Border Collie. A happy Border Collie is one of the most grateful pets out there.
Whether it’s part of his “job” balancing on balance beams or catching frisbees in the park, it’s a pleasure to see the focus he puts on his work.
Otherwise, the dog is undemanding. Combing once a week is enough to protect the coat from matting. Also, it takes him longer to grow up, sometimes up to his third birthday. That’s why it can take long until he’s brought up reliably and lets go of all “juvenile” nonsense.
Border Collie: Appearance
This well-proportioned and agile dog has a pointed muzzle with a black nose and a clear stop. The oval eyes are not set too close together and are of medium size and dark brown.
The only exception to this is the blue-marbled colored form (blue-merle), in which one eye or both are blue. The facial expression is gentle and intelligent. The very flexible ears are semi-erect. With regard to the color of the fur, there are two varieties: long-haired and short-haired.
In both cases, the top coat should be dense and of medium consistency, while the undercoat should be short, dense, and soft. The Rough Collie’s coat must form a mane, pants, and a brush-shaped tail. The snout, ears, and limbs, on the other hand, have short, smooth hair.
There are no particular restrictions on coloring, but the white color must not predominate. The tail should be of average length, set on low, thickly-haired, and curved upwards at the tip. When excited, it stands level, but never over the back.
Border Collie: Care
The Border Collie’s coat requires relatively little grooming. Weekly brushing will keep the coat in good condition.
Sheep dog: Temperament
The Border Collie is a typical herding dog. Its outstanding characteristics, such as obedience and determination when working, make it a versatile animal.
He develops an unusual level of affection for his owner. In order to please him, he tries to guess his wishes and to pass every test. Among his other qualities, he has tremendous dexterity that enables him to do the most difficult things.
For example, he can jump up from a standing position. His lively and affectionate gaze, typical of this breed, shows great natural intelligence.
Shepherd dog: Characteristics
The Border Collie is a beautiful, harmoniously proportioned four-legged friend whose strength, willingness to work and stamina do not appear at first glance.
The breed is characterized by robustness, intelligence, fearlessness and a quick perception and ability to react, but also by a certain innate sharpness, which can become unpleasantly noticeable if the hard-working dog is not challenged enough and has no real task. Accordingly, it is important to develop “bite inhibition” early on.
Shepherd dog: Upbringing
Border Collies are known worldwide for their tremendous intelligence and desire to live up to that reputation. They understand new commands extraordinarily quickly. Most Border Collies have a natural disposition for herding cattle.
Sheepdog: Accommodation
A Border Collie is only suitable for advanced dog owners who are willing to keep thinking up new things to teach their four-legged friend. If a Border is constantly caged, he is prone to destructive behavior and persistent loud barking.
Sheepdog: Compatibility
When given enough exercise and mental exercise, a Border Collie tends to get along well with peers, other pets, and children. In the absence of work, however, the border may find employment himself, such as “rounding up” and “herding” the children or other pets.
Border Collie: Movement
A Border Collie that has nothing to do quickly becomes a rude, sometimes even aggressive, dog. A little exercise alone is not enough for this breed. The Borders want and need to be challenged with one or more tasks.
So it’s not surprising that Border Collies tend to be found at the top of competitions, especially when it comes to agility, obedience, “fly-ball” or herding sheep. In a way, dogs are “perfectionists” and always want to do everything right. It’s obvious: this breed needs work!
Border Collie: Name origin
The “Border” in the name means the border between England and Scotland, where this tried and tested herding breed originated. The Border Collie was – and still is – a real working dog that takes its job of herding and herding the flock of sheep very seriously and masters it perfectly. He doesn’t seem to have fully come to terms with his role as a companion dog, which he’s been asked to do more and more recently.
Border Collie: Particularities
This breed is not suitable for beginners. Only dog-experienced people should get a Border Collie (or a mixed breed of this breed) and ensure that the four-legged friend is adequately occupied and exercised.
Border Collie: Story
As early as 1873, the first organized competition took place in Great Britain, the so-called “Sheepdogtrial” (English herding test or shepherd dog test), on which the dogs can demonstrate their achievements in a competition.
At these competitions, the dogs were able to demonstrate their sheepherding skills and the winners were particularly popular for breeding purposes.
Sheepdog trial
Even today, sheepdog trails are a significant trait when evaluating a Border Collie’s breeding quality. As a result, he was also initially included in the ISDS (International Sheep Dog Society), where more was judged on his herding abilities and less on his appearance.
The first breeders intended to breed a dog that could do hard and complicated work in a harsh and inhospitable climate. When selecting the working and herding dogs of the time, little or no value was placed on the animals’ appearance and health.
Even today, the ISDS (International Sheep Dog Society) does not prescribe standards for physical characteristics, it is believed that such breed standards have a bad influence on the only important breeding goal, an excellent herding dog.
Old Hemp – Progenitor
Nonetheless, the Border Collie was recognized as a show breed by the Kennel Club of London in 1976 and was included in FCI standards in 1988. The “progenitor” of the modern Collie is considered to be the male “Old Hemp”, born in Northumberland in September 1893. He was popular as a stud dog because of his outstanding herding skills.
“Old Hemp” was owned by breeder Adam Telfer where he was a working dog herding sheep while displaying an unusually calm working style that was picked up by other breeders and is now considered common among Border Collies. Old Hemp’s herding skills also caught the interest of other handlers.
He was so in demand as a stud dog that the number of his immediate offspring is estimated at more than 200. His features, medium build, and rough coat have been preserved in many of his offspring and have become distinctive of the breed.
The Border Collie today is partially influenced by the Australian type, which exhibits a longer coat and stronger bone structure. The progenitor was the New Zealand male “Clan Abby Blue Aberdoone”, who was brought back to England, the homeland of the Border Collies.
In contrast to other dog breeds, the breed standards for the Border Collie are not so strictly defined and deliberately leave room for interpretation.