Border Collie
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| Border Collie | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Country of origin | ||
| Scotland, England | ||
| Classification and breed standards | ||
| FCI: | Group 1 Section 1 #297 | Stds |
| AKC: | Herding | Stds |
| ANKC: | Group 5 (Working Dogs) | Stds |
| KC (UK): | Pastoral | Stds |
| NZKC: | Working | Stds |
| UKC: | Herding Dog | Stds |
The Border Collie is a hard-working breed of herding dog that originated in the border country of England and Scotland. They are regarded by many as the most intelligent dog breed. Like some other working dogs, some Border Collies are highly energetic, and as a result have a tendency towards neurotic or destructive behavior if not given enough to do mentally and/or physically. They are still frequently used on farms all over the world for assisting with the handling of livestock, although they have also become popular as pet and sport dogs.
Border Collies are very loyal to their masters.Border Collies are known as sheep herder dogs.
Border Collies come in many colors and "types". They can be long coated, medium or short coated, but the coat is always double, so they do shed, especially in the spring and fall. Generally, they are about 18" to 24" tall and can weigh from 25 to 55 pounds or more. Border Collies bred for the show ring are more uniform in type and size, but all Border Collies vary from dog to dog due to their history of being bred to work in many differing environments.
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[edit] Appearance
Because Border Collies have historically been selected for working ability, and not looks, they vary widely in appearance.
In general, they are medium-sized dogs without extreme physical characteristics and a moderate amount of coat. Their double coats can be anywhere from slick to lush, and can come in many colors, although black and white is by far the most often seen at conformation shows and herding trials and therefore the most common in public perception; tricolor (black/tan/white) and chocolate and white also occur regularly, with other colors such as, blue and white, chocolate merle, blue merle, "ee" red or sable seen less frequently.
Eye color varies from deep brown to amber or blue with occasionally one eye of each color. The ears of the Border Collie are also highly variable -- some have fully erect ears, some fully dropped and others are semi-erect (similar to that of the Rough Collie). Although working Border Collie handlers sometimes have superstitions about the appearance of their dogs (many handlers do not prefer red dogs, or mostly white dogs), in general a dog's appearance is considered to be irrelevant. It is much more useful to identify a working Border Collie by its attitude and ability, not its looks.
Those dogs bred for the conformation ring are much more uniform in appearance than working Border Collies, since to be successful show dogs they must conform to breed club standards that are specific on many points of the structure, temperament, coat and color. Kennel clubs specify that the Border Collie must have a keen and intelligent expression, and the preferred eye colour is generally dark brown. In deference to the dog's working origin, scars and broken teeth received in the line of duty are not to be counted against a Border Collie in the show ring.
[edit] Temperament
Border Collies are an extremely intelligent breed with an instinctive desire to work. They are also extremely energetic and require a lot of attention, but are very responsive to training. They are better off in a household that can provide them with plenty of exercise and a job to do. Like most herding breeds, they will attempt to herd family members, cats, squirrels, bicycles, cars, or anything else that moves in the absence of other charges. This might even include birds in mid-air.
Border Collies don't make good pets for people who cannot provide a considerable amount of daily exercise, both physical and mental. Many Border Collies end up in shelters or rescue groups because families, attracted by their appearance and intelligence, discover that they cannot provide the considerable attention and effort required for this driven, active, easily bored breed—though this problem can be alleviated by giving the dog lots of mental and physical stimulation.
This can be done by taking them to training classes and for long, brisk walks. Participating in dog sports such as dog agility, flyball, sheepdog trials, tracking, dog dancing, Disc dog [1], dog sledding races and obedience are also popular with Border Collie owners for this reason. Some owners believe that a Border Collie will benefit from having a personal trainer. As with many breeds, temperaments vary widely among individuals.
Among some breeders in Britain there is a common saying: "no sheep, no collie", referring to the dog's usual unsuitability to people who just want a "smart dog." A dog bred from prize winning sheep-herding stock may well be less suitable as a companion dog than one which has its immediate ancestry more rooted in domestic environments. Border Collies love to play and do not always know when to stop on their own; owners are advised to ensure that their dogs do not dangerously overexert themselves, especially in hot weather.
Some owners have great success with mental exercising of this breed. Border collies receiving a great deal of attention from their owner will normally learn a stronger understanding of language than basic commands. What might be "Frisbee" for another dog, can be "Get your frisbee from the backyard", resulting in the dog opening a simple door mechanism, exiting the home and returning with the desired object, or "Do you want to go on a walk?" will result in the dog returning with the leash in their mouth and standing by the door. Most new words or phrases can be mastered in one or two tries, and normally if associated with another familiar phrase. The learning process is similar to a human child learning his first words.
This breed's intelligence can often get in the way of training. One of the most frustrating habits of a border collie can be its tendency to "anticipate" a command before spoken. An owner not familiar with the breed may reward the behavior nonetheless, preventing the animal from learning additional commands.
[edit] Health
Hip dysplasia is not uncommon among purebred Border Collies. Elbow dysplasia or Osteochondritis also occurs, along with epilepsy, deafness and hypothyroidism. Dogs homozygous for the merle gene are likely to have eye and/or hearing problems. Responsible breeders do not mate merles to one another.
Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) is a fairly rare but serious disease which has been found chiefly in Border Collies from Australian and New Zealand show lines. It results in severe neurological impairment and early death; afflicted dogs rarely survive beyond two years of age. The mutation causing the form of the disease found in Border Collies was identified in the laboratory of Dr. Alan Wilton of the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.[2] There is no treatment or cure, but a DNA test is now available to detect carriers as well as affected dogs. This test is extremely valuable in making breeding decisions.
Collie eye anomaly (CEA) is a congenital, inherited eye disease affecting Border Collies and other breeds involving the retina, choroid, and sclera. In Border Collies, it is generally a mild disease and rarely significantly impairs vision. There is now a DNA test available for CEA also, and through its use breeders can ensure that they will not produce affected pups.
[edit] History
[edit] Origins
The Border Collie is descended from droving and gathering breeds originating on the Scottish and English border. Mention of the 'Collie' or 'Colley' type first appeared toward the end of the nineteenth century with every current Border Collie tracing back to a dog known as Old Hemp. Old Hemp, a tri-color dog, was born September 1893 and died May 1901. He was bred by Adam Telfer from Roy, a black and tan dog, and Meg, a black-coated, strong-eyed bitch. Hemp was a quiet, powerful dog that sheep responded to easily. Many shepherds used him for stud on their bitches, and Hemp's working style became the Border Collie style. Wiston Cap is the dog that the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS) badge portrays in the characteristic Border Collie herding pose. he was a tri color with a lot of white. He was the most popular stud dog in the history of the breed, and appears in a huge percentage of pedigrees today. Bred by W. S. Hetherington and trained and handled by John Richardson, Cap was a biddable and good-natured dog. His blood lines all trace back to the early registered dogs of the stud book, and to J. M. Wilson's Cap, who occurs sixteen times within seven generations in his pedigree. Wiston Cap sired three Supreme Champions and is grand-sire of three others, one of which is E. W. Edwards' Bill, who won the championship twice.
The dogs were traditionally known simply as "collies," but terms like working collie, old-fashioned collie, and farm collie have also been applied to them. It was in 1915 that James Reid, Secretary of the International Sheep Dog Society in Great Britain, first used the term "Border Collie" to distinguish those dogs registered by the ISDS from the Kennel Club's "Collie," which originally came from the same working stock but had developed a different, standardized appearance following its introduction to the show ring in 1860.[3]
[edit] Breed standards
As is the case with many breeds of dogs that are still used for their original purposes, breed standards vary depending on whether the registry is more interested in a dog that performs its job superbly or a dog whose appearance meets an ideal standard.
There are two types of tests, or standards, to determine the breeding quality of a Border Collie. The original test was the ISDS sheepdog trial, still used today, where a dog and handler collect groups of livestock and move them quietly around a course. The 'standard' comes from the fact that, the world over, there are certain standard elements to this test. Sheep must be gathered without being too much disturbed, from a distance farther than the typical small airport runway. They then must be directed through obstacles at varying distance from the handler, and then the dog must demonstrate the ability to do work close at hand by penning the sheep and sorting them out. It is these elements which have shaped the working abilities of the Border Collie and defined the breed. These dogs are necessarily capable of incredible feats of athleticism, endurance, intense focus, and high levels of trainability.
In nearly every region of the world, the Border Collie is now also a breed which is shown in ring or bench shows. For the people who participate in these events, the Border Collie is defined by the breed standard, which is a description of how the dog should look. Temperament is also a major consideration for show dogs. In New Zealand and Australia, where the breed has been shown throughout most of the twentieth century, the Border Collie standards have produced a dog with the longer double coat (smooth coats are not allowed), a soft dark eye, a body slightly longer than tall, a well-defined stop,as well as a gentle and friendly temperament. This style of Border Collie has become popular in winning show kennels around the world, as well as among prestigious judges.
Few handlers of working Border Collies choose to participate in conformation shows, as working dogs are bred to a performance standard, rather than one based on appearance. Likewise, conformation-bred dogs are seldom seen on the sheepdog trial field, except in Kennel Club sponsored events. Dogs registered with either working or conformation based registries are seen in other performance events such as agility, obedience or tracking, however these dogs do not necessarily conform to the breed standard of appearance as closely as the dogs shown in the breed rings as this is not a requirement in performance events.
[edit] Registries
In the UK, there are two separate registries for Border Collies. The International Sheep Dog Society [4] encourages breeding for herding ability, whereas the Kennel Club (UK) encourages breeding for a specific appearance. The ISDS registry is by far the older of the two, and ISDS dogs are eligible for registration as pedigree Border Collies with the Kennel Club (KC) - but not vice versa. The only way for a Border Collie without an ISDS pedigree to be added to the ISDS registry is by proving its worth as a herding dog so that it can be Registered on Merit (ROM).
In the United States, the vast majority of Border Collies are registered with the American Border Collie Association, which is dedicated to the preservation of the working dog. However, the breed was also recognized in 1995 by the American Kennel Club, which promotes standards based on appearance and temperament, after occupying the AKC's Miscellaneous Class for over forty years. The recognition was under protest[5] from the majority of Border Collie affiliated groups, such as the United States Border Collie Club, which felt that emphasis on the breed's working skills would be lost under AKC recognition. AKC registrations have gradually increased since recognition and by the year 2004 there were 1,984 new AKC registrations of Border Collies, with a further 2,378 for the year 2005 [6] where the number registered has seemed to lower somewhat and plateau. By contrast, the American Border Collie Association registers approximately 20,000 Border Collies annually.[7] Because of the inherent tension between the goals of breeding to a working standard and an appearance standard, the American Border Collie Association voted in 2003 that dogs who attained a conformation championship would be delisted from the ABCA registry.
In Australia, Border Collies are registered with an Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) affiliated state control body or with a working dog registry. Between 2,011 and 2,701 ANKC pedigreed Border Collies have been registered with the ANKC each year since 1986 [8]. Inclusion on the ANKC affiliate's main register allows Border Collies to compete in conformation, obedience, agility, tracking, herding and other ANKC sanctioned events held by an ANKC affiliated club, while inclusion on the limited register prohibits entry in conformation events. The ANKC provides a breed standard, however this applies to conformation events only and has no influence on dogs entering in performance events. Non ANKC pedigreed dogs may also be eligible for inclusion on an ANKC associate or sporting register and be able to compete in ANKC performance or herding events. Agility organizations such as the Agility Dog Association of Australia (ADAA) have their own registry which allows the inclusion of any dog wishing to compete in their events.
In Canada, Agriculture Canada has recognised the Canadian Border Collie Association [9]as the legal registry under the Animal Pedigree Act for any Border Collie that is designated as "Pure Breed" in Canada. The criteria used is based on herding lineage rather than appearance. It is a two-tiered registry, in that dogs imported that are registered with a foreign KC that does hold conformation shows are given a "B" registration, whereas those that come directly from other working registries are placed on the "A" registry. Recently, the Canadian Kennel Club has polled its members to decide if Border Collies should be included on the CKC "Miscellaneous List". This designation would allow Border Collie owners the ability to compete in all CKC events, but the CKC would NOT be the registering body. Many people who compete in performance events are very eager for this to occur. The CBCA is against this designation.
[edit] Activities
[edit] Livestock Work
Working border collies can take direction by voice and whistle at long distances when herding. Their great energy and herding instinct are still used to herd all kinds of animals, from the traditional sheep and cattle, free range poultry, and pigs, to deer and ostriches. They are also used to remove unwanted wild birds from airport runways, golf courses, and other public and private areas.
Shepherds in Britain have taken the most critical elements of herding and incorporated them into a sheepdog trial. The first recorded sheepdog trials were held in Bala, North Wales, in 1873.[10] These competitions enable farmers and shepherds to evaluate possible mates for their working dogs, but they have developed a sport aspect as well, with competitors from outside the farming community also taking part. In the US, the national sanctioning body for these competitions is the USBCHA[11]. In Britain it is the International Sheep Dog Society, and in Canada the Canadian Border Collie Association (CBCA)[12].
[edit] Dog Sports
Because of their working background, Border Collies excel at several dog sports. They dominate the higher jump heights at dog agility competitions, so much so that in England the Border Collies occasionally are given competitions separate from all other breeds.
The Border Collie's speed, agility, and stamina has led them to dominate the relatively new sport of flyball as well.
Border Collies have a highly developed sense of smell and with their high drive make excellent and easily motivated tracking dogs for Tracking trials. These trials simulate the finding of a lost person in a controlled situation where the performance of the dog can be evaluated with titles awarded for successful dogs. Because of this skill, Border Collies are used by many Search and Rescue Teams in both Lowland and Mountain areas.
[edit] Well known Border Collies
- Rico. Dog who was studied for recognizing dozens of objects by name.
- Shep. Long-term companion to John Noakes of the BBC's Blue Peter and also Meg, companion of Matt Baker, former presenter of Blue Peter.
- Fly and Rex from the movie Babe
- Bingo, a border collie mix from the movie Bingo
- Nop's Trials by Donald McCaig. Book about a man's search for his Border Collie, Nop, with lots of herding stories.
- Dog in the cartoon strip Footrot Flats.
- Mike, from the movie Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
- Angelo, Rinoa's pet in the video game Final Fantasy VIII.
- Murray, played by a border collie mix named Maui, in the NBC sitcom Mad About You.
- The 1978 television incarnation of The Famous Five's Timmy, played by Toddy Woodgate.
- Larry, who follows Haywire in "Buried", an episode of the television series Prison Break.
- "Ziggy" the crown prince couple of Denmark's dog.
[edit] Gallery
 A sable and white Border Collie in England |
 A blue female Border Collie at 5-weeks-old |
 A 4 month old black and white border collie pup |
 A chocolate and white Border Collie |
 A black and white Border Collie |
 A 12-week old tri-colour Border Collie pup |
 An 8 week old puppy |
 A 3 month old Border Collie |
[edit] References
- Objects of the International Sheep Dog Society
- The Kennel Club (UK) Border collie breed standard
- American Kennel Club rules and regulations
- American Kennel Club Border collie breed standard
- American Kennel Club registration statistics
- Australian National Kennel Club mission statement and regulations
- Australian National Kennel Club Border collie breed standard
- Australian National Kennel Club registration statistics
- Canadian Border Collie Association registration Bylaws
- Canine Control Council (Queensland) Rules 2005
- Royal New South Wales Canine Council regulations
- Herding vs. Show debate entitled AKC vs the Border collie
- Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis press release
- American Border Collie Association
- Border Collie at Puppy Dog Web
- U.S. Border Collie Handlers' Association, the primary sanctioning entity of sheepdog trials in North America
[edit] See also
- McNab, a variety of Border Collie
