The Border Collie
According to the AKC:
"The workaholic of the dog world, the Border Collie is the world's premier sheep
herder, prized for its intelligence, extraordinary instinct and working
ability. Medium-sized and athletic, the breed controls stock with stalking
movement and an intense gaze known as "eye." The Border Collie coat can be
rough or smooth and includes any color in bi-color, tri-color, merle, sable, or
solid patterns.
A Look Back
In the border country between Scotland and England, Border Collies (first
classified as the "Scotch Sheep Dog") were invaluable to shepherds by allowing
them to maintain large flocks of sheep. The breed as we know it today has been
around for more than 100 years. In the second half of the 19th century, Queen
Victoria spotted a Border Collie and became an active enthusiast. At this
point, the divergence between our modern Collie and the Border Collie began."
"The workaholic of the dog world, the Border Collie is the world's premier sheep
herder, prized for its intelligence, extraordinary instinct and working
ability. Medium-sized and athletic, the breed controls stock with stalking
movement and an intense gaze known as "eye." The Border Collie coat can be
rough or smooth and includes any color in bi-color, tri-color, merle, sable, or
solid patterns.
A Look Back
In the border country between Scotland and England, Border Collies (first
classified as the "Scotch Sheep Dog") were invaluable to shepherds by allowing
them to maintain large flocks of sheep. The breed as we know it today has been
around for more than 100 years. In the second half of the 19th century, Queen
Victoria spotted a Border Collie and became an active enthusiast. At this
point, the divergence between our modern Collie and the Border Collie began."
Preamble - The Border Collie originated in the border
country between Scotland and England where the shepherds' breeding selection was based on biddable stock sense and the ability to work long days on rugged terrain. As a result of this selective breeding, the Border Collie developed the unique working style of gathering and fetching the stock with wide sweeping outruns.The stock is then controlled with an intense gaze known as "eye", coupled with a stalking style of movement. This selective breeding over hundreds of years developed the Border Collie's intensity, energy and trainability which are features so important that they are equal to physical size and appearance. The Border Collie has extraordinary instinct and an uncanny ability to reason. One of its greatest assets is the ability to work out of sight of its master without commands. Breeding based on this working ability has made this breed the world's premier sheep herding dog, a job the Border Collie is still used for worldwide. General Appearance The Border Collie is a well balanced, medium-sized dog of athletic appearance, displaying style and agility in equal measure with soundness and strength. Its hard, muscular body conveys the impression of effortless movement and endless endurance. The Border Collie is extremely intelligent, with its keen, alert expression being a very important characteristic of the breed. Any aspect of structure or temperament that would impede the dog's ability to function as a herding dog should be severely faulted. The Border Collie is, and should remain, a natural and unspoiled true working sheep dog whose conformation is described herein. Honorable scars and broken teeth incurred in the line of duty are acceptable. Size, Proportion, Substance The height at the withers varies from 19" to 22" for males, 18" to 21" for females. The body, from prosternum to point of buttocks, is slightly longer than the height at the withers with the length to height ratio being approximately 10:9. Bone must be strong, medium being correct but lighter bone is preferred over heavy. Overall balance between height, length, weight and bone is crucial and is more important than any absolute measurement. Dogs must be presented in hard working condition. Excess body weight is not to be mistaken for muscle or substance. Any single feature of size appearing out of proportion should be considered a fault. Head Expression is intelligent, alert, eager, and full of interest. Eyes are set well apart, of moderate size, oval in shape. The color encompasses the full range of brown eyes, dogs having body colors other than black may have noticeably lighter eye color. Blue eyes (with one, both or part of one or both eyes being blue) in dogs other than merle, are acceptable but not preferred. Eye rims should be fully pigmented, lack thereof considered a fault according to degree. Ears are of medium size, set well apart, one or both carried erect and/or semi-erect (varying from 1/4 to 3/4 of the ear erect). When semi-erect, the tips may fall forward or outward to the side. Ears are sensitive and mobile. Skull is relatively flat and moderate in width. The skull and muzzle are approximately equal in length. In profile the top of the skull is parallel with the top of the muzzle. Stop moderate, but distinct. Muzzle is strong, tapering slightly to the nose. The underjaw is strong and well developed. A domed, blocky or very narrow skull is faulty according to degree, as is cheekiness and a snipey muzzle. Nose color matches the primary body color. Nostrils are well developed. Lack of nose pigmentation is a fault according to degree. Bite: Teeth and jaws are strong, meeting in a scissors bite. Complete dentition is required. Missing molars or pre-molars are serious faults as is an undershot or overshot bite. Neck, Topline, Body Neck is of proportional length to the body, strong and muscular, slightly arched and blending smoothly into the shoulders. Topline: Back is level from behind the withers to the slightly arched, muscular loins, falling to a gently sloping croup. Body is athletic in appearance with a deep, moderately broad chest reaching no further than the point of the elbow. The rib cage is moderately long with well sprung ribs. Loins moderately deep and short, muscular, slightly arched and with a slight but distinct tuck up. The tail is set on low and is moderately long with the bone reaching at least to the hock. The ideal tail carriage is low when the dog is concentrating on a given task and may have a slight upward swirl at the end like a shepherd's crook. In excitement, it may be raised proudly and waved like a banner, showing a confident personality. A tail curled over the back is a fault. Forequarters Forelegs should be parallel when viewed from front, pasterns slightly sloping when viewed from side. Because sufficient length of leg is crucial for the type of work the breed is required to do, the distance from the wither to the elbow is slightly less than from the elbow to the ground and legs that are too short in proportion to the rest of the body are a serious fault. The shoulder blades are long, well laid back and well-angulated to the upper arm. Shoulder blades and upper arms are equal in length. There is sufficient width between the tops of the shoulder blades to allow for the haracteristic crouch when approaching and moving stock. The elbows are neither in nor out. Feet are compact, oval in shape; pads deep and strong, toes moderately arched and close together with strong nails of moderate length. Dewclaws may be removed. Hindquarters Broad and muscular, in profile sloping gracefully to the low set tail. The thighs are long, broad, deep and muscular. Stifles are well turned with strong hocks that may be either parallel or very slightly turned in. Dewclaws should be removed. Feet, although slightly smaller, are the same as front. Coat Two varieties are permissible, both having close-fitting, dense, weather resistant double coats with the top coat either straight or wavy and coarser in texture than the undercoat which is soft, short and dense. The rough variety is medium in length without being excessive. Forelegs, haunches, chest and underside are feathered and the coat on face, ears, feet, fronts of legs is short and smooth. The smooth variety is short over entire body, is usually coarser in texture than the rough variety and may have slight feathering on forelegs, haunches, chest and ruff. Neither coat type is preferred over the other. Seasonal shedding is normal and should not be penalized. The Border Collie's purpose as an actively working herding dog shall be clearly evident in its presentation. Excess hair on the feet, hock and pastern areas may be neatened for the show ring. Whiskers are untrimmed. Dogs that are overly groomed (trimmed and/or sculpted) should be penalized according to the extent. Color The Border Collie appears in all colors or combination of colors and/or markings. Solid color, bi-color, tri-color, merle and sable dogs are to be judged equally with no one color or pattern preferred over another. White markings may be clear white or ticked to any degree. Random white patches on the body and head are permissible but should not predominate. Color and markings are always secondary to physical evaluation and gait. Gait The Border Collie is an agile dog, able to suddenly change speed and direction while maintaining balance and grace. Endurance is its trademark. The Border Collie's most used working gaits are the gallop and a moving crouch (stealth) which convert to a balanced and free trot, with minimum lift of the feet. The head is carried level with or slightly below the withers. When shown, Border Collies should move on a loose lead and at moderate speed, never raced around the ring with the head held high. When viewed from the side the trot is not long striding, yet covers the ground with minimum effort, exhibiting facility of movement rather than a hard driving action. Exaggerated reach and drive at the trot are not useful to the Border Collie. The topline is firm. Viewed from the front, action is forward and true without wasted motion. Viewed from the rear, hindquarters drive with thrust and flexibility with hocks turning neither in nor out, moving close together but never touching. The legs, both front and rear, tend to converge toward the center line as speed increases. Any deficiency that detracts from efficient movement is a fault. Temperament The Border Collie is energetic, intelligent, keen, alert, and responsive. An intense worker of great tractability, it is affectionate towards friends but may be sensibly reserved towards strangers. When approached, the Border Collie should stand its ground. It should be alert and interested, never showing fear, dullness or resentment. Any tendencies toward viciousness, nervousness or shyness are very serious faults. Faults Any deviation from the foregoing should be considered a fault, the seriousness of the fault depending upon the extent of the deviation. Approved: January 13, 2004 Effective: March 2, 2004 |
Colors and CodesBlack - 007
White and Black - 202 Blue - 037 White and Blue - 288 Blue Merle - 050 White and Blue Merle - 363 Brindle - 057 Gold - 091 Lilac - 504 Red - 140 White and Red - 214 Red Merle - 276 White and Red Merle - 506 Sable - 164 Sable Merle - 166 Saddleback Sable - 505 White Ticked - 507 What Does All That Mean? Those colors are those accepted by the AKC, and the codes are just numbers to put on certificates/registeries. Below are pictures of several possible color possibilites for a AKC/SKC standard Border Collie: (Keep in mind, some colors below are not allowed at the AKC) Let's Talk About Genetics!
Along with the names of our Border Collies and other information about them, we have their genetics listed. These genetics can be kind of confusing when it comes to not knowning what they mean. Below are the list of genetic initials. Domminant genes to the left, recessive to the right.
EE, ee, KK, kk, br - These are all colors for the coat. EE or ee are for red, brown, chocolate, or yellow. KK or kk are for either black or black stripes. 'br' is for brindling. ay - sable. TT, tt - Ticked vs. nonticked. br - brindle, this genetic can be shown as Kbr, brbr, or kbr. MM, Mm, mm - Merle coloring. If MM is present in the pup (due to both parents being merle) infertility can occur as well as other health problems. mm is no merle color. And Mm is merle. Merle color pattern can only occur if one parent is already merle. at - Tan Point/Tricolor SS - Solid Color (One Color) Si - Irish Pattern Sp - Piebald Pattern Sw - Extreme White Piebald BB, bb, Bb - This is for eye color and nose color. Nose color should match the coat pattern and color. Irish Pattern? Piebald?Irish-colored means the dog has a white collar and white "socks" on its feet, but it's coat has minimal to no splotches of white.
Piebald Pattern includes more white present on the body. Too much white, i.e. Sw, can lead to deafness in border collies. Extreme White Piebald is not allowed in the AKC or SKC. Health Problems?Common health problems Hip dysplasia, Collie eye anomaly (CEA), and epilepsy are considered the primary genetic diseases of concern in the breed at this
time.CEA s a congenital, inherited eye disease involving the retina, choroid, and sclera that sometimes affects Border Collies. In Border Collies, it is generally a mild disease and rarely significantly impairs vision. There is now a DNA test available for CEA and, through its use, breeders can ensure that they will not produce affected pups. There are different types of hip testing available including OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) and PennHip. Radiographs are taken and sent to these organizations to determine a dog's hip and elbow quality. Two types of hearing loss occur in the breed. The first type is pigment associated and is found in Border Collie puppies. The second type is known as adult onset hearing loss. These dogs have a normal auditory brainstem response test as pups but gradually lose their hearing some time between one and eight years of age. A study is currently underway at The Translational Genomics Research Institute to identify the genetic cause of adult onset hearing loss in the breed. Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) is a rare but serious disease that is limited to show Border Collies. NCL 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 by Scott Melville in the laboratory of Dr. Alan Wilton of the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales.There is no treatment or cure, but a DNA test is now available to detect carriers as well as affected dogs. Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome (TNS) is a hereditary disease in which the bone marrow produces neutrophils (white cells) but is unable to effectively release them into the bloodstream. Affected puppies have an impaired immune system and will eventually die from infections they cannot fight. The mutation responsible for TNS has been found in Border Collies in English working dogs, in show dogs that had originated in Australia and New Zealand, and in unrelated Australian working dogs. This indicates that the gene is widespread and probably as old as the breed itself. TNS was identified by Jeremy Shearman in the laboratory of Dr. Alan Wilton of the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales. There is no cure, but a DNA test is now available to detect carriers as well as affected dogs. Other diseases found less commonly include glaucoma, juvenile cataracts, osteochondritis, hypothyroidism and diabetes mellitus. Elbow dysplasia may also occur in the breed. Dogs homozygous for the merle gene, sometimes referred to as "double merles", are likely to have ocular and/or auditory defects. (This concept does not exist in the Sims 3 Kennel Community, although at ORK we do try to avoid the breeding of two merles) |