Border Collie

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Renowned as one of the world's finest sheepdogs, the Border Collie has been used to herd sheep for centuries.

The Border Collie is a medium sized bundle of energy, looking rather like a lightly built Australian Shepherd without a bob-tail.

The body is slightly longer than the height at the withers. The skull is fairly wide with a distinct stop.

The muzzle tapers to the black nose. The ears are usually half-perked.

The oval eyes are generally dark brown, except in merles where one or more eyes may be blue.

The teeth should meet in a scissors bite.

The tail reaches at least to the hock and is sometimes raised when the dog is excited, but is never carried over the back.

There are two varieties of Border Collie: one with coarse hair (thick, straight, about 3 inches (7.6 cm.) long), and one with sleek hair (about 1 inch (2.5 cm.) long.

The coat colors come in black and white, tri-color, red & white, black & gray, and all black. White should never be the main color. The longer haired variety should have a mane and tail brush. The hair on the face, ears and front legs is always short and sleek. Since Border Collies are bred for working ability and intelligence rather than for physical beauty, conformation varies widely.

Temperament: Alert, Energetic, Tenacious, Responsive, Intelligent

Other names: Scottish Sheepdog, (sometimes confused with the related Welsh Sheepdog)

Health Problems: Prone to epilepsy, hip dysplasia, PRA (Collie Eye Anomaly) and deafness. Often allergic to fleas. Some herding dogs carry a MDR1 gene which makes them sensitive to certain drugs that are otherwise okay to give another dog, but if tested positive for this gene can kill them.