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Breed Standard of

The Border Collie

Let's take a look at Breed Standard of the Border Collie shall we?

The border countries of England and Scotland, with their rugged terrains, is  where the Border Collie breed originated. 

Shepherds bred these dogs based not only their ability to work long hours on tough terrain, but also their obedience. This selective breeding resulted in Border Collies’ unique way of collecting and bringing in the stock. 

These dogs are by nature herders, but are also taught to drive sheep or stock away, as well as keep the stock within a certain area. They also make wonderful pets.

Equal to appearance and size, is the Border Collies’ energy, intensity and trainability, developed over hundreds of years.  Its uncanny instincts and ability to reason and work without commands have earned it the distinction of being the best herding dog breed bar none.

Appearance

A Border Collie’s appearance should be athletic, well balanced and of medium size showing equal amounts of agility, style, strength and soundness. 

The dog’s muscular hard body should give the idea of endless stamina and effortless movement.   

A very crucial characteristic of this extremely intelligent breed is its alert, keen expression.

Judges will severely fault a Border Collie for any aspect of temperament or structure that would hinder the collies ability to work as a herding dog. 

The Border Collie is an unspoiled, natural and true working dog.  It should remain that way.

Coat 

Border Collies have two varieties of coat allowed and one is not preferred over the other.  These are:

Smooth

Entire body is smooth; texture is coarser; slight feathering allowed on haunches, forelegs, ruff and chest

Rough

Length is medium but not excessive; feathering on haunches, chest, forelegs and underside; smooth, short coat on fronts of legs, ears, face and feet

Both of this variety can have dense, close-fitting double coats that are weather resistant. 

The top coat is wavy or straight with a soft, dense, short undercoat. 

They do not penalize the dog for seasonal shedding.

Color

Border Collies can be in any color or combination of markings and/or colors with all colors and markings judged equally. 

White patches should not be predominant on the head or body but may be present. 

Forequarters and Hindquarters

When viewed from the side, pasterns are slightly sloped and the forelegs are parallel when viewed from the front. 

From elbow to ground is slightly longer than from wither or shoulder to elbow. 

Border Collies’ legs should be proportionate to their body and the shoulder blades are equal in length and well muscled .

The hindquarters, sloping to a low set tail, are muscular and broad with their thighs muscular, deep, long and broad.

Gait

Two of the Border Collies working gaits are the moving/stealth crouch and the gallop. 

They should move at moderate speed and never race.

The dog will automatically adjust his or her pace to match that of the stock that is being worked.

Head

A Border Collie should look intelligent, full of interest, alert and eager.

Their eyes are blue, any range of brown or part/one of each is blue or brown with fully pigmented eye rims are acceptable. 

Ears should be sensitive, highly moving and set well apart.  One or both ears can stand erect or semi erect.

The muzzle, narrowing slightly at the nose and skull are about the same length with the skull comparatively flat and average in width.

The under jaw on a Border Collie should be well developed and strong. 

Nose color is the same as the main body color with well-developed nostrils. 

Strong jaws and teeth that meet with a scissors bite are required.

Neck, Back and Body 

Their strong, muscular neck is in proportion to the length of the collie’s body and arched slightly. 

From the muscular loins to behind the withers, the back is level. 

The body of the Border Collie should be athletic with a moderately broad chest.  If the dog’s tail is obviously curled, it is a fault.

Size, Substance, Proportion

The requirements are:

Height at withers from 18” to 21” for females

Height at withers from 19” to 22” for males

Medium bone is correct, lighter preferred over heavy, strong bones

Overall balance is extremely important between length, height, bone and weight

It is considered a fault if even one feature of the dog appears out of proportion. 

The Border Collie is an alert, intelligent, responsive and energetic dog that loves working and excels at it.

 They stand their ground, but when it comes to family and friends are extremely affectionate. 

There is nothing quite as breathtaking as watching a Border Collie gathering and fetching the stock with complete control.  They make it seem effortless, and anticipate the direction that the stock will move.

I am sorry if that was all a bit "dry" but it is a little tricky to make the breed standards exciting.

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