Border Collies

The Border Collie originated in Great Britain, or on the borderline of Scotland and England. The first litter of pups came about when a dog named Old Hemp was bred with a good female, Meg. Old Hemp was a good dog, and had a way of herding his master's sheep all to his own. No other dog herded that way in those days, no other dog until Old Hemp's pups grew older. Old Hemp guided the sheep with his eyes, using them to herd the animals where he wanted them. His pups soon followed his lead. Meg was a strong-eyed female, and surely contributed to the ability to herd with eyes that is in all Border Collies today.

At first, the dogs were simply called "collies" and "farm collies" but then someone changed their name to "Border Collies." And this name has remained ever since.

Border Collies are generally black and white in appearance, but there have also been black/white/tans called black tricolors, red and whites, and red/white/tans called red tricolors. Blue creme, red merle, blue merle, Australian "red"/gold, and sable are rarely seen, but can also occur. The general eye color is brown, but can also be amber or blue. Most Border Collies in photos have semi-erect ears, or ears that fold over at the edges (like Rough Collies), but there are also some with totally erect ears, and some that have lop-ears, or ears like a Labrador Retriever. The dog as a whole is a rather small dog, their withers (shoulders) only going up to about a few inches below the knee on a six foot man. They have finely cut feet, rather small, and the most common coat is a long-haired, thick coat. The hair grows to about three inches long. On the short-haired variety, the hair is only about one inch long. The snout is long and finely cut, and the stop (point where snout meets bottom of forehead) slopes quite naturally.

Border Collies are suited well in a home where they will get plenty of exercise, phsyically and mentally. They often become destructive and mean when not given enough exercise. It could be said that a Border Collie must be worked all day long to give it enough exercise. One saying comments, "no sheep, no collie," which simply means that Border Collies are not suited to sitting around doing nothing. The Border Collie is not always good as a young children's pet, because it often tries to herd them, and the slightest move from the "herded" children may trigger the collie to snap at them. If they do not have sheep, collies will also herd poultry, cats, and their owners.

Border Collies can be great companions when given enough exercise. They have competed in dog shows, dog agility, flyball, disc dog, dog dancing, and herding trials. They are often the best in show because of their extreme intelligence, and they are ranked #1 in the list of the top ten Brightest Dogs. Here is the list:

1. Border Collie

2. Poodle

3. German Shepherd

4. Golden Retriever

5. Doberman Pinscher

6. Shetland Sheepdog

7. Labrador Retriever

8. Papillon

9. Rottweiler

10. Australian Cattle Dog

The most common diseases in Border Collies are Cataracts, Hip Dysplasia, Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA), and Epilepsy. Unfortunately, Border Collies have inherited many eye diseases from their great-great-great grandparents and such. The good news is that this can be stopped by testing your dog's DNA for such diseases, and if they don't have it, you will not breed infected pups. Therefore, many pups have been saved from death or suffering with these new tests.

The most common Border Collie Registration is The American Border Collie Association (ABCA). It can be reached at http://www.americanbordercollie.org/.

Overall, Border Collies have to be some of the smartest dogs in all of history....wouldn't you agree?

~The Dog Team