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All About Border Collies
About Border Collies
The herding dog that we call Border Collie is a very old breed of dog. His ancestors were used by people who have tended livestock for centuries. I am sure the Shepherd watching over his flock of sheep did not call him a Border Collie. To him, he was a dog used to help him attend to the flock of sheep in the fields as far back as Old Testament of the Bible. Through careful breeding the Border Collie has become one of the most popular breeds of dog for the livestock handlers around the world.
 The dog today has a wide variety of looks. I know I never have a problem of being able to tell one of my dogs from another. Each one of them has a different look. Some are short haired some have long, not to mention the wide verity of color combinations. Even the different look of the ears of the dogs is amazing. I have had dogs that had stand up ears, others that would have the ears that stand up part way and then the others that have the lay down look. The funny part of all this is that there are as many different opinions of how a dog should look as there are dogs that look different. I personally would rather have a dog I thought was pretty but pretty is as pretty does. A pretty dog is the one that controls the stock he has to work.
There are lots of opinions as to how a dog is supposed to work. My preference is for the dog to be very, very confident and a good gathering dog. He has to be confident enough to face livestock without fear of the stock. If the stock is too large in size and too many in numbers, you should furnish him with enough help to get the jog done. Try to remember the reason you have the dog is most likely because you can’t do the job yourself.
 I have used the Border Collie for 30 years to work a lot of different kinds of animals. I was once asked if the dogs could work Buffalo. The dogs worked them, moved them from pen to pen and kept them under control which is hard to do with Buffalo. We trialed for over twenty years and were lucky enough to take home a few trophies. The dogs and I have put on many demonstrations around this part of the world. The most important thing the dogs do is control all of my livestock any and every time they are asked to.
I encourage breeders to keep the Border Collie the great gathering, intelligent and wonderful working dog we have been blessed with, for this and the next generation to enjoy.
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