Breed portrait: Border Collie

Work-addicted specialist or intelligent family dog? The Border Collie is one of those dogs that currently enjoy a great deal of media presence. Whether in advertising, in film or in talent shows: these teachable herding dogs impress with their attractive appearance and their above-average intelligence. With it they learn even the most difficult tricks with playful ease. With their growing popularity, however, negative reports are also mounting up: the breed is said to be hyperactive, to tend to snap and to need to be kept occupied around the clock. What is really behind this?

A brief breed history

The Border Collie comes from the borderland (the "Border Line") between Scotland and England. Here, over centuries, medium-sized dogs that worked independently were bred for work with flocks of sheep. For the shepherds it was primarily about character and way of working, less about looks. It thus took a long time for a uniform breed image to emerge. The name "Border Collie" appeared for the first time in 1910 - making it the youngest British herding dog breed.

While other herding dogs such as the Bobtail were discovered early on as fashionable dogs, the Border Collie long remained a pure working dog. Accordingly, in today's animals the herding drive and a partly extreme eagerness to work are still strongly present. This makes the breed only conditionally suited to being kept as a pure family dog.

The appearance of the Border Collie

By now, appearance is also coming more strongly into the focus of breeding. A Border Collie should be medium-sized (45-55 cm at the shoulder) and have semi-long to long fur, whereby white should never be the dominant colour. The build is harmonious, the movements appear flowing and elegant. Alongside the classic black-and-white and tricolour, many colour variants are possible today.

Characteristic is the innate herding posture: crouched, the head low, the tail lowered and the eyes fixed unswervingly on the object - this rigid fixation ("The Eye") is fascinating. While in other dogs it is a sign of aggression, the Border Collie uses his gaze in a targeted way to control flocks without having to go directly "at the livestock".

The character of the Border Collie

More important than looks was always temperament. Breeding goals were always a pronounced "Will to Please" (the desire to please the owner), high intelligence, persistence and an absolute good nature towards people. Dogs that bit used to be immediately weeded out in order to avoid losses among the livestock.

Every dog is only as perfect as his owner

The intelligence of the Border Collie makes him in theory the perfect companion. Yet he is demanding: if he is given an appropriate task (herding work, dog sport or mental work) and confident leadership, he shows himself to be cuddly, fond of children and loyal.

If a task or leadership is lacking, the Border Collie finds occupation for himself - often to the owner's dismay. This can range from a rage for destruction in the home to the "herding" of cars, children or joggers. Too much action is just as harmful here as too little: Border Collies have no natural "off switch". They work to the point of complete exhaustion. The owner must therefore absolutely introduce rest periods and consistently insist on them.

Like hardly any other breed, the Border Collie demands consistency and canine understanding. Anyone who invests time and passion gains a partner with a big heart, who will go through fire for his human.