Page 236 - Showsight April 2013

A Brief History of
tHe Border Collie
By Kelly Whiteman Border Collies originat-
ed in the border area
between Scotland and
England. Often called
the world’s premiere
sheepherding dogs,
Border Collies are renowned for their
ability to move sheep in a silent and con-
trolled manner, all at the will of their mas-
ters. Border Collies control stock by using
their “eye,” which has been described as
“the ability to control stock by staring
at them in a fixed and steady manner.”
Although their history is unrecorded, it is
commonly accepted that they developed
from crosses between the Roman drover
dogs and the progenitors of the Finnish
Spitz. As time went on, the dogs were also
crossed with other working and sporting
breeds, including beardies, setters, point-
ers and sight hounds.
Sporting breed records indicate that
certain lines of pointers worked differently
in the days when birds such as grouse and
partridge were hunted on foot with nets
rather than with guns. Like modern-day
dogs, these particular lines were able to
point to where a covey of birds was hiding
in the underbrush. But instead of flushing
the prey, the dogs would circle around the
perimeter of the covey, indicating to the
hunters exactly where to lay their net to
capture the birds. It seems likely that Bor-
der Collies inherited not only their “eye”,
but also the uncanny ability to know how
far off the perimeter they need to stay in
order to not disturb their “flock” from
these early hunting dogs.
Border Collies have traditionally been
bred solely for working ability. Because of
the difference in terrain between the Eng-
lish lowlands and the Scottish highlands,
farmers raised different breeds of sheep
based upon their locality. The type of stock
and the surrounding topography led to dif-
ferent physical attributes being required
for the dogs to be efficient workers. For
example, to survive in the rough hills and
rocky crags of the highlands, sheep had
to be light and fast. Thus, the good work-
ing dogs in the highlands tended to have
longer legs and leaner bodies. In contrast,
the lowlands could support slower, heavier
sheep. To work these large, heavy sheep on
gentler land, the dogs did not need as much
speed and agility. Instead, they needed a
lower center of gravity and enough size to
be able to withstand a charge from big,
angry ewes defending their lambs. There-
fore, the dogs in the lowlands had shorter
legs and heavier bodies. So, even though
the dogs were bred for working ability (as
opposed to being bred for “looks”), recog-
nizable physical styles evolved.
The first sheepdog trial was held in
Bala, Wales on October 9, 1873. Trials
were designed to showcase the working
ability of the dogs by having the dogs
move sheep through a series of obstacles,
penning the sheep and shedding one or
more sheep away from the rest of the
flock. The International Sheepdog Society
(ISDS) was formed in 1906. The ISDS
developed the first Border Collie stud
books and still registers working Bor-
der Collies today. The ISDS hold annu-
al competitions to determine National
Champions in England, Wales, Scotland
and Ireland. The National Champions
then compete for the ultimate goal—the
International Supreme Champion sheep-
dog. The first sheepdog trial to be held in
America was in Philadelphia, PA in 1880.
The first US National Championship
sheepdog trial was in Staunton, Virginia
in 1941. Today the United States Border
Collie Handlers Association (USBCHA),
the American Herding Breeds Associa-
tion (AHBA), the Australian Shepherd
Club of America (ASCA) and the Ameri-
can Kennel Club (AKC) hold herding
trials all across America. The trials have
various courses and formats and also have
choices of sheep, cattle, ducks, geese or
goats as stock.
Many trials, including the very first
one in 1873, also had a “type” competi-
tion after the dogs ran the course. The
“type” competition was, essentially, what
we call today a dog show. The dogs were
evaluated on physical structure to deter-
mine which was best suited to perform the
“Often called the world’s premiere sheepherding dogs,
Border Collies Are renowned for tHeir ABility to move sHeep in A
silent And Controlled mAnner, All At tHe will of tHeir mAsters.”
236 • ShowSight Magazine, April 2013