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| The name border collie is thought to refer to the border between England and Scotland. This name came later as they were originally referred to as collies or farm collies.
Border Collies, or farm collies, have probably been working livestock and helping farmers for close to 1000 years. They may have been larger than the present day border collie and they probably were mostly black with tan or white points. Over the years as the farmers refined the herding instinct, the present color and size may have been a conscious attempt or it may have been the by-product of selective breeding for the strongest dogs.
The present day border collie can be seen in various sizes though is usually between 35 and 50 lbs. The color may be classic black and white, or tri-colored, red and white, red tris, blue merles, red merles, tan and white or most any color imaginable.
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The coat may be rough [long, medium] or smooth [short]. Ear carriage may be floppy, prick or anything in between. They may even carry one ear up and the other down. All border collies will have a white tip on the tail, white points, and may or may not have a full white collar.
Border collies are ideal livestock dogs as they will work any type of livestock. They are commonly known as sheepdogs, but they will work cattle, chickens, geese, ducks and goats. They do not make ideal pets as they need a job. Herding children is popular with border collies - not so popular with parents and children. Herding cars is also popular with border collies - a pastime that is most often deadly. Border collies are very unhappy as couch potatoes or living in apartments without appropriate exercise and jobs.
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Health
Every breeder of border collies should have as part of their normal routine certain health checks. I also believe that certain health checks should be done on working border collies even if they are not to be bred. It has always been logical to me that if this dog is to be working, I need to know that he/she is healthy and free from certain genetic anomalies such as hip dysplasia. If you find your dog is dysplastic that does not mean your dog cannot work. What it does mean is that you need to be aware of the possible limitations of your dog and plan accordingly.
Hip Dysplasia
Hip Dysplasia is a hereditary condition caused by multiple genes. Work is now being done to determine which genes are responsible for this potentially devastating condition. Not all dogs with hip dysplasia have problems but this is one condition that should be recognized and if present the animal should not be bred.
Until we have a genetic test for hip dysplasia, all breeding stock should be x-rayed at 24 months or later and the x-rays should be submitted to the OFA [Othopedic Foundation for Animals www.offa.org ] for a rating. Theoretically, only dogs with a rating of Excellent, Good or Fair should be bred. PENN-Hip evaluation is used by some breeders. A responsible breeder will be sure that the prospective mate has an acceptable rating. Along with the hips, elbows can be done and rated. Why not do both while the dog is already under anesthesia?
In a joint effort, the ABCA and Cornell University are conducting a study to develop a new x-ray procedure and DNA test to determine the status of a dog's hips earlier than 2 years of age. This study is on-going and hopefully a definitive test will be routine in the near future.
CEA [Collie Eye Anomaly]
Thanks to Optigen, Cornell University and the American Border Collie Association, there is now a genetic test for CEA. If the parents are unknown, ALL border collies used for breeding should have this simple blood test done. One of three ratings will be given. Normal means the tested dog is clear of CEA and can never pass on the defective gene. Theoretically, this animal can be bred to any other animal and the prospective pups can never be affected. Carrier means that the tested animal carries one gene for CEA. This dog will never be affected but can pass on the defective gene. Careful breeding practices need to be considered when breeding to a prospective mate. In theory, this animal should be only bred to a normal dog. If the dog receives an Affected rating, this animal carries the genes for CEA and will pass the defective gene on to his/her pups. This affected animal may or may not become blind.
How this works:
Normal bred to Normal: All the pups will be normal and they never need to be tested.
Carrier bred to Normal: Some pups may possibly be carriers and all pups in the litter need to be tested if they are to be used for breeding.
Carrier bred to Carrier: Some pups can be normal; some will be carriers; some can be affected. All pups in this litter need to be tested whether or not they are to be used for breeding as some affected animals may develop the disease.
Affected bred to Normal: All pups will be carriers and should be tested if they are to be used for breeding. None of the pups will develop the disease.
Affected bred to Carrier: This breeding is not a good idea as all pups will be at least carriers and some will be affected and potentially develop the disease.
Affected bred to Affected: At all costs this breeding should be avoided. All pups will be affected and potentially develop the disease. This is not only heartbreaking for a potential buyer but this breeder has little if any consideration for the pups.
PRA [Progressive Retinal Atrophy]
PRA testing should be done yearly by a Certified Ophthalmologist for all breeding stock. This debilitating disease is hereditary and causes blindness. As with all testing, ask to see certificates for both parents of pups or for perspective mates for breeding.
Brucellosis
Brucella abortus is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection that can cause sterility in both males and females and spontaneous abortions in the bred bitch. Always require testing of perspective mates before a breeding takes place. This simple test could prevent many heartaches down the road.
Epilepsy
Work is being done to try to locate the gene or genes responsible for this devastating illness. Right now, the only responsible way to approach this is not to breed a dog that has had an unexplained seizure.
Early Onset Deafness
Studies are now being conducted to determine the gene[s] responsible for early onset deafness. Dogs with this condition appear to be deaf in one ear or both as early as 5.
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