Border Collie

The Border Collie is a breed of herding dog. The Border Collie is distinguished more by its excellent shepherding skills than by its morphology. A French specificity requires, unlike the countries of Europe, that he submits to a so-called "confirmation" examination. This takes place under the guidance of an expert-confirmer, the particularity of the breed being that this examination is not only a morphological examination, but above all a work test. In order for this examination to be carried out as well as possible, the Border Collie is the only breed whose confirmation has been delegated to the breed club1 by the Société centrale canine. Confirmation gives a subject's offspring the opportunity to be listed in an official studbook. In other countries, several stud books generally coexist, following the example of Great Britain where the Kennel Club (KC) book lists show and sport dogs, and the International SheepDog Society (ISDS) book. ) registers working dogs. A dog registered with ISDS can automatically obtain a KC pedigree. On the other hand, a dog with a KC pedigree must prove its ability to work on herds to be registered with the ISDS, "on the basis of merit". Dogs can therefore have a double pedigree. Moreover, confirmation is not the key to reasoned reproduction: the breed, affected by hip dysplasia as well as ocular anomalies, must see its subjects intended for reproduction tested. Moreover, it should not be forgotten that the breed today presents this real particularism through its selection at work: one should not try to make it the fashionable dog, and even less a companion dog. It is therefore important to favor for reproduction, subjects with a real instinct and real natural qualities at work. In the same way, one should not select this subject on its color, the fashion favoring today rare colors, and leading breeders to use for the reproduction of subjects with the average quality of work. Activities In all the disciplines that can be practiced with a Border Collie, care should be taken not to exceed the endurance of his dog: the voluntary side can lead to the total exhaustion of the animal, because he does not know not always stop: as long as there is work, there goes! The Border Collie's favorite activity remains guarding and moving herds - sheep, cattle, even goats, poultry, etc. - where he can fully express his abilities and give free rein to his instincts. Ardent worker, generally docile but knowing how to take initiatives, very complicit with his master, he has a great strength: that of the "power of the eye". It looks like he hypnotizes the animals he has to watch over. As a result, he works very precisely, generally gently, although he also knows how to impose himself with his fangs, if necessary. It is the dog most used on farms, and it is also the breed most represented in competitions on herds, whatever they are ("inter-race" or "special Border"). In Great Britain, it is also used in various sectors: police, customs, assistance, research in rubble. It is versatile. It is also the most represented breed at the international level in agility Agility Thanks to its extreme speed, its flexibility, its size and its ability to learn, the Border Collie has carved out a large place for itself in agility competitions. Well mastered by a connoisseur of the breed, he can be a formidable competitor. But it is not to be put in all hands: it is a dog that must be educated by promoting calm, otherwise it will quickly become unmanageable if it is educated in excitement. Flyball This discipline which requires motivation through play, precision and speed is a discipline much appreciated by Border Collies, who can deploy their formidable acceleration. Cani-cross and bike-jöring Its tenacity makes the Border Collie a dog perfectly suited to running and mountain biking. Regular work helps develop endurance and achieve excellent results. Obedience / rhythmic obedience or rhythmic obedience Very docile, the Border Collie excels in these two disciplines based above all on obedience and the reproduction of movements worked on little by little, as well as on complicity with the master and on calm and listening to the dog. He is also very often found on the podiums of these two disciplines. Guide dog for the blind The Border Collie is increasingly recognized as a guide dog for the blind because it is strong-willed, loyal, quick, active and has good concentration. Its great capacity for learning, its flexibility and its ability to "supervise" its master make it an excellent service dog. It is advisable to privilege for this activity, subjects presenting less instinct or calmer subjects. Frisbee Here is another sport in which the Border Collie can also flourish because it has the main qualities required: the fairly light size, speed and flexibility. Health The Border Collie has a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years. Statistically speaking, the figures are quite different however, in particular due to the frequent accidents of which its subjects are victims, by dint of wanting to stop cars or tractors... Rustic, the Border Collie, by its selection, presents few health anomalies. However, several potential faults must be screened before any reproduction and others must also be sought: - Anomaly of the collie's eye (AOC) and retinal atrophy (APR). Several examinations can be carried out to detect these problems: "mechanical" examinations carried out by a veterinary ophthalmologist, and a genetic test which can be carried out via a DNA sample by a laboratory (see Optigen, Antagene, Genindexe). APR causes the degeneration and death of the cells of the retina, at the back of the eye, and more or less quickly leads the subject to blindness. An animal with APR can be an excellent companion, the disease does not affect the vital prognosis and the dog adapts very well to this condition. COA, also known as choroidal hypoplasia, is an inherited condition. Dogs with a mild, non-progressive form present with a thinning of the choroid without loss of vision throughout their life (grades 1 and 2). Dogs with a severe and progressive form develop coloboma which can lead to partial or total retinal detachment, intraocular hemorrhages and loss of vision (grades 3 and 4). Since the mild and severe forms are due to a mutation in the same gene, dogs with a mild form can produce offspring with a severe form. These subjects can be good farm helpers or excellent companions; nevertheless, they must imperatively be excluded from reproduction and sterilized. - Hip dysplasia. It is advisable to have an x-ray of the hips performed (performed by the veterinarian under general anesthesia) for any subject intended for reproduction. It should be noted that while dysplasia can be of genetic origin, it can also be environmental (too rich or too poor feed, breeding premises with slippery floors, unsuitable activity during the growth period). As it is delicate to determine the origin, the subjects whose hips present anomalies must be isolated from the reproduction. - Drug sensitivity. Susceptible dogs have a genetic abnormality (a mutation) in the MDR1 gene. When the MDR1 gene is not functional, various drugs (see list below) accumulate in the brain and become toxic until they cause severe intoxication and eventually the death of the animal. Affected animals are generally sensitive to ivermectim, a deworming component. If the Border is relatively unaffected, it may however be useful to have the genetic test carried out in the context of reproduction; even if the proportion of Border Collies affected remains small, this may eventually prevent the development of the disease. - Cases of epilepsy or stomach torsion are also referenced: they would probably be more of an environmental origin in this breed, the Border Collie being a sensitive breed, great stress, sustained exercise, weather or work conditions extremes, which can lead to epileptic seizures or stomach upsets. However, this remains rare.

Origin: Great Britain - Scotland The Border Collie has been selected for pastoral purposes for more than two centuries. It is assumed that the breed was fixed using English Pointer and Gordon Setter blood. Subsequently, the term "Collie" became synonymous with sheepdog. The breed was established in 1893 by the stallion Hemp who is considered to be its ancestor. The Border Collie takes its name from the so-called "Borders" region (a word meaning "border"), which separates Scotland from England, the cradle of the breed. This name was adopted as early as 1915. Great Britain did not recognize the breed until 1976. The first Border Collies arrived in France in the early 1980s.

The Border Collie is a tenacious, hard-working, very docile, focused, ardent, intelligent, very fearful, but very little aggressive sheepdog. Its selection, based on work, makes it a dynamic animal, active and requiring activities. Almost totally selected for herd work, the Border Collie has a very specific particularity: it has an irrepressible, almost obsessive need to gather, to bring down anything that seems to be dispersing or fleeing. However, he can be a perfect companion, as long as he is offered enough activities. On the other hand, the selection and the work of the breeders have generated a great diversity of characters and appearances. Ideally, the Border Collie is never aggressive. He should not be fearful but the breed is a minimum: he is a balanced, intelligent dog, capable of analyzing many situations. Easy to train - if we take into account his very strong instinct of "beater" and if we know how to show flexibility - he is able to learn and perform all kinds of tasks. he is a very endearing dog, but he can be dominant. We must remain very vigilant. The master can have a very great complicity with his dog because he is very attentive to his master. He is very energetic and demands a lot of his master's time.