Evolving the Modern Sheepdog
Despite early genetic modifications to border collies, it must be understood that farmers and shepherds lived remote and secluded lives far into the nineteenth century. It was difficult for them to travel larger distances to see each other in order to compare their dogs, improve them through skillful interbreeding, or learn new and better sheepdog handling methods because there were no motor vehicles or railways.
Sheepdog trials, which began in the 1870s, allowed people to see which breed lines produced the greatest working dogs, which had a huge impact on sheepdog breeding quality and the creation of a type that was deemed perfect for livestock work.
THE ISDS
The International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS), established in England, has had the largest influence on the breeding of modern Border Collies. Its original goal was to improve the shepherd's dog in order to promote shepherds' work and better stock management. However, its greatest achievement has been recording and preserving the bloodlines of all the best working sheepdogs throughout the past century and beyond in the form of Stud Books and pedigrees. Some of these records date back to the 1890s and have proven invaluable not just to farmers and shepherds, but also to anyone looking for working collies. All herding sheepdogs in the world are descended from the British ISDS dogs' main gene pool.
Respect your pedigree:
Hopefully, this page has given you a better understanding of the border collie's origins, as well as a greater appreciation for his history and legacy.
Respect for who or what your dog is and where he came from is an important first step in successfully owning Border Collies.
It's crucial to remember the enormous contribution collies have made to our own survival over the years, ensuring livelihoods for people who had no other means of income. Even today there is still no machine that can work and control sheep more successfully than a Border Collie.
No words can express how much I respect and admire Border Collies, and I know that this is ultimately lies at heart of my relationship with my own dogs. Please do the same, while also appreciating how many of your collie's instincts or eccentricities, which may occasionally baffle or exasperate you, were placed there for reasons that are not the dog's fault.
If you don't appreciate your Border Collie, you'll never get the best out of him, and never progress to that ultimate level of understanding, where you and your dog coexist and work in perfect harmony.
An ideology which i hope, is shared by all reading this.
History & Types
Border Collies are renowned for their ability to move sheep in a silent and controlled manner, all at the will of their masters. 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.”Border Collies have traditionally been bred solely for working ability. Because of the difference in terrain between the English 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 different 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 working dogs in the highlands tended to have long legs and lean 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. Therefore, 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 just for “looks”), recognizable physical types evolved. In her classic treatise, Key Dogs from the Border Collie Family, four individual types were identified within the Border Collie breed. The types are divided by physical looks, but general working style and temperament also seem related to type. She called them: 1) Northumbrian type; 2) Wiston Cap type; 3) Nap type; and 4) Herdman’s Tommy type.-Kelly Whiteman, Sheila Grew, Key Dogs from the Border Collie Family, Heritage Farms Publishing Company, Revised Edition 1993.
Northumbrian Type
Almost all present-day Border Collies can trace their pedigrees back to a dog known as Old Hemp. Hemp was born in 1894, bred and owned by Adam Telfer, who lived in the Northumbrian region of England. Hemp was a cross between a very strong-eyed, black bitch with a reticent temperament and a black and white tri-colored dog with loose eye and a good natured, outgoing temperament. Hemp was a powerful, keen worker who sired over 200 puppies. Physically, Hemp was the epitome of the Northumbrian type: medium-sized with a rough coat and very little white trim.
The Herdman's Tommy Type
The last type is named after a Hemp grandson, Herdman’s Tommy. Three of the four main breeding lines to Hemp go back through Tommy. Physically, Tommy was a medium-sized dog with a lot of bone. His rough coat was black and white with tan markings. This type is known for their good nature, power and strong-headedness.
Wiston Cap Type
This type developed from J.M. Wilson’s dog, Cap, through Jock Richardson’s outstanding trial and stud dog, Wiston Cap. Also rough coated, these dogs tend to be larger, with big, blocky heads and much more white trim – collars, chests, forelegs, etc. They typically have tremendous natural outruns and biddable natures.
The Nap Type
Of the four types of Border Collies, the Nap Type is the only smooth coated one. The name comes from a dog called Whitehope Nap. These dogs are strong, fast and powerful. Their coat is short, but has an undercoat to act as insulation from cold or heat. Many have longer legs and shorter bodies, making their outline more square than the other types. Because of their short coats, speed, and power, many Americans used them to work cattle on large ranches in the Southwest.
Old Hemp
In September 1893 there was a dog born. He would come to be known, as the father of the Border Collie Sheepdog. His legacy lives on in all our border collies.
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The Origins and History of the Border Collie.
Where did they come from?
The Border Collie is often thought of as a ”workaholic” because of its desire and need for a particular job. Whether it’s herding sheep, fetching the ball, or learning obedience and agility, Border Collies have a superior intellect and fast learning capabilities. They are considered the most intelligent dog breed. One of their most recognizable features are their intimidating and hypnotic eyes, extremely useful in herding sheep without the need to nip or bark at them. A Border Collie owner must be up to the task and prepared for a top-tier, high stamina and high energy partner in crime.- Wiki
Where did they come from?
From the time man first domesticated sheep, he has needed dogs to help him control them, guard them and move them over large distances to different areas of pasture. Some of the earliest general stock dogs were used by Celts who settled in Ireland between the fifth and first centuries B.C., and it is thought that they coned the 'Collie' term, which in their language meant 'useful'. Only much later was the 'Border' added to this name to distinguish a particular kind of dog who worked sheep on the harsher terrain of the English and Scottish borders.
Considered highly intelligent, extremely energetic, acrobatic and athletic, nowadays they frequently compete with great success in sheepdog trials and dog sports. They are often cited as the most intelligent of all domestic dogs. Border collies continue to be employed in their traditional work of herding livestock throughout the world and are kept as pets.
In this role, due to their working heritage, border collies are very demanding, playful, and energetic. They thrive best in households that can provide them with plenty of play and exercise, either with humans or other dogs. Due to their demanding personalities and need for mental stimulation and exercise, many border collies develop problematic behaviors in households that are not able to provide for their needs. They are infamous for chewing holes in walls and furniture, and destructive scraping and hole digging, due to boredom. Border collies may exhibit a strong desire to herd, a trait they may show with small children, cats, and other dogs. The breed's herding trait has been deliberately encouraged, as it was in the dogs from which the border collie was developed, by selective breeding for many generations. However, being eminently trainable, they can live amicably with other pets if given proper socialization training.
It is highly recommended that potential owners, before taking on the breed as a household pet, should be sure they can provide regular exercise commensurate with the collie's high energy and prodigious stamina. A working collie may run many miles a day, using its experience, personality, and intelligence to control challenging livestock. These dogs will become distressed and frustrated if left in isolation, ignored or inactive. Like many working breeds, border collies can be motion-sensitive and may chase moving vehicles and bicycles, but this behavior can be modified by training. Some of the more difficult behaviors require patience, as they are developmental and may disappear as the dog matures.