You can still find Border Collie competitions and shows all over the world. Sheepherding may not be as common today, but that doesn’t mean the Border Collie has become obsolete. Over his lifetime, he had more than 200 offspring and they became the breed standard for the Border Collie. Old Hemp was such an exemplary dog, farmers would come from far and wide for pups sired by him. It’s believed that all Border Collies are descended from one dog called Old Hemp from England in 1894. These early breeders need a dog that could work, and work well. When breeding practices started, then, these characteristics were much more important than things like coat colour and stature. And they needed what was called “the eye” – a fixed stare that the dog could use to communicate to the herd where to go. They needed to make their own decisions and live independently of their Owners. They needed to be brave in the face of predators without being overly aggressive towards the herd. These dogs needed to be hyper-aware and alert. Before the breed was officially formed, these pastoral dogs had a couple of important jobs: keep the herds together, keep the sheep calm, and ward off or warn the shepherd of predators.īreeders were looking for a very specific set of personality traits. Anyone interested in competitive dog competitions such as fly ballīorder Collies, in one form or another, have existed in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland for almost as long as humans have been herding livestock.
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January 2023
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