Feb 28 • Breed of the Week
Border Collies
This Breed of the Week was requested by
The Border Collies that we know and love today have been around for more than 130 years through selective breeding but the ancestry of the breed and how they came to be go back much further. The working collie had established itself as a valuable benefit in the border country between Scotland and England.
How Border Collies earned their name is quite fascinating. It is said that the word “collie” is an old Gaelic term used in rural areas for anything useful and Border Collies like to work on the border of a herd. That is where their breed title was born. Other sources state that the “border” part of Border Collie is due to the fact that they originate on the border between Scotland and England.
Border Collies began their journey in domestication by being shepherd dogs in the medieval times. They had a variety of jobs back then such has drovers (specific type of herding dogs who moved livestock long distances), guard and herding (manage and protect livestock). There is a written documentation by Dr. Corhs from 1557 called the “Treatise of Englishe Dogges” that described the human shepherds and their dogs. Another source for early herding dogs is “The Dogs of Britain” (originally written in Latin) by John Keys, aka Johannes Caius after graduating from Gonville Hall in 1553, of Norwich, England.
While there were attempts to have careful and planned breedings there were mishaps between the working collies and countryside strays originally. There is a note that some of the planned breedings were between collies and gundogs and the debate on who contributed to who more was a topic of conversation. It is also believed that Border Collies are descendants of the landrace collies, including the Old Hemp line and other native herding dogs in the region. According to one source the Roman’s dogs and the Viking’s dogs also play a role in the development in the early Border Collie.
A breed standard for the Border Collie was established by the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS) in 1915 which provided clear guidelines on appearance, work capability and temperament. The ISDS, founded in 1906, brought together enthusiasts, breeders and shepherds. Thanks to the ISDS the standard for Border Collies maintaining their ability to work has been preserved. Without them the breed’s working abilities may have been bred out and the breed would exist just for looks.
If I am not mistaken the Border Collies in the photo with the word “amazing” are these dogs from Sean The Sheepman on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@seanthesheepman5845
Sources: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/border-collie-history-the-herding-dogs-development-through-time/, https://www.bordercollie.org/culture/history/historypt1/, https://dogmixology.com/border-collie/origin-history,https://www.mybordercollie.co.uk/the-history-of-border-collies-a-fascinating-journey-of-exceptional-herding-dogs/,https://www.scottish-at-heart.com/history-of-the-border-collie.html
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Border Collies
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