The appearance of the Border collie

What do we see when looking this dog?

The border collie is beautiful, the border is clever, the border is both at once and this is not only a cliche, this is a fact. Although this appearance is not the most important thing at this breed because we can say here "the job is the first". Why I say this? Because the first viewpoint is the mastery in its job and the look like is only secondary consideration - otherwise the flock is not interested the dog appearance and shepherds want to a good and mastered sheepdog rather than beauty. Maybe due to this we distinguish more than ten colors at this breed. I will write about this soon but we determine a fact first: the border collie beauty comes from its soul. Why? Well, those properties and knowledge it know is definitely qualify for this. These things make it more adorable. Its look which watch us says everything about the dog, that intelligence, the sophisticated instinct, the docility will take every people of their legs.

The border collie is a medium sized dog similar to the collie but it is a little smaller. A quote from the standard: "proportional body shape, smooth exterior lines exude harmony, courage andreflect a balance in us". Maybe I do not need to say it is a extremely hard-working, persevering, always alert and attentive and do not know the word lazy because it always must go and do its job. This is not allowed to be nervous or offensive not even human or animals. As I mentioned previously laziness desirable. Originally it is a silent doggy, rarely barking. When herd it use its move and piercing eyes not its sound. This dog can be good friend in the garden and house too but do not forget and it is really important: border collie need a definitely lot movement, and average people can not satisfy its dog needs. And if the owner can not weary the border it will not go to sleep next to the owner, no... the dog try to find activity for itself and it can herd cats or other animals even people too especially children so border recommend those who can devote the neccessary time for the dog. And this time does not measured in minutes but hours. Anyway if we learn and play with it and pay attention for the border collie, it will certainly thank you with its agility, devotion and beauty. Otherwise if we do not care about it then cause annoyance and retaliate our laziness. Herd children and adults and drive its owner to crazy. Somewhere wrote we need to book our dog attention at least one hour a day but I guess this kind of movement such as we go to the shop so not tired at all. The point is this dog is not offered old and those homekeeping people!

Appearance, look like

Mainly quoted from the standard:
Skull is fairly broad, occiput not pronounced. Teeth and jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. The eyes set wide apart, oval shaped, of moderate size, brown in colour except in merles where one or both or part of one or both may be blue. Expression mild, keen, alert and intelligent. The ears medium sized and texture, set well apart. Carried erect or semierect and sensitive in use. The tail is moderately long, the bone reaching at least to hock, set on low, well furnished and with an upward swirl towards the end, completing graceful contour and balance of dog. Tail may be raised in excitement, never carried over back.

Variety of colors permissible as well merle colors. White should never predominate.
Ideal height at withers at male: 48-53 cm, And bitches are little less: 48-51 cm.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the article the most important thing is the hard-working and intelligent, not the beauty in the border collie breeding so the variety of colors has really diversed. According to the standard the border has to type of fur: smooth and rough. But in the real life there are a lot of version between the two variations. Covered by double coat and the topcoat dense and medium textured, undercoat soft and dense giving good weather resistance in both type. They lose their undercoat in summer. According to the FCI standard the white should never predominate but in the real time there are white dogs too because the work is in the first place so in the breeders and shepherds in England do not pick dogs by color or patterns.

As usual, the genetic has the main role. Every information carry by genes and depends on it is recessive or dominant define the color. In this article we separate 13 variety of colors / fur types. Somewhere mention a little less because they not disrupt the tricolor red and the normal red colors. And finally meet these colortypes:

Color variations

Amazeme Cosmic Time Black-White: This is the border collie most common color and shepherds like this so much. The white comes with the other color variations typical collie signs: white star on the forehead, white place in the face, white collar, socks, stockings or white chest or end of the tail. If the white color is spread out on the head to the forehead and the crown, shepherds call this dogs to Cap due to the white pattern on the head. The coat can be stained or spotted. These dogs born like their fur in the white places are fully white and when growing the black - or other colors - spots will be appear on the white coat. Those dogs who has half white and half black face called "half-white face". The shepherd like this combination if work with two dogs: if one has black and the other has white head they can recognize the dog from afar.

Tricolor: Next to the black and white variation maybe the black-white-tan coat is second common if we would like to name this type shorter, this is the tricolor. One of this variation is the saddle patterned fur when the black color is similar to the german shepherd coat, create a saddle on the back.
The tricolor gene is recessive so this kind of dog can be born if both parents carry this gene and the two tricolor genes meet. In most cases if these genes meet the result is always tricolor puppies.

I'm On Fire Di Petrademone Blue merle: This marbled blue coat is the same as the collie blue-merle color. One of the dog's parents has to be carry this merle gene and because its dominant the child can merle coat.

Gingerbell Ziofrank Blue-merle tricolor: This kind of color is really rare too but there some dogs with this coat. In this color merle signs can be find on the tricolor patterns. It is come from the strange meet of genes when the merle gene cause these "abnormal", stained coat.

Glentress Dare To Dream Red: A red color in border collie mean liver or brown color as in the springer spaniel but in Australia people called this color to chocolate.
Not only the coat is red in this color even the nose has red color and the eyes too which means sometimes a little greenish.

Eyewitness Soulmate Tricolor red: The red color has tricolor version too when red-white-tan colors meet so we can called this tricolor chocolate or tricolor red but mainly people called it as simple red. The red and tan color sometimes so similar uninitiated people can not see the difference. The tan color mostly see on the face and eyebrows here is much more visible the difference between the two colors.

Lacey's Every Breath Ewe Take At Sammy Red merle: This is the red color marbled version as you can see in the picture as similar to the blue merle but the black/blue fur replaced by red. This kind of coat is rare than the blue merle because the hereditary gene is not dominant.

Hestia Van 't Hof Diabolo Red merle tricolor:

Blue / grey: This color is not so frequented in this breed. It can be appear in tricolor version (blue-white-tan) which means the black parts shine blue. The younger fellows this grey color is much more lighter and it can be darker when reach adult ages.

Lower Saxon Don't Worry Be Happy Slate merle:

Ghost of Pinewood Country Lilac: This color called to silver at the weimaraner, isabella at the dobermann and fawn at the kelpie. This "lilac" name use at cats and rabbits to. This color genetic formula is "bb dd" so the coat is brown and blue at once and due to this is seem to be purple. Those dogs who borned with this color their nose are cream-colored which prove the chocolate basis color.

Hoyden Van Waegevelde Lilac tricolor:

Quentin Of Pinewood Country Lilac merle:

Koda Van De Weimeniershoeve Lilac merle tricolor:

Sianworth Rustic Charmer Sable: This color is well-knowned at the collie and means yellowish-tan fur which end is black. The sable colored dogs has black pigmented nose and lips which refer to the basis pigments.

Brindle: According to many the brindle coat - such like the boxers - is not an original border collie color. Even so in the United States live some brindle colored and proprietaried border collies.

Gracy Vom Skuddenhof Seal: Maybe I do not have to mention it this is the rarest color. It is the combination of tricolor and merle. The merle signs, the darker spots can be visible when puppy but during the growing these spots merge to lighter areas. The dog carry sable colored gene marginalized the black color and we get this interesting color.

Easy From Doggone Borders Saddle:

Australian red (ee Red): This kind of color is similar to the lighter sable color but has a little difference, has not any black color in the fur. Some kind of color as the golden retriever. It can be find very different tones from the dark reddish yellow to the light pinkish. If we see an australian red puppy and we would like to find out what kind of color will be its coat we can easily do it just see its nose. If its brown it likely to be darken red is the dominant. The grey nose refer the blue color so the blue fur is the basis and if the nose is cream-colored or lilac then the lilac color is basis which mingle with the red so we can get really interesting colors.

sources:
http://kutya.hu/Cikk.aspx?id=5290
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Collie
http://bordercollies.es/colors.html