History

The Border Collie is descended from droving and gathering breeds originating on the Scottish-English and Welsh-English borders, including the Cumberland Sheepdog. Mention of the "Collie" or "Colley" type first appeared toward the end of the nineteenth century. Many of the best Border Collies today can be traced back to a dog known as Old Hemp.

In 1915, James Reid, Secretary of theInternational Sheep Dog Society in the United Kingdom first used the term "Border Collie" to distinguish those dogs registered by the ISDS from the Kennel Club's "Collie," which originally came from the same working stock but had developed a different, standardized appearance following its introduction to the show ring in 1860.

Border collie - standart

In general, Border Collies are medium-sized dogs without extreme physical characteristics and a moderate amount of coat, which means not much hair will be shed. Their double coats can be anywhere from slick to lush, and can come in many colors, although black and white is by far the most common. Black tricolor (black/tan/white or sable and white), red (chocolate) and white, and red tricolour (red/tan/white) also occur regularly, with other colors such as blue, lilac, red merle, blue merle, brindle and "Australian red"/gold seen less frequently. Border Collies may also have single-color coats.

Eye color varies from deep brown to amber or blue with occasionally one eye of each color, usually seen with merles. The ears of the Border Collie are also highly variable — some have fully erect ears, some fully dropped ears, and others semi-erect ears (similar to that of the  rough collie or sighthounds). Although working Border Collie handlers sometimes have superstitions about the appearance of their dogs (handlers may avoid mostly white dogs due to the idea that sheep will not respect a white or almost all white dog), in general a dog's appearance is considered to be irrelevant. It is considered much more useful to identify a working Border Collie by its attitude and ability than by its looks.

Those dogs bred for the conformation ring are more homogeneous in appearance than working Border Collies, since to win in  conformation showing they must conform closely to breed club standards that are specific on many points of the structure, coat and color. Kennel clubs specify, for example, that the Border Collie must have a "keen and intelligent" expression, and that the preferred eye color is dark brown. In deference to the dog's working origin, scars and broken teeth received in the line of duty are not to be counted against a Border Collie in the show ring.

Height at withers: Males from 48 to 56 cm, females from 46 to 53 cm.

Border Collies require considerable daily physical exercise and mental stimulation.

Border Collies are an intelligent breed. The breed has an instinctive desire to work closely and intensely with a human handler. Although the primary role of the Border Collie is that of the working stock dog, dogs of this breed are becoming increasingly popular as pets.

True to their working heritage, Border Collies make very demanding, energetic pets that are better off in households that can provide them with plenty of play and exercise with humans or other dogs.

Border collies are happiest with a job to do. However, a job to a border collie isn't necessarily working livestock. An activity such as Frisbee, chasing and retrieving a ball, or just simply playing chase will suffice.

As long as the border collie is in the herding/working position (crouched down, tail tucked between legs, eyes firmly fixed on the matter in hand) it considers it work.

Border Collies are now also being used in showing, especially agility, where their speed and agility comes to good use.

Some Border Collies tend to bite or nip their owners due to herding instincts or being left alone and this carries over into dog/dog aggression - many dog fights are started by these hyper-sensitive dogs another reason to either muzzle these dogs in public or to socialize them with extra care when puppies and to keep their herding instincts in check. They will try to bite at their owner's ankles and try to lead them which makes dog sports popular with Border Collie owners.However, in an appropriate home, with a dedicated, active owner, a Border Collie can be an excellent companion.

Though they can be a wonderful choice for some households, Border Collies are not perfect pets for all people. For example, as with many working breeds, Border Collies can be motion-sensitive and may attempt to control the movements of family members, cats, bicycles, cars or anything else that moves if not given enough mental and physical stimulation. These dogs are also generally not suitable for households with small children.

Many Border Collies that end up in shelters orrescue groups are there because owners, who may have been attracted by their appearance and intelligence, were not prepared to meet their dog's daily activity needs.

Takem from: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Collie