KUSA OFFICIAL BREED STANDARD

BORDER COLLIE

HERDING GROUP

EFFECTIVE 01/02/2017

 

A Breed Standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential.

 

GENERAL APPEARANCE:  Well proportioned, smooth outline showing quality, gracefulness and perfect balance, combined with sufficient                                                               substance to give impression of endurance. Any tendency to coarseness is undesirable.

CHARACTERISTICS:            Tenacious, hard-working sheep dog, of great tractability.

TEMPERAMENT:                 Keen, alert, responsive and intelligent. Neither nervous nor aggressive.

HEAD & SKULL:                  Skull fairly broad, occiput not pronounced.  Cheeks not full or rounded. Muzzle, tapering to nose, moderately short                                                       and strong. Skull and foreface approximately equal in length.  Stop very distinct.  Nose black, except in brown or                                                             chocolate colour when it may be brown. In blues nose should be slate colour.  Nostrils well developed.

EYES:                                     Set well 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.

EARS:                                     Medium size and texture, set well apart. Carried erect or semi erect and sensitive in use.

MOUTH:                               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.

NECK:                                   Of good length, strong and muscular, slightly arched and broadening to shoulders.

FOREQUARTERS:                Front legs parallel when viewed from front, pasterns slightly sloping when viewed from the side. Bone strong but not                                                     heavy.  Shoulders well laid back, elbows close to body.

BODY:                                   Athletic in appearance, ribs well sprung, chest deep and rather broad, loins deep and muscular, but not tucked up.                                                         Body slightly longer than height at shoulder.

HINDQUARTERS:                Broad, muscular, in profile sloping gracefully to set on of tail. Thighs long, deep and muscular with well-turned stifles                                                   and strong well let down hocks. From hock to ground, hind legs well boned and parallel when viewed from rear.

FEET:                                     Oval, pads deep, strong and sound, toes arched and close together. Nails short and strong.

TAIL:                                     Moderately long, the bone reaching at least to hock, set 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.

GAIT / MOVEMENT:          Free, smooth and tireless, with minimum lift of feet, conveying impression of ability to move with great stealth and                                                        speed.

COAT:                                   Two varieties:

                                                    1) Moderately long

                                                    2) Smooth

                                              In both, topcoat dense and medium textured, undercoat soft and dense giving good weather resistance. In moderately                                                long coated variety, abundant coat forms mane, breeching and brush. On face, ears, forelegs (except for feather), hind                                                  legs from hock to ground, hair should be short and smooth.

COLOUR:                             Variety of colours permissible. White should never predominate.

SIZE:                                     Ideal height: Dogs: 53 cm;  bitches slightly less

FAULTS:                               Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should                                                  be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect on health and welfare of the dog and on the                                                         dog's ability to perform its traditional work.

NOTE:                                  Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles full descended into the scrotum.