How do you see the character of a Border Collie? The purebred Border Collie has a large, proportionate skeleton with a shoulder height of 19 to 22 inches for males and 18 to 21 inches for females; moderate eye size, open eye spacing, erect or semi-erect ears and well-developed nostrils; a stable and balanced gait, large stride, agility and endurance. 1. Body Length The body length (from the end of the scapula to the distance of the hips) is slightly greater than the shoulder height. The bones are strong, but not exaggerated, and proportionate to the overall size. Overall proportionality of height, length, weight, and bone mass is critical and is much more important than a single feature. Excess weight should not be mistaken for muscle or bone mass. Any single feature affecting the overall balance will be considered a defect.2. Head expression: intelligent, alert, enthusiastic and curious. Eyes: Well-divided, medium-sized and oval. Rim pigment and eye color are brown; if the primary body color is not black, the eye color will be significantly lighter. Lack of eye ring pigmentation is a defect. The presence of blue eyes in dogs of any color other than meteorite is a defect. Ears: Medium sized, more separated, with ears erect or semi-erect (keeping 1/4 to 3/4 of the ears erect). The tips of the ears point to the front or to the sides. Ears are sensitive and flexible. Head: Broad, with the posterior occipital bone not protruding. The length of the head is equal to the length of the front face. The stop is moderate, but clear. Muzzle: Slightly short, firm, and blunt, with a slightly slender nasal mirror end. The lower jaw is strong and very well developed. The color of the nosepiece is proportional to the main body color and the nostrils are well developed. Bite and sum: teeth and jaws strong, shear bite and sum.3. Forequarters from the front, forelimbs skeletal and well developed, parallel to each other. From the side, the ankles are slightly inclined. The scapula is properly angled to the upper arm. The elbows are neither bent inward nor turned outward. The wolf paws can be removed. The paws are compact, ovate, with deep and firm pads and moderately rounded and compact toes.4. The hindquarters are broad and muscular, with a mildly sloping profile toward the tail. The thighs are long, wide, deep and well-muscled. The knee joint is properly angled and the fly joint is strong and low. The hindlimbs are well boned, straight, parallel to each other and have very slight bull limbs when viewed from behind. The wolf claws can be removed. The paws are compact, ovate, with deep and firm pads and moderately rounded and compact toes. The toenails are short and sturdy.5. The coat allows for two types: coarse and short hairs. Both types have a soft, dense, double coat that can withstand harsh weather. Puppies have a short, soft, dense and waterproof coat. It transforms into an undercoat as an adult. Rough coat type: The coat is medium in length, flat and slightly wavy in texture, with a short, smooth facial coat. The forelimbs have feathery trimmed hairs. The hair on the hind quarters can be clipped short. With age, the coat will gradually become very wavy, which is not a defect. Short-haired type: the hair on the whole body is short, the forelimbs may have trimmed hairs, and the chest hair is abundant. [5] 6. Color The Border Collie has many colors in a variety of styles and markings. The most common colors are black with (or without) white bands, white collar, white socks, and white tail tip, with (or without) brown markings. All different colors of the body are allowed, with the exception of all white. Single, bi-color, tri-color and traditional colors should be treated equally in competition. Color and markings are secondary indicators in competition; body structure and gait are the primary indicators.7. GaitThe Border Collie is an agile dog, capable of sudden changes of speed and direction without losing balance and grace. Endurance is the signature of this breed. It trots with a sprawling, smooth, effortless gait. The paws are at the shortest distance from the ground and there is no change in the dorsal line when it glides easily (smooth dorsal line). When observed from the side, its stride length is very large while the pace frequency is very low, and the movement is rapid and accurate. There was no slack in the shoulders, elbows and ankles. The drive of the limbs is strong and elastic when observed from the rear. The fly joints are close together but not crossed. Deviation from the correct gait as described above is a defect. In the final evaluation, the gait is among the most important characteristics, and the body structure is judged to be sound and correct as such.
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