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Border collies are different from nearly all other dogs because they are bred to work livestock. That is what defines them. It makes them the best herding dog there is, and better at most things (including being a good companion) than breeds which are bred for appearance or "versatility." It follows that if you want an authentic border collie, you must get one that was bred for livestock work.
If you want a dog which will require a greater than normal investment of time and interest from you, and will give you a greater than normal return on that investment, a border collie may be the dog for you. Once you’ve read our overall introduction to the breed, here are some further concrete tips for getting a genuine, healthy border collie pup.
Now that the AKC has begun registering border collies, a number of AKC breeders are trying to turn the border collie into a show dog. Border collies should never be judged by their looks. What would you think of a doctor or lawyer who used success in beauty contests as a professional qualification? It is just as ludicrous to claim that a border collie’s quality is related to its success in dog shows. Entering border collies in this type of competition is a tip-off that the person doing it does not understand the breed.
Show-oriented border collie breeders will often claim that their dogs have "herding instinct," because they know that this is the right thing to say. Generally, it’s an empty claim. People with little livestock experience simply don’t know how to evaluate or breed for working ability, and if it’s not bred for, it can be lost in a very few generations.
How can you recognize breeders who don’t know enough to breed for herding excellence? They point to titles (letters before or after the dog’s name) acquired in dumbed-down AKC or other all-breed herding trials; they point to "herding instinct certificates" (an easy, meaningless credential that no serious breeder of working dogs would bother to get); they point to noted herding dogs several generations back in the pups’ pedigree (there’s scarcely a border collie alive who doesn’t have great herding dogs several generations back in his pedigree); they regard "versatility" and "temperament" as ends in themselves, rather than as the natural accompaniment of working ability; they typically refer to their dogs as "Borders."
Where a border collie sire or dam is advertised as having title initials before or after its name, you can be virtually sure that neither the dog nor the breeder is accomplished enough to compete in "real" open-level sheepdog trials. Ironically, therefore, these titles prove the exact opposite of what they are intended to prove.
How can you recognize breeders who know enough to breed for herding excellence? At a minimum they must either have a commercial livestock operation (not just a few head of "dog sheep"), or have a proven record of accomplishment in sheep dog trials or cattle dog trials (i.e., have placed in Open-level competition at USBCHA-sanctioned events). Success in these trials is never indicated by initials before or after a dog’s name.
Breeders who use their dogs in these ways have an understanding and appreciation of the essential qualities that distinguish the border collie breed, and have good reason to breed for the preservation of these qualities.
The border collie breed was created by breeders with no connection to the AKC, or their sanctioned club the BCSA, or their code of ethics. It is a bad sign if a breeder tries to validate himself by club membership, or condemns those who choose not to be a member of his club, especially when the club has been recently formed for the purpose of advocating conformation showing and other AKC activities.
In general, border collies are a healthy breed, as is to be expected in dogs
bred to work. There are, however, a few health problems of which buyers should
be aware. Border collies can inherit a condition called Collie Eye Anomaly
(CEA). It's possible to ensure that the pup you buy does not have CEA in one
of two ways. First, if the sire and dam have been DNA-tested for CEA, and at
least one of them tested as Normal (i.e., not carrying the gene), then none
of the pups in the litter will be afflicted with the disease. Thus, it makes
sense to ask the breeder if DNA tests for CEA have been done on the parents,
and if so, to ask to see the results. If no DNA testing has been done (which
is quite possible, since the test has only recently become available), the pup
should be examined by a canine ophthalmologist between the ages of six weeks
and 12 weeks old. The ophthalmologist will be able to tell whether the pup has
CEA, and if so, whether the condition will affect the puppy's eyesight. Although
CEA is often mild enough to have little or no effect on an affected dog's vision,
if CEA is found the breeder should agree to take the pup back if you so choose.
In any case where CEA is diagnosed, even if the ophthalmologist tells you that
the CEA will have no effect on your pup's vision and you prefer to keep the
pup, you should notify the breeder, so that the breeder will know not to repeat
that breeding again. If your pup is found to be free of CEA by the ophthalmologist,
he will be free of it for life. It was once believed that border collies were
subject to another hereditary eye disease called PRA, but it has since become
apparent that PRA is either exceedingly rare or non-existent in the breed.
Border collies can get hip dysplasia, even if their parents show no signs
of the disease in x-rays or in their daily lives. Nothing you or the breeder
can do will guarantee that your pup will not turn out to be dysplastic, but
to minimize the risk, you should ask to see certificates that the sire and dam
of the litter have been found free of dysplasia by the OFA or PennHIP or Cornell.
You should also be careful not to overfeed your pup, and to give him enough
age-appropriate exercise (with emphasis on walking and running rather than jumping)
to ensure that he builds the kind of muscle that helps maintain good joint formation.
Border collies can get epilepsy, which may be hereditary, but for which
there is no test. The best you can do is to question the breeder as to whether
there are any known incidences of epilepsy in the sire's or dam's lines. Finally,
a very serious hereditary disease called ceroid lipofuscinosis has been
found in some border collies, but only in those from Australian/New Zealand
show lines. If you avoid buying border collies with Australian or New Zealand
ancestors, CL should not be a concern
No reputable breeder
would sell puppies to a pet store, and therefore the only pups for sale in pet
stores are those from puppy mills or from others who breed for profit rather
than quality. Likewise, you can't judge a breeder from his web site. People
can make themselves look pretty wonderful on their own web sites. If all you
know about the breeder comes from his or her web site, you could be buying from
a puppy mill that you would flee from if you saw it in real life. In buying
this way you not only risk getting a dog with health or temperament problems,
but you could be contributing to overbreeding and inhumane treatment. Don't
support cash crop breeders and puppy mills.
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Getting a dog is an important decision; take time to do it right. Maybe the best thing you could do is to go to a sheepdog trial. Look at the list of USBCHA sanctioned trials and see if there is one near you. If you’ve never seen a trial, you will be entertained and amazed, and will learn a lot about what these dogs are about. At a trial, you can generally talk to the handlers (but not right before they’re scheduled to run!) and ask questions about where to get a good pup. In this way you can learn which breeders are respected by knowledgeable border collie people, and perhaps get to know a breeder from whom you can not only get a good dog, but learn a lot about this unique and wonderful breed.
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