Border Collie

The Border Collie has been bred for over 100 years with functionality as the number one priority. These sheep herding dogs were abundant in Great Britain during the 19th century, though not quite what we have today. Most of these dogs were considered to be "fetching" dogs who had the ability to circle stock and guide them back towards the shepherd.

Sheepdogs (as the Border Collies were called) became very popular. In 1873 the first official sheepdog trial took place to test the qualities and function of the animals. This led to one of the first famous Border Collies known, Hemp. 

Hemp did very well at the trials and sired a high number of offspring. In fact, he is considered to be the father of the Border Collie. Hemp's way of herding was done with intimidation, using eye contact with the livestock.

Although these dogs were very popular and functioned superbly at their sheepdog abilities, it wasn't until 1915 that "Border Collie" was officially announced as the proper name for the breed. And as soon as the Border Collie came to America  they were instantly appraised by serious shepherds who needed the animal's magnificent herding abilities. Amazingly enough, it took until the year 1995 for the AKC to officially recognize the Border Collie as a show dog.

Read more about the Border Collie.