Which Breeds Come In Working Lines?

[Starkehre]

That makes sense DeltaCharlie, thank you very much. I wonder if we should be striving to achieve that ideal world - getting the Australian shows to accept the different coat types and also breeding our working line border collies to try to ensure they still look like a border collie? Could we not breed a dog focusing on both aspects without having to choose one or is that difficult genetic-wise? As for people having access to a more laid-back border collie from show lines I can't help but think, if someone doesn't want the work ethic of a border collie, perhaps they shouldn't get a border collie..... but working dogs should also come with an off switch so they are not hyper bouncing off the walls all the time? I don't know what the middle ground is. I completely agree with you that temperament should be priority. However I think form is also important as without good structure a working dog would not be able to work all day anyway and that's where the show ring assessment could help.

Sorry I don't know much about the whole thing, I don't show neither do I work stock so I am perhaps being too naive. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom, it's all very interesting!

When I started with show Borders in the early 80s it was very common for show and working dogs to come from the same litter. My first bitch came from a rural kennel that were 2nd generation showing dogs and poultry so they showed their dogs and sold the rest of the litters to local farmer to work. Pet Borders were pretty uncommon and most not used for work or show were obedience dogs. Long before the ANKC started registering Borders there were working registries for working sheepdogs and this is where the foundation stock of the ANKC dogs come from so they are the same lines. Over the years the working owners opted to only register with one of several working registries or not register at all and many of the early registered dogs have a lot of unknown dogs behind them which may have been any sort of working sheepdog. Early in the 20th century BC and Kelpies were crossed here to get the best working dogs and the progeny registered as whichever breed they most resembled. In the US it is more common to find a mix of Border and Beardie if you go back to the same era and probably a lot of the unregistered ones behind the US working dogs were early Aussie types too. You can find Kelpies behind pretty much every ANKC Border and most of the working lines too if they are from lines going back that far in Aust. The working dogs split into general farm dogs and three sheep trialling dogs and the two are very different with the trial dogs being much stronger eyed with a very particular style of working. The same happens in working Kelpies. The serious triallers imported dogs with this particular skill to breed on from as there is little practice for this type of dog on a typical Aust farm that differs so much from the British Highlands the dogs originated from or the NZ high runs where the breed is also used. There has been much transmigration over the years to and from NZ as well. If you breed only for working ability, breed type is easily lost but most working them don't care as all they want is for the dogs to work. Similarly if you breed for breed type first with a closed registry which the ANKC dogs became, you will get a very set type but working ability will lessen in some lines as some dogs without working ability will be bred and perpetuate the problem. All borders should show work instinct and most still do even if they lack the style of a 3 sheep trial dog. Working or show bred, you still get the odd lazy dog that really isn't interested in running around much but in the working lines, those dogs do not get bred from and in fact many are shot. Borders should never be bred as pets even though many are pets. It is their unique nature that should appeal to any owner. The long coats are a hindrance with grass seeds in particular so working long coats tend to get a rough haircut but the coat never grows thick when a dog really works so coat density isn't an issue. In the UK many of the working trial dogs could still step into any show ring as a lot of the farmers there treasure the look of the breed as well but here the attitude seems to be that they cannot work if they are also beautiful which is just crazy. There are now quite a few recent imported dual registered ISDS/ANKC dogs and their progeny working here that will hopefully be bred into the show lines. Now there are also specialised agility lines bred for jumping ability which is not required in either a show dog or a working sheep dog.

They are a very versatile breed that can be adapted to many uses and specialised breeding enhances these abilities. If you wanted to you could breed for them to retrieve or lure course as well as some dogs will do these things. Above all they should all look like one breed in basic structure and the best of all registries do share the same basic sound structure. They should be moderate in size, and bone and have the ability to move with stealth and that requires a lot of balanced angulation at both ends. They should be sound coming and going and all move with their head down at a trot. A very distinctive breed feature. They all require a fairly wide skull for brain room, eyes with good forward and peripheral vision and ears with some lift to be able to hear well. Where each type differs is in leg to height ratio and how much body they have with the agility dogs being longest in leg and lightest in body. They all need to be longer than tall and the structure above the elbow should be common to all with a long ribcage to allow for plenty of heart and lung room. Apart from our ANKC breed standard that has missed out on many of the colours (which we are trying to fix), colour and markings don't matter in any pursuit. There are no prescribed markings for a Border even for the showring but the Irish spotting pattern does breed fairly true most of the time. As all the original ANKC registered dogs were rough/long coats and they cannot carry smooth coat, smooth was never included in the ANKC breed standard. There is currently some push from the sheep triallers to have it added in now to allow for smooth coated imports and that may go to a vote in the future.

It doesn't matter what breed, when you breed for any purpose some traits, not required for that purpose will diminish. So if you breed for work, type will suffer in some dogs, if you breed for type working ability in some dogs will suffer. If you breed for colour and markings, everything that matters will suffer. Even if you try to breed out a health problem everything else will suffer.

Excellent Post!!!