Kelingrbec

03/09/2026

Kovah

03/09/2026

28/08/2026

The word collie is Scots, and it is older than the breed it now belongs to. 🐕

It is attested in Scots from the sixteen fifties, long before anyone was writing pedigrees. And that matters, because the honest story of this dog is better than the tidy one.

Let me be straight with you, since somebody always knows. The Border collie is not purely a Scottish breed and it never claimed to be. It is a Borders dog, and the Borders were one shepherding world spread across both sides of a line on a map. Its foundation sire, Old H**p, was born on the first of September 1893 at West Woodburn in Northumberland, about fifteen miles south of the border, bred by a shepherd called Adam Telfer.

What Old H**p did, though, changed herding everywhere. He worked with what handlers call the eye: silent, crouched low, controlling sheep by sheer unblinking stare rather than by rushing and barking, which was how most dogs had worked before him. He is credited with over two hundred offspring, and every winner of the international championship from 1906 to 1951, twenty nine of them, traced back to him. One dog rewrote the job. 🐑

Scotland's own claim in all this is real and specific. The International Sheep Dog Society was founded in July 1906 in Haddington, East Lothian, and held its first trial at Gullane on the Firth of Forth that August. Scottish handlers and Scotch bred dogs dominated the early trials so completely that even the winner of the first recorded British trial at Bala in north Wales in 1873 was a Scotsman with a Scotch bred dog.

The name we all use is younger than you would think. Border Collie was put into print by James Reid, secretary of the society, in 1915, purely to separate the working dog from the show ring Collie. It did not appear on registration papers until 1946. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Stand on a Border hill and watch one work to a whistle from half a mile away and you are watching an inheritance. Not a pedigree. A skill, handed shepherd to shepherd, across a border that the sheep and the dogs never once recognised.

16/08/2026

13/08/2026

Kun-kun lay awake inside an MRI scanner, wearing ear protection and
holding perfectly still. On a screen, unfamiliar human faces smiled,
frowned and looked afraid—and inside the dog's brain, those faces did
not look the same.

The border collie was one of twelve family dogs trained to enter the
machine voluntarily and remain awake and unrestrained while
researchers at the University of Vienna showed them photographs of
happiness, anger, fear and sadness. No owner was performing for them.
No voice, scent or body language offered a clue. There was only a
stranger's face and the quiet activity of a canine brain.

Happy faces produced activity in areas associated with higher visual
and social processing and reward. But the more surprising result
emerged when researchers analyzed patterns across the whole brain: the
dogs' responses could distinguish fearful faces from angry or sad
ones. The experiment did not prove that dogs understand fear or grief
exactly as humans do, and it was small—mostly border collies raised in
caring homes. What it did show was that the dog brain was not merely
sorting our expressions into pleasant and unpleasant. It was
registering meaningful differences within them.

That ability did not appear overnight. Dogs have lived beside human
beings for thousands of years—sleeping near our fires, watching our
hands, following our gaze, learning which version of our face means
welcome and which one means danger. We usually describe this history
as domestication, as though it were a story of humans shaping dogs.
But a relationship that old changes both sides. While we trained dogs
to listen to us, they became exquisite students of signals we barely
know we are giving.

The researchers now want to learn how dogs combine a face with a
voice, a posture and a scent—the crowded language of real life.
Perhaps the humbling question is not whether dogs can read us. It is
whether we have learned to read them with the same care.

Kun-kun's stillness inside that enormous machine revealed something
easy to miss at home: when a dog studies your face, you may not simply
be watched. You may be known in the only way another species can know
you—through years of attention, patiently inherited and freely given.

Photo © Laura V. Cuaya / University of Vienna.

20/07/2026

🐾 "My Border Collie Doesn't Like Other Dogs ..."

One of the biggest misconceptions about Border Collies is that they should naturally enjoy meeting every dog they encounter.

The reality is far more complex.

While every dog is an individual, it is important to remember what Border Collies were selectively bred to do over many generations.

Their job was not to socialise with unfamiliar dogs.

Their job was to work cooperatively with a human, think independently, control livestock and often spend long hours alongside a small group of familiar working dogs. Interactions with unfamiliar dogs were generally brief, unnecessary or actively avoided.

As a result, many Border Collies have not been genetically selected to find repeated encounters with unknown dogs enjoyable.

This doesn't mean Border Collies are unfriendly.

It means many are naturally selective about their social relationships.

🧠 Behavioural science tells us that social tolerance exists on a spectrum.

Some Border Collies genuinely enjoy interacting with unfamiliar dogs.

Some prefer only a few trusted canine friends.

Others are simply neutral and would rather ignore other dogs altogether.

None of these personalities are inherently wrong.

Unfortunately, modern pet life often asks them to do something very different from what they were originally bred for.

We take them to busy parks.

We walk them through suburban streets.

We expect them to pass dozens of unfamiliar dogs every week.

Many of these encounters occur while both dogs are restrained on lead, removing one of the most important behavioural options available to dogs...

Choice.

Dogs naturally use distance to regulate social interactions. If they feel uncertain, they will often choose to increase the distance between themselves and another dog.

A lead can prevent this completely.

When a dog loses the ability to move away, they may experience increased stress, frustration or conflict.

This is one reason why some dogs appear perfectly relaxed off lead with appropriate dogs, yet bark, lunge or react while on lead.

It is not always aggression.

Sometimes it is simply a dog saying,

"I don't feel comfortable, and I have no other option."

Another important consideration is canine social skills.

Not every dog has good manners.

Many dogs rush directly into another dog's face, stare, stand over them, ignore calming signals or invade personal space.

To us, these interactions may seem friendly.

To another dog, they can be socially inappropriate or even threatening.

Repeated exposure to unpleasant encounters can gradually change a dog's emotional response through a process called sensitisation.

Instead of becoming more comfortable around unfamiliar dogs, they become increasingly vigilant because past experiences have taught them that other dogs predict discomfort.

This is why I would encourage owners to stop measuring success by the number of dogs their Border Collie meets.

Instead, ask yourself these questions:

🐾 Is my dog relaxed?

🐾 Does my dog have the choice to create distance?

🐾 Am I advocating for my dog's comfort?

🐾 Are the interactions positive and appropriate?

For many Border Collies, the happiest walk is not one filled with greetings.

It is one where they can explore, sniff, learn, engage with their owner and pass other dogs calmly without feeling pressured to interact.

Socialisation does not mean teaching your puppy to love every dog they meet.

True socialisation is helping them feel safe, confident and emotionally stable in the presence of other dogs, whether they choose to interact or not.

Every Border Collie is an individual.

Some will become canine social butterflies.

Others will be perfectly content with a small circle of trusted dog friends.

Both are completely normal.

Donna Williams,
Emerald Park Border Collies.

20/07/2026

⚠️ BORDER COLLIE HEALTH ALERT: Understanding the MDR1 Gene Mutation ⚠️

Did you know that some Border Collies and other herding breeds carry a genetic mutation that can make them unusually sensitive to certain medications?

This mutation affects the MDR1 gene (also known as ABCB1), which produces a protein called P-glycoprotein. This protein acts as a protective transport pump, helping remove certain drugs and toxins from the brain and other tissues.

When this protein doesn't function normally, some medications can accumulate in the brain, increasing the risk of neurological side effects and toxicity.

Fortunately, not all Border Collies carry this mutation, and a simple DNA test can determine whether your dog is:

🟢 Clear (Normal/Normal) – Will not be affected and cannot pass the mutation to offspring.

🟡 Carrier (Normal/Mutant) – Usually healthy but can pass the mutation to offspring. Some carriers may show increased sensitivity to certain medications.

🔴 Affected (Mutant/Mutant) – At significantly increased risk of adverse drug reactions and should only receive certain medications under veterinary guidance.

As a breeder, I DNA test all breeding dogs. If both parents are DNA clear, none of their puppies can inherit the MDR1 mutation. I've never had an affected dog.

It's also important to remember that dogs without the MDR1 mutation can still experience adverse reactions to medications or toxins. MDR1 is just one factor that influences drug safety.

🔬 Medications of concern

Some drugs are transported by P-glycoprotein and therefore require caution in affected dogs. The degree of risk varies depending on the drug and the dose.

🔴 Generally avoided in affected dogs unless specifically directed by a veterinarian:

• High dose ivermectin
• Doramectin
• Loperamide (Imodium®)
• Moxidectin at certain doses

🟠 Drugs requiring careful veterinary supervision:

• Certain chemotherapy drugs
• Cyclosporine
• Digoxin
• Morphine
• Verapamil
• Diltiazem
• Quinidine
• Metoclopramide
• Ondansetron
• Dexamethasone
• Acepromazine
• Butorphanol

🟡 Generally considered safe when used according to registered veterinary directions:

• Selamectin (Stronghold®)
• Milbemycin oxime (Milbemax®)
• Imidacloprid + moxidectin (Advocate®)

Many modern flea, tick and heartworm preventatives contain MDR1 sensitive drugs but are formulated at doses shown to be safe for dogs with the mutation when used exactly as directed. Never assume a product is unsafe simply because it contains one of these ingredients. Always follow your veterinarian's advice and the manufacturer's recommendations.

🐾 Why this matters

Knowing your dog's MDR1 status helps your veterinarian make informed decisions about medications throughout your dog's life, from parasite prevention to surgery and emergency treatment.

DNA testing is simple, inexpensive, and provides lifelong information that can help keep your dog safe.

Donna Williams,
Emerald Park Border Collies.
www.emeraldparkbc.com

"My mission is to make life better for at least one dog today!"