08/03/2026
LOOKS VERSUS FUNCTION
Today our breed expert, Carol Price, looks at how ‘showing’ has changed Border collies and why
The issue of how much the Border collie, as an original working dog, has been ‘ruined’ by modern show breeders is often the subject of emotive debate. And certainly if you look at the pictures here of a ‘working’ collie and a modern ‘show’ one you could be forgiven for thinking they were now completely different breeds.
But the reality is really a bit more complex than this. In that working collies still come in many different builds and sizes, other than just the type seen in this picture. Some are bigger, heavier set or longer coated, others smaller, shorter coated or with longer legs and lighter builds. And it’s from this wider range of genetic appearance within the breed that most modern show collies will have descended from, or been refined from in some way.
So there really is no one physical type of dog that definitively represents the working collie. All that matters about working collies is how well they can work.
Competition dogs – e.g. for Obedience or Agility – will be bred in much the same way; in terms of how genetically well suited they are, physical and mentally, for these pursuits.
In the pedigree BC show world, conversely, what mostly matters is how a dog looks.
HOW SHOWING CHANGES DOGS
In theory, I do not have a problem with people wanting to breed more beautiful Border collies, providing they keep true to the fundamental essence of the dog, and its superb athletic construction and working character. And to be fair, pedigree show breeders are often much hotter on health screening their dogs than breeders of working dogs. But for some reason, whenever you start making specific aesthetic features a main breeding priority in your dogs, whatever the breed, something always seems to go wrong.
You may start off with the best of intentions, with your ‘true to type’ beautiful Border collie, only to find that judges in the show ring much prefer another type of dog with another type of look. So you have to breed more dogs that look like that one to be more successful. Or you may have to inbreed your dogs more to get a more consistent ‘show type’. Or certain features in a show collie suddenly become more fashionable. And then become ever more exaggerated in their later offspring, as people more selectively breed for them.
Then before you know it, you end up with show Border collies who bear little relation to the original working stock they came from. Dogs with shorter, stumpier legs, shorter backs, bigger broader heads and excessive coat. I don’t personally like dogs like this. But what represents a ‘breed ideal’ in any Border collie IS such a personal thing for all of us. Usually based on what we’ve always had, or known. To me, any Border collie has got to look like it could tirelessly work all day, over all terrains and in all weathers. And if not, then it’s not really a Border collie.
I really admire breeders in the show world who take the trouble to work their dogs with sheep, or at the very least get a better feel and experience for what the working Border collie is all about, both mentally and physically. As it can really help them better focus on qualities they should be preserving in their dogs.
FUNDAMENTALS
In castigating show breeders for how they may have changed – or even ‘ruined’ - the physical appearance of the Border collie, however, we must never forget that in most countries, the genetic lines of working collies are kept completely separate from the show ones. So more ‘original’ types of Border collie will always exist for people who prefer them.
Sometimes breeding collies just on the basis of how well they can work doesn’t always work out either. With some dogs turning out too ‘mentally overtuned’ to make good pets. Or developing other more challenging mental issues related to their working breeding.
Ultimately a good Border collie is a good Border collie if it has been bred right. With full health screening, a good physical construction, a good temperament and that all important collie brain. If the dog is also very good looking that’s a plus. But it’s certainly not the most important reason for getting a dog.
All text © Carol Price 2026
