The Sheepdog Border Collie is a medium sized, energetic working dog. The body is slightly longer than it is tall. The relatively flat skull is moderate in width. The skull and muzzle are about the same length, with a moderate stop. The strong teeth meet in a scissors bite. The oval eyes are set well apart and brown in color, except in merles where one or more eyes may be blue. The medium sized ears are set well apart, either carried erect or semi erect. The front legs are straight when viewed from medium sized tail is set low reaching at least to the hock, raising somewhat when the dog is excited. Dewclaws are usually removed. The double coat is weather resistant, dense and close-fitting. There are two coat varieties: a short, sleek coat (about 1 inch (2.5 cm.) long) and a coarse, rough coat (about 3 inches (7.6 cm.) long). The coat colors come in black and white, tri-color, red & white, black & gray, yellow, yellow & white, sable, and all black. The longer haired variety should have a mane and tail brush. The hair on the face, ears and front legs is always short and sleek. Since Border Collies are bred for working ability and intelligence rather than for physical beauty, conformation varies widely.
The Sheepdog Border Collie is very intelligent and aware of their surroundings. They are able to be trained to a high degree. This is one of the hardest working dogs thriving on praise. Border Collies are represented among the leaders in competitive levels in various sports, excelling in agility skills, obedience, sheepdog trials and Frisbee (TM). These competitions are right up their alley, and they are commonly used and often win. For those who wish to reach high levels in dog sports, the Sheepdog Border Collie is a gift from heaven. Farmers are also happy with them, as they were originally bred as a farm hand. The Sheepdog Border Collie is highly energetic with great stamina.