Alice White
In Border Collie, performance and temperament are paramount, not appearance. Therefore, dogs of this breed can have almost any color and pattern, although the most common are black and white dogs. But the color cannot be dominated by white, at least it is not allowed by the standard.
The breed standard clearly indicates the type of border collie coat. Only dogs with long and short (smooth-haired) coats of medium density and harsh texture are recognized, with a soft and dense undercoat. Every year the undercoat falls out, and shedding can occur in females after childbirth or in stressed dogs.
Long-Haired Border Collie
Long-haired dogs have medium-length coats with “plumage” on the belly, legs, and chest. On the ears, face, and legs, the hair is short and smooth, and on the neck, hind limbs, and tail, long hair forms a mane, fringes, and a tassel, respectively. Some individuals have such a thick coat that careful care is required, otherwise, tangles will appear, especially in the area of the ears and tail, armpits. Long-haired puppies appear only when two long-haired individuals are crossed.
Smooth-Haired Border Collie
In smooth-haired individuals, the coat is short throughout the body and coarser to the touch, with slight feathering. The density of the undercoat can vary from dog to dog. It is easier to care for smooth-haired representatives of the breed, their wool gets dirty and wet to a lesser extent during walking and working tests, training. After bathing or getting wet in the rain, the coat dries faster. No tangles are formed. The gene for smoothness is dominant.
In any case, the coat is close to the body, resistant to adverse weather conditions. The topcoat is coarser in texture than the undercoat and can be straight or wavy. Neither type of border collie is preferred, both are equal. It is possible to determine the type of coat in puppies already at the age of 5-8 weeks.
Non-standard Types of Border Collie Coats
Wavy-Haired Border Collie
Few people know, but the coat texture of the breed is not limited to two types. And although only long-haired and smooth-haired border collies are recognized as the Standard, their relatives with a different type of coat cope with the tasks assigned to them no worse.
There is an intermediate type between long and short hair. Usually, such individuals are equated with long-haired ones, since the hair on the tail, ears, head, abdomen is long, and the hair on the body is short, almost like in smooth-haired individuals, the hair on the legs is short and smooth. Very long hair interferes with the dog’s work duties.
Wavy hair can cover the largest part of the body or only certain areas, such as croup, back, scruff. Moreover, puppies are born with smooth and straight hair, but with age, children’s fluff sheds, an adult coat appears, which lengthens and begins to curl. The degree of curling of hair can be different, in some individuals the hair is slightly wavy, while in others it curls into elastic curls (curls). Curls are especially pronounced when moisturized. Care for such animals is minimal, dirt and dead hairs are removed with a brush.
Bearded Border Collies
Bearded border collies generally look like long-haired or short-haired relatives, but they have a beard and mustache, and their hair is coarser in appearance. Puppies with this type of coat are probably born as a result of a genetic mutation, but always in the litter of smooth-haired females In terms of the number of bearded border collies, there are significantly fewer than congeners with other types of coat.
