Border Collie - www.guardog.biz

In general, they are medium-sized dogs without extreme physical characteristics and a moderate amount of coat. Their double coats can be anywhere from slick to lush, and can come in many colors, although black and white is by far the most often seen at conformation shows and herding trials and therefore the most common in public perception; tricolor (black/tan/white) and red and white also occur regularly, with other colors such as, blue and white, red merle, blue merle, or sable seen less frequently. Eye color varies from deep brown to amber or blue with occasionally one eye of each color. The ears of the Border Collie are also highly variable -- some have fully erect ears, some fully dropped and others are semi-erect (similar to that of the Rough Collie). Although working Border Collie handlers sometimes have superstitions about the appearance of their dogs (many handlers do not prefer red dogs, or mostly white dogs), in general a dog's appearance is considered to be irrelevant. It is much more useful to identify a working Border Collie by its attitude and ability, not its looks.