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Aussie or Border? |
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One
of the thing you must frequently hear when you are walking your Aussie is
”what a nice Border, what has happen to his tail?” For people not acquainted with the Aussie or the BC (Border Collie), the breeds may seem similar in mind and stature. But if you take a closer look at both breeds you will discover that these similarities only are apparently.
Structurally: The
different that most people discover first is the missing tail of the
Aussies; this has not been observed in the BC. The Aussie is furthermore
often higher and more solid in bones and may seem more square and compact
too. The BC on the contrary is built for speed and therefore more
rectangular, lighter in bones and often with a more pronouns tuck-up.
If you look at the head, the Aussies will most often have a
more domed skull; better define stop, shorter nose and almond-shaped eyes.
The BC may seem a bit more flat and pointy in the head and the eyes are
usually round and sat closer to each other. The BC may furthermore have
semi-pricked to priced ears and can be smooth haired. The Aussie does
usually have a somewhat longer coat and always at least rose ears.
W The
BC was created to work with herds of sheep that was not limited by any
fences. They job was to gather, sort and separate specific sheep. A border
usually gathers the sheep by running around the flock on great distance (outrun)
and turn the sheep towards the shepherd by staring (fetch). The BC is a
quiet worker and the posture is usually low during work, meaning head
under shoulder heights. This working style, by using eye, is typically and
unique to the BC. The BC is therefore called a strong-eye shepherd and as
it works in front of the herd are the style called header.
The Aussie on the other hand was created to move animals,
from geese to bison, from one corral to the other, to protect the farm,
the people and the livestock. The working style is therefore different
from the BC. The Aussie is a loose-eye shepherd, its posture is usually
somewhat more upright than the BC and it drives the herd by snapping and/or
barking, some Aussies however uses eye too. Both headers and heelers,
meaning dogs that work behind the herd, exist some even masters both. As
the Aussie primarily was created for work in the collars was the risk of
herd skipping off when the dog got to close minimal. Selection of big
outruns has therefore not been something the shepherds has selected for.
An Aussie is a `head-on´ shepherds and will typically run the fastest way
to the herd, also if this means strait through the herd! An Aussie must
therefore learn to keep a proper distance to the stock (for more details
look under herding in Aussiefun).
Temperament
and characters: The
temper does also differ between the Aussie and BC.
The BC is normally a workaholic; to thrive he needs to work/be
activated on a daily basis, if not he will turn his energy towards
destructive behavior. He is an energetic dog that works in great speed and
will often tend to be a bit flighty. With out stepping on the toes of BC
fans, is the BC very anxious to please and can tend toward servility. The Aussie is also an active and obedient breed that thrives with challenges, but he is not a work-addict in the some degree as the BC. Even though there are Aussies that resembles the BC in regards to activation demands, does there also exist lines that aren’t more demanding that they can be kept as family pets for the active family. Furthermore is the Aussie, due to his higher weight, a bit of a slower worker than the BC, meaning that he isn´t as fast as a BC. The Aussie is also a bit more of a free mind than the BC, he will in contrast to the BC, not become you slave only your best friend. Furthermore, you can often see that the Aussie will put a lot more pressure on the stock than a BC; sheep use to a BC can react strongly when they encounter an Aussie.
References: Information on Working Dogs by Slash V The ES, BC and Aussie Comparison Chart
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