History of the Border Collie.

History 

The consummate sheep dog, the Border Collie is the product of more than a century of breeding for performance above all other criteria. In the 1800s, a variety of sheep herding dogs with differing herding styles existed in in Great Britain. Some were "fetching" dogs, dogs having an innate tendency to circle sheep and stock and bring them back toward the shepherd. Most of these were noisy dogs, tending to nip and bark as they performed their job. Boasts of the superiority of the dogs was obvious; in 1873 the first sheepdog trial was held to settle the boasts. This contest would lead to the first Border Collies by means of a dog named Hemp, who demonstrated dignity in the trials by not nipping. He herded by calmly staring at the sheep ("Giving eye") intimidating them not to move. The offspring of Hemp became popular dogs, but were still referred to simply as sheepdogs. Only in 1915 was the name Border Collie first recorded, in reference to their origin around English and Scottish borders.