The breeds · side by side
for dog sports
Australian Shepherd or Border Collie.
The two herding breeds that fill the agility ring. Both want a job every day; the difference is how much dog is left over for the house, and whether the handler wants a dog that works out of sight or one that checks in.
Every value below shows its source and how sure we are. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog. Nothing here is a prediction about one dog.
What the question turns on
Energy
5 of 5
AKC breed page trait scores (1 to 5): energy level 5, mental stimulation needs 5, playfulness 5, trainability 5, barking 4, adaptability 5
Exercise need
More than 2 hours per day
RKC: more than 2 hours per day. Britannica: at least an hour of jogging, vigorous play or training every day. AKC breed page: high drive, needs daily exercise beyond a walk around the block, and a job to do
Range
Not recorded for this breed yet.
AKC standard: one of its greatest assets is the ability to work out of sight of its handler without commands. Wikipedia: ISDS national trial course 400 yards; international final course 800 yards, with a double fetch gathering 10 sheep from 800 yards away
Coat
Hair of medium texture, straight to wavy, weather resistant and of medium length; undercoat varies with climate; short and smooth on the head, ears, front of forelegs and below the hocks; backs of forelegs and britches moderately feathered; moderate mane and frill, more pronounced in dogs; blue merle, black, red merle, red, all with or without white markings and/or tan points
AKC: two varieties, rough and smooth, both with close-fitting dense weather-resistant double coats; top coat straight or slightly wavy and coarser than the soft short dense undercoat; rough variety feathered on forelegs, haunches, chest and underside; all colors and markings equal, color secondary to gait. UKC: long, medium or smooth. FCI: moderately long or smooth
The rest, read the same way
Height at the shoulder
dogs 21.5 in (20 to 23) · bitches 19.5 in (18 to 21)
dogs 21 in (18 to 24) · bitches 18 to 22 in
Weight
dogs 57.5 lb (50 to 65) · bitches 47.5 lb (40 to 55)
dogs 30 to 55 lb · bitches 26 to 55 lb
Shedding
Sheds (RKC 'Sheds: yes'); the standard says the undercoat varies in quantity with climate
AKC standard: seasonal shedding is normal; AKC breed page: daily brushing during shedding season, AKC shedding score 3 of 5. Britannica: spring and fall. RKC: sheds yes
Heat tolerance
3 of 5 · Medium-length, medium-texture, weather-resistant coat, straight to wavy, with an undercoat that varies with climate; moderate mane and frill
3 of 5 · AKC standard: two varieties, both close-fitting, dense, weather-resistant double coats (rough variety medium length with feathering, smooth variety short). FCI 297: moderately long or smooth, soft dense undercoat. Britannica notes the breed prefers fairly cool weather
Median lifespan
13.7 years (12.8 to 14.6)
13.1 years (13 to 13.2)
Life expectancy at birth
Not recorded for this breed yet.
12.1 years (11.8 to 12.3)
Exercise need
More than 2 hours per day
RKC: more than 2 hours per day (small house possible, large garden suggested). AKC breed page: extremely energetic; a Border Collie that does not work must have vigorous exercise daily; not for an owner who prefers to stay indoors or travels often; AKC energy level 5 of 5
Grooming load
3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC grooming band); coat length medium; sheds
3 of 5 · RKC: grooming more than once a week; medium coat; sheds. AKC breed page: pin brush once or twice a week, more often if needed, daily during shedding season
Grooming
More than once a week
RKC: more than once a week. AKC breed page: two coats (rough medium-length and feathered, smooth shorter and coarser), both dense weather-resistant double coats; pin brush once or twice a week, daily in shedding season. Britannica: brushing several times a week, daily at the spring and fall shed
Why they get given up
The parent club: one of the most frequent reasons Aussies get turned over to rescue groups is that their owners did not anticipate how energetic these dogs are
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Role
Herding and guarding: an intelligent working dog of strong herding and guarding instincts, a loyal companion with the stamina to work all day; developed in the United States as a ranch sheepdog from stock brought by Basque shepherds in the 19th century, and still seen in its original role
FCI utilization: sheepdog, section 1 Sheepdogs, with working trial. AKC standard preamble: the world's premier sheep herding dog, bred for biddable stock sense and the ability to work long days on rugged terrain; a natural and unspoiled true working sheep dog. UKC: bred for working ability rather than type; known for 'eye' on stock. RKC: still working sheep (and cattle) in the hills
Also used on
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Wikipedia (editorial): cattle, free-range poultry, pigs and ostriches; removing unwanted wild birds from airport runways and golf courses. RKC: obedience, agility, and sniffer work detecting explosives and drugs. AKC breed page: herding events, obedience, agility, rally, tracking, flying disc and flyball
Search pattern
Not recorded for this breed yet.
AKC standard: gathers and fetches stock with wide sweeping outruns, then controls it with an intense gaze called 'eye' and a stalking style of movement. UKC: body balance lets the dog change speed from high speed to a creep, a stalk to a steady lift. Wikipedia and Britannica: takes direction by voice and whistle at long distances (commands such as 'come bye', 'away', 'look back', 'that'll do')
Field trial standard
Not recorded for this breed yet.
ISDS sheepdog trials: first recorded trial at Bala, North Wales, 1873; society formed 1906; five main trials each year in the UK and Ireland (national trials in July and August, the International in September, a World trial every third year); the stud book registers working Border Collies by ability. Britannica: trial dogs bring sheep to the handler and pen them, scored by deductions from a point total. AKC breed page: Borders compete in herding events; the breed joined the AKC Herding Group in 1995
Hip dysplasia
6.3% · 6.3% dysplastic of 50,417 OFA hip evaluations on record (all data through Oct 2026); 93.0% normal (18.8% excellent, 64.6% good, 9.6% fair); mild 4.0%, moderate 2.0%, severe 0.3%; breed rank 168 of the breeds listed; dogs born 2021-2023: 6.3% dysplastic of 3,760
9.9% · 9.9% dysplastic of 21,233 OFA hip evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 89.3% normal; mild 6.5%, moderate 3.1%, severe 0.3%; breed rank 131 on OFA's list
Elbow dysplasia
4.8% · 4.8% abnormal of 21,839 OFA elbow evaluations on record (grade 1 4.0%, grade 2 0.8%, grade 3 0.1%); breed rank 85
1.8% · 1.8% abnormal of 9,164 OFA elbow evaluations on record (current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026); 98.1% normal; grade 1 1.4%, grade 2 0.3%, grade 3 0.1%; breed rank 131 on OFA's list
Most common disorders
The parent club's health program names: hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, hereditary eye defects (ocular and iris coloboma, juvenile and senior cataracts, detached retina, persistent pupillary membrane, progressive retinal atrophy, distichiasis), MDR1 multi-drug sensitivity, Collie eye anomaly, degenerative myelopathy, hereditary cataracts (HSF4), hyperuricosuria, intestinal cobalamin malabsorption, Pelger-Huet anomaly, multifocal retinopathy (CMR1), lymphoma and epilepsy
AKC breed page: screen breeding stock for hip dysplasia, progressive renal atrophy, deafness, epilepsy, collie eye anomaly, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and trapped neutrophil syndrome. Wikipedia (editorial): leading causes of death in a 2004 Kennel Club survey were cancer 23.6%, old age 17.9% and cerebrovascular disease 9.4%; also notes collie eye anomaly and Border Collie collapse
Aggression, as studied
C-BARQ online sample, 177 Australian Shepherds: 6.2% of owners reported a snap, bite or attempt to bite at a stranger, 0.6% at an owner, 14.7% at an unfamiliar dog and 6.5% in dog rivalry. The breed is not singled out in the authors' lists of breeds high or low for any aggression type.
C-BARQ online sample, 163 Border Collies: 8% of owners reported a snap, bite or attempt to bite at a stranger, 1.8% at an owner, 13.5% at an unfamiliar dog and 5.1% in dog rivalry (Table 4)
What to ask a breeder for
Clearances
- Hip scoring (best practice) · UK
- Eye testing (best practice) · UK
- Elbow scoring (best practice) · UK
- DNA (best practice): hereditary cataracts (HC-HSF4), multi-drug resistance (MDR1), prcd-PRA · UK
- DNA (good practice): Collie eye anomaly / choroidal hypoplasia (CEA/CH) · UK
- Optional: autoimmune thyroiditis evaluation, Collie eye anomaly DNA test, MDR1 multiple-drug-sensitivity DNA test · US
- Eye evaluation by a board-certified ophthalmologist, registered with OFA (CHIC requirement) · US
- Elbow dysplasia evaluation (CHIC requirement) · US
- Hip dysplasia evaluation (CHIC requirement) · US
- Hip evaluation, elbow evaluation and ophthalmologist evaluation (AKC/CHIC listing of the parent club's recommended tests) · US
- Ophthalmologist evaluation · US
- Hip evaluation · US
- DNA (Best Practice): Raine's syndrome · UK
- DNA (Best Practice): severe goniodysgenesis and glaucoma risk (GGD) · UK
- DNA (Best Practice): sensory neuropathy (SN) · UK
- DNA (Best Practice): trapped neutrophil syndrome (TNS) · UK
- DNA (Best Practice): multi-drug resistance (MDR1) · UK
- DNA (Best Practice): Imerslund-Grasbeck syndrome (IGS) · UK
- DNA (Best Practice): ceroid lipofuscinosis (CL) · UK
- DNA (Best Practice): collie eye anomaly / choroidal hypoplasia (CEA/CH) · UK
- Hearing test (Best Practice, litter screening included) · UK
- Elbow scoring (Best Practice) · UK
- Hip scoring (Best Practice) · UK
- Eye testing (Good Practice; gonioscopy for PLA) · UK
The health clearances each breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
The selector
Which one, for your life?
A few minutes of honest answers: the birds, the ground, the water, the house, the week. The selector ranks both of these against what you said, explains every rank, and shows exactly where the one you came in wanting lands.
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