Today's Border Collie has been around for more than 100 years.  Their ancestry, however, extends back hundreds of years.  As early as 1557, Dr. Caisus, author of "Tretise of English Dogges," which describes the shepherd's dogs as "not huge, vaste and bigge but indifferent stature and growth."  Throughout this breeds long and industrious history, Border Collies have been known by many names, such as; Working Collie, Old Fashioned Collie, Farm Collie, and English Collie.  According to Iris Combe, in her book, "Border Collies," in old Gaelic "collie" was a rural term for anything useful, hence a "collie dog" was a useful dog.  In 1915, James Reid, who was then Secretary of the International Sheepdog Society in Great Britain, first called these dogs "Border Collies."
      The development of the Border Collie as a dog breed is closely linked with the development of livestock farming and wool trading in the outlying "border" regions of the United Kingdom.  There are several factors which helped to shape this breed to the dogs we know it today.  Firstly, the climate in the border regions can be rather harsh therefore the Border Collie had to be a hardy dog.  The terrain of the region is a blend of cliffs, crags, and small pastures.  This rugged terrain necessitated a durable animal. The dog's function was that of a herder - the smaller swifter dogs were found to best better suited to perform this function, within this terrain. Even the white markings (around neck, on chest, legs and tip of tail) performed the function of helping the dogs to be more easily detected at night.
     Border Collie owners, at this time were not concerned with pedigrees.  They had something very useful, and looked to perpetuate or improve their dogs. The owners were very proud of their dog's abilities. This pride led to informal competitions between local herders and farmers. Eventually these competitions became formalized, with the first formal sheepdog trial taking place in 1873 in Wales. In 1955, the Border Collie was admitted to the Miscellaneous class by the American Kennel Club. The AKC granted full membership to the Border Collie as of October, 1995. In spite of the formalization of this breeds (pedigrees, club membership, official titles) the talents that developed this breed remain. The intelligence, stamina, herding instinct and versatility have survived through the years - thanks to the dedicated breeders of these animals who have insisted that the Border Collie must live up to all of its capabilities.