Types & Color Combinations for Border Collies

The border collie is a dog breed featuring a variety of coats and colors. A person interested in a border collie usually discusses genetic options with a breeder prior to adopting a dog. The prospective owner's general lifestyle is a consideration, as is the amount of time he spends grooming and interacting with the animal.

  1. Coarse Hair

    • One of the primary types of border collies has a coarse-haired coat. The fur on this coat is up to 3 inches long. It is thick, straight hair that requires grooming or brushing from time to time. A dog owner must check a border collie's coat for ticks, because it is an outdoor working dog. Coarse-haired border collies have a waterproof undercoat.

    Sleek Hair

    • Border Collies are sometimes of the sleek-haired variety. The hair of these dogs typically does not grow longer than 1 inch. It is important to keep the hair brushed on a weekly basis. A sleek-haired border collie has a waterproof undercoat on its belly.

    Common Colors

    • The most common color combination for a border collie black and white. This is because black is a dominant gene, and white is always produced. Another common color combination is brown and white. The brown color -- sometimes called red or chocolate -- is a recessive gene. Each parent must give the puppy a copy of the gene in order for it to produce this color.

    Other Colors

    • Several other color combination occur with border collies. These include merle coloring, which turns a black-and-white or brown-and-white collie into a patchwork. The dogs are sometimes tri-colored, showing black, white, brown, or a variation of red, slate or lilac.