Comparison: Australian Shepherd and Border Collie

Australian Shepherd and Border Collie are marked as similar in our database. The table compares only the data we have on the breeds.

	Australian Shepherd	Border Collie
FCI group	1. Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs)	1. Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs)
Country of origin	United States	United Kingdom
Category	Medium	Medium
Height at withers	46–58 cm	46–56 cm
Weight	16–32 kg	14–20 kg
Life span	12–15 years	12–15 years
Recognition features	Frequent merle coat and odd-coloured eyes Naturally bobbed or short tail Medium-length coat and athletic build	Medium-sized dog with a medium or smooth coat, most often black and white White blaze, collar and ´socks´ Intense stare (´eye´) and a low, stalking stance when working
Coat	Medium-length coat with undercoat; blue/red merle, black or red, often with tan.	Double coat, medium or smooth, with a dense undercoat.
Purpose	Developed in the USA (not Australia) from herding dogs brought by Basque shepherds; a working dog of American ranches and rodeos.	Developed on the Anglo-Scottish border for sheep herding; still dominant in sheepdog trials and dog sports such as agility.

Breed page: Australian Shepherd · Breed page: Border Collie

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The information is indicative. Texts are based on available sources and may contain inaccuracies; for binding details (e.g. for breeding or shows) use the official breed standard.