One of the hidden highlights of the John Carter clinic in March happened after the sheep went to bed. Those of us who weren't local enough to drive home at the end of each day sat around the table in the bunkhouse, drank glorious Sonoma wine deep into the night (courtesy of one of the participants who lived there), and talked stockdogs. We were all deeply invested in our particular breeds — with the possible exception of John himself, who is one of the least "breedist" people I've ever run across. We each believed in the goal of excellence in stock work. But how different our experiences had been!

One person had a top quality sheep-trial type Border Collie, and was devoted to the high art of USBCHA open field trialing. At the other end of the spectrum was someone who trialed mostly in AHBA with her English Shepherds, but retained, as it appears the generality of ES folks do, a strong sense of ambivalence about whether trialing was a good thing for English Shepherds at all. Representing, as usual, the uncomfortable middle ground, was the Aussie person, me.

As it happened, we got along famously. With our many dogs eddying around our feet, a slow river of collies, we eventually hashed out some universal principles. Or maybe I just remember it that way because of all those bottles. Swapping anecdotes, we found, to our mutual amazement, that people can find ways to be truly nasty to each other no matter what the venue or organizational style. Astonishing, I know. Still, it seemed to me that the ugliness in Border Collie circles had an intensely competitive, subtle, and peculiarly manipulative flavor, while the English Shepherd folks' style of meanness was sort of simple and countrified in comparison. Nasty Aussie fans, as we know, only grip on difficult or challenging foes, but they come in low and hard on their heels. Just kidding. Sort of.

I brought out my unloved but dear-to-me Duck Hypothesis, which, if implemented, would solve so many problems: does it quack like a duck? walk like a duck? when mated with a duck, does it produce ducks? Then what you have is a duck. In Aussies, for example, only those "of strong working and guardian instincts" as stated in the Standard, would actually be Aussies. Aussies with Golden Retriever personalities: not actually Aussies. Aussies that work poorly or not at all: not Aussies. Aussies that worked like Border Collies would be, by the duck definition, Border Collies. Border Collies that worked like Aussies would be Aussies (unless they were sable, in which case they would be English Shepherds). A merle dog found wandering along a road who turned out to be a good ranch hand with an upright style would be just as much an Aussie as any other, and more than most going by that name right now. What about Koolies in Australia and Welsh Sheepdogs in Britain? Well, those might be just Aussies under an alias. Or vice versa. The only people who could object to this, it appears to me, is almost everyone.

I seem to remember my hypothesis was received with rolled eyes, possibly snorts, but we did agree that we all had small c collies. Whether you prefer the line of collies bred for eye and blackandwhiteness and speed and intensity, or the line of collies bred for a calm sense of responsibility for the homestead who will double as a hunting dog, or the line of collies bred for grit, cow-savvy and protectiveness, they are all basically collie dogs, with a lot of overlapping traits among the lines.

If you are unwary enough to get sucked into the vortex known as internet boards, you will find this line of reasoning underappreciated. Each breed of collie dog has its adherents who have an apparent need to completely differentiate their chosen breed's qualities from those of the other collie dogs. However, in a recent Aussie-Herders discussion, Bruce Nelson remarked that his experience (which is pretty large compared to most people) is that a "30% rule" applied to almost anything you could say about the differences between stockdog breeds. For example, about thirty percent of Border Collies WON'T work for strangers, and about thirty percent of Aussies WILL.

The worst thing about this propensity to draw thick dark lines around breed descriptions is that it doesn't only promote intolerance of useful diversity within breeds, but it also limits one's ability to see and deal with the reality that is your dog or your working situation.

There are Aussies, and I happen to own one of them so I know, who show a lot of eye in some circumstances. Not "Aussie eye", just plain old eye. My dog doesn't have a pedigree containing any of the dogs suspected by some as having Border Collie in them. Nope, he just has a heck of a lot of eye. He can and does creep along with a lowered head, one foot at a time, accompanied by an intimidating stare I would hate to be on the receiving end of. A sweet little pointy Border Collie face he does not have.

There are Border Collies who are pretty dang loose-eyed and relaxed. I've seen them. Some wouldn't make half bad Aussies. There are Aussies right now doing lovely open-field outruns and lifts, because someone believed they could, and there are Border Collies crashing and burning in arena trials because no one thought to teach them how to deal with the pressure of fences, since after all they are open-field workers.

ALL COLLIES

I believe in breed differences. I appreciate that when I buy or breed an Aussie, I know I have a high probability of getting a dog of a certain size and build with a certain style of working, a typical personality, that differs from the dog I would probably get if I got another stockdog breed. I am grateful — very grateful indeed — to the myriads of breeders of Aussie stockdogs who over many years rigorously selected for the traits I value so much, the intelligence, hardiness, loyalty, courage, athleticism, stock savvy, work ethic, and so much more.

But I still think that Aussies are just my chosen flavor of collie dog. Somebody else might choose the Border Collie flavor, the English Shepherd, Heeler, McNab, or Kelpie flavor, even the Sheltie or Beardie flavor. Good stock work is good stock work, and a dog who fits the work at hand is the right dog. People are so much more complicated and difficult than dogs. I sigh at the arguments and the arrogance and the defensiveness I read all the time online. Bleah. I'm not working the dogs enough, that's my problem.