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Match

Border Collie and Old English Sheepdog

What both sides can say, then where they part, then what only one side can say, then what nobody has measured yet. A number without its sample does not appear.

Breed explains about 8.9% of the Morrill behavior factors in the paper. A bar here is a breed lean, never a prediction about a dog.

What they share

Cited lifespan
13.1 years
n=12917
12.1 years
n=1210
What cited lifespan means

How long dogs of this breed tend to live, from McMillan 2024 (VetCompass). A population median.

McMillan 2024

Heterozygosity
32%
n=157
34%
n=20
What does genetic diversity mean?

How varied a breed's gene pool is — the share of gene spots where a typical dog of the breed carries two different versions rather than two identical ones.

How to read it: Higher = more diverse. Among well-sampled breeds it ranges roughly 0.22 (least diverse) to 0.33 (most diverse).

Diversity is a strength, not a verdict on any individual dog. Lower diversity means it's worth paying attention to recessive-risk testing — not that a dog is doomed.

CanVAS

Where they differ

Typical adult weight
39 lb
n=157
84 lb
n=20
What typical adult weight means

Typical adult weight, in pounds.

CanVAS

Lifespan for size
+0.5 years for size
n=157
+0.7 years for size
n=20
What does longevity for its size mean?

How much longer or shorter a breed tends to live than its body size predicts (bigger dogs live shorter on average — this measures the gap from that expectation).

How to read it: Positive = lives longer than its size predicts; negative = shorter. At the extremes, roughly +3 years (longest-lived for its size) down to about -4 years.

A population pattern, not a guarantee for an individual dog.

CanVAS

Genetic neighbors
What genetic neighbors means

Where this breed sits among others in the atlas. Placement, not pedigree.

CanVAS

11.1%
n=6714
0.1%
n=423
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

3.6%
n=6714
0%
n=423
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

2.8%
n=6714
0%
n=423
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

1.1%
n=6706
0%
n=423
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

1%
n=6714
0.5%
n=423
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

0.7%
n=6714
0%
n=423
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

0.5%
n=6712
5.3%
n=423
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

0.4%
n=6714
0.1%
n=423
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

0.2%
n=6713
13.1%
n=423
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

0%
n=6714
7.9%
n=423
What does carrier rate mean?

The share of tested dogs of a breed that carry at least one copy of a specific disease variant.

How to read it: Higher = more common in the breed. 'Carrier' means carrying the variant, not having the disease.

Carrier is NOT the same as affected, especially for recessive variants. Figures come from tested (direct-to-consumer) dogs, which can skew the rate. Worth asking your vet.

Donner 2023

Health and build profile neighbor
Schipperke
n=157
Leonberger
n=20
What health and build profile neighbor means

Breeds that share a health and build profile. Not family.

One side known

Human Sociability
0.20
n=70
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0

Border Collie: 0.20 (n=70) · Old English Sheepdog: Not in the Morrill set.

What human sociability means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

Arousal Level
-0.18
n=70
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0

Border Collie: -0.18 (n=70) · Old English Sheepdog: Not in the Morrill set.

What arousal level means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

Toy-directed Motor Patterns
-0.69
n=78
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0

Border Collie: -0.69 (n=78) · Old English Sheepdog: Not in the Morrill set.

What toy-directed motor patterns means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

Biddability
-0.83
n=94
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0

Border Collie: -0.83 (n=94) · Old English Sheepdog: Not in the Morrill set.

What biddability means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

Agonistic Threshold
-0.00
n=83
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0

Border Collie: -0.00 (n=83) · Old English Sheepdog: Not in the Morrill set.

What agonistic threshold means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

Environmental Engagement
-0.42
n=79
Not in the Morrill set.
n=0

Border Collie: -0.42 (n=79) · Old English Sheepdog: Not in the Morrill set.

What environmental engagement means

A breed lean on this factor in the Darwin's Ark paper. Not a prediction about a dog.

Morrill 2022

What nobody has measured yet

No row is dark on both sides.

Pick a different pairing · Border Collie · Old English Sheepdog