http://youtu.be/-1ngj2QM0cI

Obedience Championship Dogs - Final Parade - Crufts 2012

It looks like all border collies, with a single Malinois. To boot, they all look like long-furred border collies.

Where are the goldens, the GSDs, the ACDs, the poodles? Where are the short-coated BCs? What's with this boring group of seemingly identical dogs?

I guess what I'm really getting at is what is it about border collies that makes them excel at obedience to this degree? Obviously BCs are known to be extremely intelligent, but what gives them the edge in formal obedience at this upper, upper level over the other extremely intelligent/trainable dogs?

The herders call it biddability. It's the willingness to work with man.
Their obsessive focus also. Back in 80s when I was heavy into competition the eye contact we now see wasn't as common but the BCs always did it.
They weren't even a registered breed with AKC then. The were only in the miscellaneous class. The BCCA fought to keep them a herding breed only.

Some people want high scores, others want a challenge...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLAQRjtTqaA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awl-NqQJCT8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCfvo-AjHJA

I too found those results a little bit surprising. Seems I have seen results from Crufts before and there were at least a few Goldens and Labs in the mix.

It's a fact that the Golden Retrievers are winning much of the AKC competition in the US. You will also see an abundance of Border Collies and Shetland Sheepdogs.

Check out the cumulative scores for all breeds at the 2012 AKC National Obedience Invitational. Mostly Goldens, with a quite a few Border Collies and Shelties, a sprinkling of Belgian Malinois and GSDs. Also, there's a Rhodesian Ridgeback, a Chinese Crested, a Pug and a St. Bernard! So a little more variety.

http://images.akc.org/national_obedience_invitational/2012/Cumulative_Scores.pdf

It's true you can do obedience training and competition with any breed, but I think the bottom line is people who are really serious about the sport and are in it to win it are going to choose the breed that gives them the best chance at achieving their goals. Bob mentioned the eye contact, the 100 percent focus on the handler, and it's true that obedience competition has evolved to the point that you are not going to be among the top contenders if you don't have that.

On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with competing for the fun of it, not worrying about scores or titles, simply challenging yourself to do your personal best, and that's often where you will see the variety of breeds.

almost every one of those dogs plays and tugs on the leash when walking....I thought that was undesirable habit. Think they allow to as a release for the excitement? I only wonder because it wasnt just one or two dogs but almost every one of them...looks like the "culture" of that dogsport.

The leash is how they bring the reward into the ring

Within the BC breed the KC/show lines tend to be VERY "cookie cutter". I much prefer the *real* ones with all the variety.

I agree that people want a breed that will give them the best shot at winning if they're serious competitors. However, I had a big grin on my face when I saw the Malinois. He was all about trying to yank his guy down with the tug!

 Quote: Mara Jessup

Within the BC breed the KC/show lines tend to be VERY "cookie cutter". I much prefer the *real* ones with all the variety.

The true ABCA will withdraw it's registration from any BC that receives a CH title from AKC.
They wont even register a puppy unless it comes from registered working stock. http://www.americanbordercollie.org/

 Quote: Bob Scott

They wont even register a puppy unless it comes from registered working stock. http://www.americanbordercollie.org/

Yes and no on this one. They register anything that has ABCA registered parents - which is just a pedigree, no real proof of working ability. But folks interested in preserving a high standard of working ability in their dogs (aka, the true Border Collie) will only register with the ABCA.

The mantra you'll get from any working BC person when looking for a pup is go watch the parents work. If the parents work stock to a high level then you have a pretty good chance the pup will have the drive/working ability for just about anything - from herding to SAR to competitive dog sports