The most variable part of the dog
No two Border Collies wear quite the same face. White face markings run the full range — from an all‑white face to no white at all — and everything in between is normal for the breed. Face white is part of the white‑spotting (S) series, shaped by how far the white spreads across the head.
Common patterns
- Full colour / masked face — little or no white; the colour covers both ears and eyes. This is the safest pattern for hearing.
- Blaze — a white stripe running up the muzzle and between the eyes, wide or narrow.
- Half / split face — colour on one side and white on the other, or an off‑centre blaze giving an asymmetric look.
- White face / colour‑headed white — extensive white with only a patch of colour, linked to the extreme‑white sw allele.
Markings and hearing
Face pattern is not only cosmetic. When white covers the ears and both eyes lose pigment, the risk of deafness rises. Breeders generally avoid pairing two split‑faced dogs for this reason — see White / Irish Spotting and Nose & Eye Colour.
Whatever the pattern, the colour under the white is still set by the colour genes covered across this guide — the face just shows how much of it the white leaves visible.
