Tri-Color Border Collies

Our Border Collie is a rough coat black and white male from working stock. I think he wants to be a tri-color: he has tan points on his cheeks and red hair mixed with the black on his flanks. Somone told me he was a tri-color but our breeder says he is a classic black and white. Now I'm confused. Can you let me know what color she is considered?

Your dog is a "tri". There is no trying to be a tri (say, that rhymes). Some dogs exhibit it to greater or lesser degrees but it is distinct from the black and white variation. Any sort of brown (other than coffee stains) around the eyebrows, under the tail rump, around the cheeks (either set), or along the ears, make the dog a "tri".