NetPet Breed Description:
Collie (Scots Collie - Rough and Smooth Varieties)

The Scots Collie is found in two varieties,which are distinguished by coat length and texture.
The long coated Rough Collie has a long coat composed of fairly coarse, weather resistant standaway hairs with a well developed undercoat while the short coated Smooth Collie has a coat around 1 to 2 inches in length which lies close to the body and does not develop a massive under coat in the winter. Unlike the Rough variety, the Smooth Collie does not have well developed feathering on the legs and chest nor does it have the massive neck ruff.

Original purpose and special abilities:

Collie is the term applied in English to many breeds of livestock herding dogs (drover's dogs) originating in the United Kingdom and other countries with English language heritage. The development of these working dogs can be traced back to the middle ages. Breed development continued into the mid 19th century. Their purpose was to move livestock from place to place under the direction of the shepherd or cow herd.

Introduction:

The Collie (or Scots Collie) is one of the best known of the pure bred dog breeds. It has repeatedly been the subject of emotionally intense fiction, from "Bob, son of Battle" through the long series of collie books by Albert Payson Terhune to "Lassie Come Home". It is my impression that significant number of my fellow dog lovers read collie books as adolescents and the image of the loyal, honest, "as intelligent as a human" animals depicted in these books has embedded itself into our group subconscious and has influenced our outlook on dogs. (see our related article The Lassie Suyndrome

Breed History:

Prior to 1860 the "shepherds dogge" had a long tradition in the British Isles and elsewhere as a useful animal bred for its working abilities. From 1860 to 1900 many Collie populations became involved in the Victorian frenzy of classification and ordering which resulted in the creation of breed standards and breed registries and the idea that dog breeds could be improved for the show ring. The classical show Collie, especially the Rough variety, was one of the main products of this process.

In "A Standard Guide to Pure Bred Dogs" Harry Glover (1977) was pretty straight forward about the process.

"As is the case with a number of breeds there has been a fairly sharp division between the working and the show type of Collie. The working Collie of today is almost exactly like the one of a hundred years ago, whilst the show Collie is very different indeed, and it is unlikely that any show Collie would work sheep as his ancestors did."

The separation began in the 1880's when show-oriented breeders recognized the potential to produce an exhibition animal of spectacular appearance from the rough coated Scots working Collie. Increase the size, a standardize a set of of showy markings, an elaborate the coat, a lengthen and refine the head, emphasize the adorable semi-prick ear - add the postive attention of the English nobility in the form of Queen Victoria -- what do you have? Politically the Collie was properly placed as it also united Scots and English interests and was a patriotic counter against the spectacular but foreign Borzoi from Russia.

Accounts from the turn of the century of the breeding of show Collies in Great Britian and selling them to the newly wealthy American industrialists are highly entertaining. The show collie and the show terrier and the competition over purchasing the best examples from England is one of the reasons that the American Kennel Club was founded by people named Rockefeller and Morgan.

In England the first standard for the show Collie was drawn up in 1881, revised in 1898, 1910, 1950 and 1969. In the United States the national breed club was established in 1886.

Region of Origin: Scotland in the British Isles

National Club established in the US: 1886

AKC Registration Statistics:

AKC Collie registrations have shown a steady decline in numbers of registered individuals through the past 30 years. Half as many dogs were registered 1996 as were registered in 1968. In 1996 collies were 29th in relative breed popularity - up from 30th in 1994. However this rise in the popularity index was relative, there were almost 2500 fewer dogs registered in 1996 as in 1994. 1982 1986 1994 199624200 20084 19196 14073 12542

Numbers of Collies Registered with the AKC 1968-1996
1968

Size:

• Weight (AKC breed standard) 60 to 75 (pounds) (dogs) : 50 to 65 (bitches)
  
• Height AKC 24 to 26 (inches) (dogs): 22 to 24 (bitches)
  
• Height KC(United Kingdom) 22 to 24 (inches) (dogs): 20 to 22 (bitches)
  

In England the size is set at 22 to 24 inches for dogs 20 to 22 for bitches. In the United States the heights are tallerby 2 inches - 24 to 26 for dogs 22 tro 24 for bitches. There are fanciers who criticise this larger size as making the animals too large to be fit for actual herding work.

Eye color:

Brown except in blue merles; in that color they may have blue patches and one or both may be blue in color.

Lips:  Tight, this is not a drool prone breed. Black in color.

Ear type:

The desired ear is called a semi-prick or tulip ear. This is a small triangular ear with enough stiffness to be raised above the dog's head but in which the top 1/3rd falls forward giving a very appealing appearance to the dog. From the point of view of breeding this ear form is difficult to stabilize, there being a tendency for a range of ear carriages to be present , stiff pointed (as in a the primitive wild dog), tulip and low set - hanging.

Oone of the commonest reasons a Collie might be offered for sale as a pet rather than as a show dog is unacceptable ear carriage . Since it has no effect on the health of the dog a pet with this condition should not be rejected because of this fault.

Peggy McFarland, my Collie breeder contact, points out that as dogs age they ear cartilege often stiffens so that the ears may go from the tulip carriage in youth to pricked in old dogs.

Disqualifications:

Breed disqualifications can lead to a dog be offered as a pet animal. One should never pay more for a dog with breed disqualifications because it is rare or unusual !

• There are no breed specific disqualifications in the AKC Collie standard. White Collies are disqualfied in Great Britian.
• Absence of two apparently normal, fully descended testicles in the scrotum in males is part of the general AKC set of show dog disqualifications.

No Cosmetic Surgeries (to establish 'breed look') are called for but if an individual is born with a fifth toe on the hind legs, this is removed.

Color:

The four colors named in the standard are Sable and white, Tricolor, Blue Merle and White. The AKC standard states "There is no preference among them". White is not allowed under the KC(GB) standard.

The white markings in non white collies form such a classic pattern that many other breeds are often described as "collie marked". This pattern is technically called "irish marked". It consists of white on the belly, legs, tail tip and as a white ring or shawl around the neck. Frequently there is also a white blaze (white stripe up the middle of the face).

Sable refers to the genetic color A-y red in which the coat is red with a mixture of black hairs. The black hairs are generally concentrated on the dorsal parts of the dog's head, neck and back.

Tricolor refers to a irish marked black and tan dog (the recessive color-point black gene a-t). In this color a self (solid) colored dog is black except on the muzzle, cheeks, belly and lower legs and has a tan spot above each eye.

Blue merle refers to the presence of the dominant gene for merling (M) which has the effect of creating patches of black, grey and white wherever the dog would be black. Thus means that on a black and tan dog - grey, black and white patches are present in the black regions of the head and body but the tan legs, muzzle, cheeks and eye spots appear to be a normal tan.

In a red sable dog the presence of the merle gene is difficult to detect in the coat. However merle also may affect the eyes. They can have blue patches or even be entirely blue so a sable merle is often recognized by the color of the eyes. A dog with two doses of merle (a homozygous or double merle dog) has reduced vitality (the double merle condition is termed semi-lethal). Most merles have a single dose of the gene (that is they are heterozygous) so that breeding of merle to any color other than merle gives only 50% merle pups. Double merles have much more extensive white and may have severe eye and kidney deformities. The semi-lethal nature of double merle is probably the source of predjudice against white collies.

White collies are expected to have some markings, generally on the head, of the sable, black and tan or merle colors. There are genetically two major ways of getting white in collies. The least desirable would be the double merle (see above). However there is also a gene for extreme white spotting in dogs that is not associated with merle. This is the commonest source of extensively white marked dogs in general and does not seem to be associated with any serious defects. This gene is also present in the collie breed.

Coat Type:

The Rough Collie has a has a distinctive pattern of long hairs producing its full, stand away, somewhat harsh, weather proof coat. The coat has a good undercoat (double coat). The hairs of the face and front of the legs and feet are relatively short and smooth. The balance of the coat has long strong guard hairs with an intermixture of soft insulating undercoat. The hairs of the neck, back of the front legs, tail and backs of the thighs are longer and fuller than the balance of the body coat creating a spectacular appearance.

This coat requires regular brushing to maintain in a mat free condition, especially in the spring when the undercoat is shed.

Smooth Collies have a short, hard, dense coat consisting of short hard guard hairs and an insulating undercoat. While Smooth Collies require regular brushing they do not require the extensive grooming needed by Rough Collies. Smooths also shed undercoat in the spring.

Temperament:

Collies are intelligent and highly trainable dogs who tend to bond to their families and may take a while to make friends with strangers. They are sensitive and do not work well with heavy handed training. Alert and willing to let you know if something afoot. They will bark with boredom. They need an active, project filled life in which they are involved with their family.

Special Requirements:Other than the need for regular brushing these are hardy dogs with few special requirements.

Typical Competitive Activities for this Breed:

Collies are highly regarded in obedience and their trainability makes them prime candidates for the interactive obedience based sports although the larger size of the American dogs is a slight disadvantage. For flyball and agility individuals need to be free of hip dysplasia and physically in top condition. They are also good watch dogs and have a talent for tracking. Relatively few Collies have participated in herding tests and trials to date.

Genetic problems commonly encountered in this breed:

Collie Eye Anomaly is an inherited condition seen in a number of Collie breeds besides the Scots Collie. According to Dr. Gregory Acland at Cornell this condition varies from mild to severe. In mild cases an examination of the inner portion of the eye with an opthalmoscope reveals a pale patch near the optic disk in which the pigmented and vascular layers supporting the retina are missing (the retina is the layer of light receptors that lines the inside of the back of the eye), however the eyeball itself remains intact and the retina is not detached from the inner surface of the eye. Dogs with mild Collie Eye Anomaly will live normal lives and are not apparently handicapped by the condition which is not progressive.

When the condition is severe multiple anomalies can be present in the eye, and degenerative changes can occur which may lead to blindness. For this reason breeding stock should be examined for eye disease and the advice of a competent medical geneticist should be followed.

Selective breeding in examined Collie lineages has greatly reduced the severity of the disease in recent years. The idea that CEA is inevitably linked to the small size of the desirable eye in the show bred dogs is challenged by two observations. (1) Collie eye anomaly has not been observed in Borzoi, many of which have similar eye conformation to show collies (small, deep-set oblique eyes) and (2) Collie Eye Anomaly is appearing, although at low levels of incidence, in Border Collies, Australian Shepherds and some other collie breeds which are not characterized by small, deep set, oblique eyes.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is the term used to describe the progressive dying of the cells of the retina. There are a number of different genetic defects, usually breed specific, that cause PRA. The PRA present in Collies is called rod-cone dysplasia type 2. It can be detected by electroretinogram by 6 weeks of age and opthalmoscopic examination by 4 months of age. Even 6 week old puppies may show signs of night blindness and there is generally severe visual impairment by a year of age. Breeding stock should be examined for this condition. Unlike Collie Eye Anomaly, PRA is progressive and if present will always lead to loss of vision.

Hip Dysplasia (HD) also occurs in this breed. Breeding stock should be examined for the condition. Whatever the genetic basis of the condition, there is certainly a correlation between severity of HD and aggressive programs of over feeding to create rapidly growing puppies. It is best to manage large breed puppies so that their growth is relatively slow no matter what the examined hip certification is on the parents.

In my personal experience (bd) a suprising number (1/4 in one kennel I visited) of Collies have a problem of occlusion of the large shearing cheek teeth called the carnassials. I term this condition lateral crossbite. The large upper shearing tooth (the 4th premolar) bites inside of the large lower shearing tooth (the first molar) rather than biting on the outside of the tooth as is normal. From my experience with long term management of this condition in a Borzoi the malocclusion increases the accumulation of tartar and predisposes the dog to gum infections unless an enhanced program of dental cleaning is followed. This problem seems to be directly related to narrowness of the skull across the level of the eyes. Its presence produces a narrower appearing head and a knowledgable person can recognize it even before looking in the dog's mouth. However it is not apparent until the permanent teeth have erupted.

Non-genetic health problems commonly encountered in this breed:

The increase in availability of eye clinics, especially among working Collie fanciers has lead to the discovery that a lot of working herding dogs suffer traumatic eye damage. This is caused by being kicked in the head by the herded stock. After a working session the owner should examine the dog for signs of trauma and if in doubt consult a veterinarian. Some traumatic damage to the eye can loosen the retina and lead to permanent visual impairment.

Breed Pluses:

A pleasant alert family dog. Generally good with children and amenable to training by the average dog owner. Happy to be fully included in the family's life.

Breed Minuses:

They are watch dogs and will bark alerts as they deem necessary. Left alone all day outside their tendency to bark can annoy the neighbors. The rough Collie requires regular grooming to avoid matting of the coat. Although friendly they are a sensitive dog not suited to heavy handed training.

Who should own this breed?

People who want a moderately active medium sized dog who will be an active member of the family and do not mind brushing their dog.

Who should not own this breed?People who do not want to include the dog in the family life. People looking for an aggressive protection dog. People who do not like to brush their dog and dislike dog hair.

Esthetic Defiencies: Often these are also the breed disqualifications and are legitimate reasons for a dog to be sold at a pet price on a 'neuter contract'. These should not detract from the health of the dog or its suitability as a pet.

• Tail Tail carried in a curl over the back like a spitz.
• Eyes Light or blue eyes in a dog that is not a merle.
• Ears Lack of the typical tulip ear (the raised ear with the falling over tip)
• Dentition Undershot or overshot, missing teeth.

See our basic puppy buying guidlines

AuthorBonnie Dalzell

References:

Acland, Gregory, PhD, DVM, 1997.

Cornell University, Baker Institute. Personal communication on medical aspects and genetics of Collie eye diseases.

Glover, Harry, editor, 1977.

A Standard Guide to Pure-Bred Dogs McGraw-Hill Book Company.

McFarland, Peggy, 1997

Taitwood Collies, 159 Main St, Fryeberg, Maine, 04037. Personal communications on owning and training modern Collies as pets.

Bisco, G, 1997

Old Farm Collie Home Website. This well done site contains many interesting articles and pictures showing the change in Collie type through the breed's history.