Collie: An Owner's Guide to a Happy Healthy Pet

By Allene McKewen

Known to virtually every American as Lassie, the Collie is a family favorite. With tips on grooming both rough- and smooth-coated Collies (yes, there are lots of brush-cut Collies!), complete information on health care and training, this book is the perfect introductory guide.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: May 18, 2009
• ISBN: 9780470493588

Book preview

chapter 1

What Is a Collie?

To know what a Collie is, just ask a child. Generations of children have grown up reading Albert Payson Terhune’s wonderful Collie stories, Eric Knight’s Lassie Come Home, and seeing Lassie in the movies or on TV, tirelessly coming to the rescue, time and again. No breed has even come close in capturing public affection and imagination.

Wherever we take our Collies, someone always stops us with a wonderful story of the Collie they owned. We find the Collies in fiction are matched and even exceeded by the true exploits of real Collies everywhere.

Collies are the caretakers of their world, and nothing is so small it escapes their notice. They were developed as hardy, intelligent herding dogs by self-sufficient inhabitants of isolated communities in Scotland and other parts of the British Isles. They were more than stock dogs, they were partners, for their human family’s very survival depended on them. Those first Collies were bred to have almost human intelligence and reasoning ability; to be gentle, loving and loyal; and to staunchly defend those they loved. Happily, they have passed this legacy to the Collies that brighten peoples’ lives today.

In many ways, the Collie is the ideal family dog and enjoys a place in many hearts the world over.

Collies have won the national Dog Hero of the Year award more often than any other breed. With Queen Victoria’s patronage, the Collie caught the attention of a dedicated group of breeders in England who determined to make this breed as beautiful on the outside as on the inside. That they succeeded is a happy historical fact.

The Breed Standard

All recognized dog breeds have a standard that serves as a description of the ideal dog. No one dog will meet every quality in the standard, but the goal of breeders is to produce dogs that bear that standard’s characteristics.

The following excerpts from the official American Kennel Club standard for the Collie appear in italic type. Because of the length and technical nature of the standard, only the most important sections have been excerpted.

WHAT IS A BREED STANDARD?

A breed standard—a detailed description of an individual breed—is meant to portray the ideal specimen of that breed. This includes ideal structure, temperament, gait, type—all aspects of the dog. Because the standard describes an ideal specimen, it isn’t based on any particular dog. It is a concept against which judges compare actual dogs and breeders strive to produce dogs. At a dog show, the dog that wins is the one that comes closest, in the judge’s opinion, to the standard for its breed. Breed standards are written by the breed parent clubs, the national organizations formed to oversee the well-being of the breed. They are voted on and approved by the members of the parent clubs.

GENERAL CHARACTER

The standard begins with a first impression: The Collie is a lithe, strong, responsive, active dog carrying no useless timber, standing naturally straight and firm. The deep, moderately wide chest shows strength, the sloping shoulders and well-bent hocks indicate speed and grace, and the face shows high intelligence. The Collie presents an impressive, proud picture of true balance . . .

The standard draws a mental picture of a proud dog—graceful, balanced and strong. You can almost see him standing on a hillside watching his flocks, his beautiful head high and alert, his body ready to move at a moment’s notice. For all the technical explanations necessary to describe in detail all that goes into the making of this proud, beautiful animal, you now have in your mind’s eye the picture that is Collie.

HEAD

The Collie’s head and expression set him apart from other breeds. The head is described as inclined to lightness . . . A heavy-headed dog lacks the necessary bright, alert, full of sense look that contributes so greatly to expression. Both in front and profile view the head bears a general resemblance to a well-blunted lean wedge, being smooth and clean in outline and nicely balanced in proportion ... A midpoint between the inside corners of the eyes (which is the center of a correctly placed stop) is the center of balance in length of head. The teeth are of good size, meeting in a scissors bite. Overshot or undershot jaws are undesirable, the latter being more severely penalized. In a scissors bite, the upper incisors overlap just outside and in front of the lower incisors. When the upper incisors extend beyond the lowers, the dog is overshot; when the lower incisors extend beyond the upper ones, the dog is undershot. It is common for young adolescents to be slightly overshot as the head lengthens, but they outgrow it, and a very slight overshot is not considered a serious fault. More extensive overshot bites give a chinless or weak appearance. An undershot bite is foreign to the breed, distorting the shape of the head and giving it a Roman (concave) profile. Undershot and severe overshot bites often cause eating, alignment and dentition problems.

The Collie is a proud dog—graceful, balanced and strong.

EYES

Because of the combination of the flat skull, the arched eyebrows, the slight stop and the rounded muzzle, the foreface must be chiseled to form a receptacle for the eyes and they are necessarily placed obliquely to give them the required forward outlook . . . They are almond-shaped, of medium size and never properly appear to be large or prominent . . . The eyes have a clear, bright appearance, expressing intelligent inquisitiveness, particularly when the ears are drawn up and the dog is on the alert ... A large, round, full eye seriously detracts from the desired sweet expression. Perhaps the eyes make the most lasting impression, for they are the very soul of the breed. The Collie’s expression is soft, sweet and enchanting. You seem unable to pull away as you gaze at this lovely face, nor can you resist smiling back. It is the very unique combination of head parts that produces this charming effect. Other breed standards also call for an almond-shaped eye, or even an obliquely set eye, but they still do not produce the picture that is uniquely Collie.

Because of the length and shape of the Collie’s skull and the chiseling effect necessary to set the eyes properly in the skull, the almond-shaped eye not only slants upward but to the side. Perhaps no other feature so sets the Collie apart from other breeds or leaves such a lasting impression.

The distinctive Collie’s ears contribute to his soft expression.

EARS

When in repose the ears are folded lengthwise and thrown back into the frill. On the alert they are drawn well up on the backskull and are carried about three-quarters erect, with about one-fourth of the ear tipping or breaking forward. A dog with prick ears or low ears cannot show true expression. The ears set off the expression, the alert, slightly tipped shape aiding the softness of expression.

BODY AND LEGS

The body is described as firm, hard and muscular, a trifle long in proportion to height, with straight, muscular forelegs and sinewy hind legs, muscular at the thighs. The hocks and stifles are well bent. This refers to the angles in the conformation of the rear leg; when there is sufficient angulation (bend) the dog will move with a stronger backward push with more reach, giving more flexibility, speed and smoothness.

GAIT

The beautiful, flowing gait is characteristic of the breed. Remember our first impression?—The Collie is a lithe, strong, responsive, active dog . . . Lithe means flexible, supple, agile, and the Collie in action makes a breathtaking picture, seeming to barely touch the ground, with a long, reaching stride.

At the trot, the Collie characteristically single tracks. Viewed from the front or back at a trot, the legs appear to converge toward the midline of the body, the center of balance. This is nature’s means of conserving energy; it keeps the feet under the dog’s center of gravity. The faster they go, the closer the feet will appear to fall in a straight line. Dogs that do not single track will show a choppy, rolling or pacing gait.

Watch a Collie herding sheep and you can appreciate the breed’s beautiful, flowing gait. Here the Rough tricolor Daydreams Millknock Knockout, HT, FT, CGC and co-owner Jim Smotrel keep the stock moving.

Single tracking allows the balance and center of gravity to work for and with the dog, he is always ready to shift direction, is never off balance, is collected and in control. Viewed from the side the reasonably long, reaching stride is smooth and even, keeping the back line firm and level. The Collie moves with grace and ease, seeming almost to float while barely touching the ground. He should not bounce or roll, but should cover ground effortlessly.

TAIL

The Collie’s long, proud tail finishes the picture, carried low when the dog is quiet, the end having an upward twist or swirl. When the Collie is gaiting, however, it is carried gaily, but never over the back.

COAT

Collies have two coat varieties and four recognized colors, with a wide variation of acceptable white markings. Although Lassie has popularized the sable and white color and the rough coat, there is enough selection to satisfy anyone’s taste. While the glorious coat of the Rough Collie is his crowning glory, in today’s wash-and-wear world the Smooth Collie is gaining popularity with his sleek beauty and easy-care coat.

Both varieties are double-coated, with a dense, soft undercoat that repels water and protects against heat and cold. The Smooth variety has a short, dense, hard, flat outer coat of good texture, with an abundance of undercoat. The longer hair of the Rough variety is well fitting, and abundant except on the head and legs. The outer coat is straight and harsh to the touch. The undercoat is soft, furry and thick.

The Rough Collie carries a huge mane and frill. The face is smooth, the forelegs are smooth but well feathered and the hind legs are smooth below the hocks. The tail and hips are profusely coated. The coat is never to be so profuse as to hide the dog’s outline and lose overall balance.

The Smooth Collie, Ch. Reignmaker’s Great Scott, owned by the author, is from a family of service dogs.

COLOR

The four recognized colors are Sable and White, Tri-color, Blue Merle and White. There is no preference among them. The Sable and White is predominantly sable (a fawn sable color of varying shades from light gold to dark mahogany) with white markings usually on the chest, neck, legs, feet and the tip of the tail. A blaze may appear on the foreface or backskull or both. The Tri-color is predominantly black, carrying white markings as in a Sable and White and has tan shadings on and about the head and legs. The Blue Merle is a mottled or marbled color predominantly blue-grey and black with white markings as in the Sable and White and usually has tan shadings as in the Tri-color. The "White" is predominantly white, preferably with sable, tri-color or blue merle markings.

THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB

Familiarly referred to as the AKC, the American Kennel Club is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of purebred dogs. The AKC maintains a registry of recognized breeds and adopts and enforces rules for dog events including shows, obedience trials, field trials, hunting tests, lure coursing, herding, earthdog trials, agility and the Canine Good Citizen program. It is a club of clubs, established in 1884 and composed, today, of over 500 autonomous dog clubs throughout the United States. Each club is represented by a delegate; the delegates make up the legislative body of the AKC, voting on rules and electing directors. The American Kennel Club maintains the Stud Book, the record of every dog ever registered with the AKC, and publishes a variety of materials on purebred dogs, including a monthly magazine, books and numerous educational pamphlets. For more information, contact the AKC