Collie (Rough)

Other names/Nicknames:

  • Lassie Dog
  • Scotch Collie

Country/Date of origin:

  • Great Britain
  • 1500′s

Height:

  • Females:  22 to 24 inches
  • Males:  24 to 26 inches

Weight:

  • Females:  50 to 65 pounds
  • Males:  60 to 75 pounds

Personality:

  • Collies exhibit the qualities of loyalty , intelligence, and gentleness that are the stuff of hero dogs.
  • Easy to train.
  • A desire to please is hard-wired in the Collie’s genetic makeup.
  • They are a noisy breed.  Many owners, as a last resort, cut the vocal cords of compulsive barkers.

History:

An ancient breed of herding dog, the Rough Collie shares a common heritage with the Border Collie.  In the 1860′s, the Rough Collie caught the eye of people interested in the beauty of the dog and bred it to increase body size and the thickness of its coat.  The bigger, slower Rough Collie was able to compete for the shepherd’s favor with the increased popularity of the larger, slower English sheep (more wool), and it began to find its way back into the fields.  With the patronage of Queen Victoria, the Collie became the vogue in the 1880′s.   American royalty, in the form of J. P. Morgan, championed the breed across the Atlantic as well.  In 1885, Collies were admitted into the American Kennel Club (AKC) and great specimens were fetching more than the average man earned in 10 years.  There are two varieties of the Collie.  Everything that can be said about the rough-coated Collie can be said about the smooth variety except for coat.

Body Type:

  • The Collie is recognizable by almost everyone.
  • Considered to be one of the most beautiful of dogs, it has a long, lean head and a muscular body with a deep chest.
  • The tail is long and carried low.  It is never altered.
  • The ears are wedge shaped and should fold forward at the tips.  They are never altered.

Coat:

  • Straight, harsh, outer coat and a full, soft undercoat.
  • Has a profuse ruff around the neck.
  • Four colors are allowed:  sable and white, tricolor (black with white and tan markings), blue merle, and white (which is predominantly white with colored patches.)
  • The standard says no color is to be preferred, but in reality judges and the general public have shown a strong partiality for Lassie’s sable and white.
  • Sheds heavily.
  • Needs regular brushing.

Health and Wellness:

  • Autoimmune thyroid disease.
  • Gastric dilatation and volvulus syndrome (GDV, also commonly called bloat).
  • Patent ductus arteriosis.
  • Microphthalmia.
  • Collie-eye anomaly.
  • Dermatomyositis.
  • Hemophilia.
  • Cylic neutropenia.
  • Invermectin toxicosis.
  • Congenital deafness.
  • Metabolic bone disease.
  • Discoid lupus erythematosis.
  • Idiopathic epilepsy.
  • Progressive retinal atrophy.
  • Skin tumors.
  • Nasal tumors.
  • Bladder tumors.

What you should know:

  • This is not a suitable dog for an apartment.
  • In the spring and summer they become mobile hair spreaders.
  • The wished for dog of many a child who has read the Lad books of Albert Payson Terhune or watched Lassie on television.
  • Females shed much more than males, and look ratty by summer’s end.  This is why the movie Lassie has always been a Laddie!
  • In spite of its good press, great beauty, and high recognition index, the Collie is not even in the top twenty-five breeds in popularity.
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