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Dog Breeds - Collie

 

The Collie - A Favorite Among Dog Breeds

Favorites among dog breeds change with the times but the collie has certainly had its place in the sun. Though it has a background as an exceptional herding dog, and is regarded as such in the American Kennel Club categories, the collie has been transformed into the quintessential family dog and occasional movie actor or actress. One collie type, the Border Collie is still used as a herding dog for sheep, and when not on the job, often shows off its herding capabilities in show rings, rodeos and other settings.

There are a number of collie varieties and breeds, some of which are not true collies but have collie ancestry or blood. The two most common varieties of what we call the collie are the rough collie and the smooth collie, with the rough collie being the most numerous. One surprise in the collie world is the discovery that the good old shaggy haired English Sheepdog is actually a member of the collie family. The collie served as a working farm dog in England and Scotland for many centuries, and is thought to be one of the oldest of the dog breeds, although no one knows much, if anything, about the breed’s origins.

A Little Collie History - By the middle of the 19th century the standard for the collie had been set in Britain and has not changed much since. The standard for the American collie has undergone a few changes, though not many, and the collies found in the United States today tend to be slightly larger than their English counterparts. It was Queen Victoria who in the 1880's was largely responsible for the breed becoming popular as a family dog and as a show dog. The collie breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1885 and about the same time the Collie Club of America was founded. Even though the collie is no longer regarded as a working dog by most people, there is an organization, the American Working Collie Association, which actively promotes the working capabilities of the breed, including herding and carting.

The popularity of the collie in the United States received a huge boost in the 1920'by an author, Albert Payson Terhune, who was known for his very excellent dog stories, many of which were about collies and one of which, "Lad, A Dog" was about Terhune's own pet. Not too many years later, Lassie made her appearance in the movies, followed some years after that by the TV series of the same name. Lassie, portrayed as a very brave and very intelligent dog, gave a very accurate portrayal of the characteristics of the breed.

Lots of Bark And Lots Of Hair - Of all of the dog breeds, the collie perhaps represents the ultimate mix of fearlessness, work ethic, intelligence, trainability and fondness for people. On the negative side the collie is famous for being a dog that barks a lot. It doesn't even have to have much of anything to bark about or at. It just seems to be very fond of hearing itself bark! For this reason, the collie may not be the best choice as a pet in some neighborhoods. Another thing about the collie is its beautiful coat of hair, and the fact that there is lots of it. Collies have a somewhat rough outer coat and a very soft, thick undercoat. This coat makes the dog very tolerant of cold temperatures, though less so for hot temperatures. Its thick undercoat will act as an insulator against both heat and cold, but the breed is normally not very happy during hot weather. The luxurious coat also means that in having a collie you need to be prepared to give it a good brushing at least once a week, and a good brushing for a collie is going to take some time.