GENERAL APPEARANCE
Shoulder height: 51-61cm (20”-24”).
Colour: Sable/white, tricolour or blue merle.
Coat: Rough variety - harsh straight outercoat with a soft furry under coat.
Short hair on the head, ears and lower legs, and an abundant mane on the neck and feathering on the rear of hindquarters.
Smooth variety - short harsh outercoat.
Gait: Fore and hindlegs move out soundly with elbows, hocks and feet turning neither in nor out.
These herding dogs combine beauty of structure with working abilities.
The barely perceptible stop is set midway inthe long wedge shaped head and the semi erect ears are placed high on the skull. The beautiful obliquely set almond shaped eyes are normally dark, but in the case of blue merles, one, both or part of the eye may be china blue or blue flecked. The neck runs into a slightly long body with a deep chest. Fore pasterns must be springy and the hindquarters well angulated. The long plumed tail may be raised in action or when excited.
CHARACTERISTICS AND CARE
Collies are excellent guard dogs having been originally bred to herd and guard sheep - instincts they have never lost. They best respond to firm kind training and discipline, but may become stubborn if subjected to harsh treatment. In domestic situations, they are gentle and friendly with no trace of aggression and make excellent companions for people of all ages.
Minimal trimming is needed, but in the Rough variety regular grooming with a pin brush that reaches through to the undercoat is necessary.
HISTORY
Herding is one of the earliest occupations for dogs. Thus, it is not surprising that the Collie’s ancestry goes back some 2,000 years to the days of the Romans. In northern Scotland where sheep raising was an important industry during the 16th and 17th centuries, the farmers developed the distinctive type of sheep herder that we know as the Collie. Generally it was the Rough coated Collie that was used for working with sheep.