 Unfortunately,
the Collie's exact origins are shrouded in obscurity.
It has been the subject of much research and speculation.
The word "Collie" is as obscure as the
breed itself. The name has been spelled many different
ways: Coll, Colley, Coally and Coaly. Generally,
the most accepted origin of the word is "Coll" -
the Anglo-Saxon word for black.
In the 18th century, the Collie's natural home was in the highlands of Scotland,
where he had been used for centuries as a sheepdog. The dogs were bred with great
care in order to assist their masters in the herding and guarding of their flock.
While the breed as we know it may have originated in Scotland, invariably we
think of England as the true home of the breed. Without a doubt, it is to the
English fancy of the late 1800s that the breed owes its development as a popular
show dog. Collies were first exhibited in 1860 at the Birmingham, England dog
show, in the generic class "Scotch Sheep-Dogs."
In 1879 the first English Collie was imported to this country. It is from England
that we find the famous pillars of the breed, from which the American fanciers
sought not only their next big winner, but also their foundation stock.
By the turn of the century, the American Collie was in a state of continued development.
The breed continued to flourish in England. American show prizes were dominated
by the British imports. As a result of the imports, the breed made rapid progress
between 1900 to 1920. These dogs built the foundations upon which the present
day Collie is based and paved the way for the emergence of the great American
kennels of the 1920s and 1930s. Names such as Alstead, arken, Arrowhill, Tazewell,
Tokalon, Hertzville, Lodestone, Noranda, Sterling, Bellhaven and Honeybrook began
to dominate the American dog scene. This signaled the true emergence of the golden
age of the American Collie. Our Collie legacy since that time has been rich and
varied. For more detailed information regarding the history of the Collie, contact
the Collie Club of America, Inc., for various books and publications.
The
Standard
ROUGH
General Character
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, each part being in harmonious proportion to
every other part and to the whole. Except for the technical description that
is essential to this Standard and without which no Standard for the guidance
of breeders and judges is adequate, it could be stated simply that no part
of the Collie ever seems to be out of proportion to any other part. Timidity,
frailness, sullenness, viciousness, lack of animation, cumbersome appearance
and lack of over-all balance impair the general character.
Head
The head properties are of great importance. When considered in proportion
to the size of the dog the head is inclined to lightness and never appears
massive. 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. On
the sides it tapers gradually and smoothly from the ears to the end of
the black nose, without being flared out in backskull (cheeky) or pinched
in muzzle (snipy). In profile view the top of the backskull and the top
of the muzzle lie in two approximately parallel, straight planes of equal
length, divided by a very slight but perceptible stop or break. A mid-point
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 end of the smooth, well-rounded muzzle is blunt but not square. The underjaw
is strong, clean-cut and the depth of skull from the brow to the under part
of the jaw is not excessive. The teeth are of good size, meeting in a scissors
bite. Overshot or undershot jaws are undesirable, the latter being more severely
penalized. There is a very slight prominence of the eyebrows. The backskull
is flat, without receding either laterally or backward and the occipital bone
is not highly peaked. The proper width of backskull necessarily depends upon
the combined length of skull and muzzle and the width of the backskull is less
than its length. Thus the correct width varies with the individual and is dependent
upon the extent to which it is supported by length of muzzle. Because of the
importance of the head characteristics, prominent head faults are very severely
penalized.
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. Except for the blue merles, they are required
to be matched in color. They are almond-shaped, of medium size and never
properly appear to be large or prominent. The color is dark and the eye
does not show a yellow ring or a sufficiently prominent haw to affect the
dog's expression. The eyes have a clear, bright appearance, expressing
intelligent inquisitiveness, particularly when the ears are drawn up and
the dog is on the alert. In blue merles, dark brown eyes are preferable,
but either or both eyes may be merle or china in color without specific
penalty. A large, round, full eye seriously detracts from the desired sweet
expression. Eye faults are heavily penalized.
Ears
The ears are in proportion to the size of the head and, if they are carried
properly and unquestionably break naturally, are seldom too small. Large
ears usually cannot be lifted correctly off the head, and even if lifted,
they will be out of proportion to the size of the head. 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 and is penalized
accordingly.
Neck
The neck is firm, clean, muscular, sinewy and heavily frilled. It is fairly
long, carried upright with a slight arch at the nape and imparts a proud,
upstanding appearance showing off the frill.
Body
The body is firm, hard and muscular, a trifle long in proportion to the height.
The ribs are well-rounded behind the well-sloped shoulders and the chest
is deep, extending to the elbows. The back is strong and level, supported
by powerful hips and thighs and the croup is sloped to give a well-rounded
finish. The loin is powerful and slightly arched. Noticeably fat dogs,
or dogs in poor flesh, or with skin disease, or with no undercoat are out
of condition and are moderately penalized accordingly.
Legs
The forelegs are straight and muscular, with a fair amount of bone considering
the size of the dog. A cumbersome appearance is undesirable. Both narrow
and wide placement are penalized. The forearm is moderately fleshy and
the pasterns are flexible but without weakness. The hind legs are less
fleshy, muscular at the thighs, very sinewy and the hocks and stifles are
well bent. A cowhocked dog or a dog with straight stifles is penalized.
The comparatively small feet are approximately oval in shape. The soles
are well padded and tough, and the toes are well arched and close together.
When the Collie is not in motion the legs and feet are judged by allowing
the dog to come to a natural stop in a standing position so that both the
forelegs and the hind legs are placed well apart, with the feet extending
straight forward. Excessive "posing"is undesirable.
Gait
Gait is sound. When the dog is moved at a slow trot toward an observer its
straight front legs track comparatively close together at the ground. The
front legs are not out at the elbows, do not "crossover," nor
does the dog move with a choppy, pacing or rolling gait. When viewed from
the rear the hind legs are straight, tracking comparatively close together
at the ground. At a moderate trot the hind legs are powerful and propelling.
Viewed from the side the reasonably long, "reaching" stride is
smooth and even, keeping the back line firm and level.
As the speed of the gait is increased the Collie single tracks, bringing the
front legs inward in a straight line from the shoulder toward the center line
of the body and the hind legs inward in a straight line from the hip toward
the center line of the body. The gait suggests effortless speed combined with
the dog's herding heritage, requiring it to be capable of changing its direction
of travel almost instantaneously.
Tail
The tail is moderately long, the bone reaching to the hock joint or below.
It is carried low when the dog is quiet, the end having an upward twist
or swirl. When gaited or when the dog is excited it is carried gaily but
not over the back.
Coat
The well-fitting, proper-textured coat is the crowning glory of the rough variety
of Collie. It is abundant except on the head and legs. The outer coat is
straight and harsh to the touch. A soft, open outer coat or a curly outer
coat, regardless of quantity is penalized. The undercoat, however, is soft,
furry and so close together that it is difficult to see the skin when the
hair is parted. The coat is very abundant on the mane and frill. The face
or mask is smooth. The forelegs are smooth and well feathered to the back
of the pasterns. The hind legs are smooth below the hock joints. Any feathering
below the hocks is removed for the show ring. The hair on the tail is very
profuse and on the hips it is long and bushy. The texture, quantity and
the extent to which the coat "fits the dog" are important points.
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.
Size
Dogs are from 24 to 26 inches at the shoulder and weigh from 60 to 75 pounds.
Bitches are from 22 to 24 inches at the shoulder, weighing from 50 to 65
pounds. An undersize or an oversize Collie is penalized according to the
extent to which the dog appears to be undersize or oversize.
Expression
Expression is one of the most important points in considering the relative
value of Collies. Expression, like the term character is difficult to define
in words. It is not a fixed point as in color, weight or height and it
is something the uninitiated can properly understand only by optical illustration.
In general, however, it may be said to be the combined product of the shape
and balance of the skull and muzzle, the placement, size, shape and color
of the eye and the position, size and carriage of the ears. An expression
that shows sullenness or which is suggestive of any other breed is entirely
foreign. The Collie cannot be judged properly until its expression has
been carefully evaluated.
SMOOTH
The
Smooth Variety of Collie is judged by the same Standard
as the Rough Variety, except that the references
to the quantity and distribution of the coat are
not applicable to the Smooth Variety, which has a
short, hard, dense, flat coat of good texture, with
an abundance of undercoat.
Approved
May 10th 1997. Courtesy of Collie Club of America.
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