General
Appearance:
Appears
as dog of great beauty, standing with impassive dignity, with
no part out of proportion to the whole.
Characteristics:
Physical structure on lines of strength and activity,
free from cloddiness and with no trace of coarseness. Expression most
important. In considering relative values it is obtained by perfect balance
and combination of skull and foreface,
size, shape, colour and placement of eyes, correct position and carriage
of ears.
Temperament:
Friendly disposition with no trace
of nervousness or aggressiveness.
A great companion dog, friendly, happy and active, good with children
& other dogs.
Head
and Skull:
Head properties of great importance,
must be considered in proportion to size of dog. Viewed from front or
side, head resembles a well-blunted clean wedge, smooth in outline. Skull
flat. Sides taper gradually and smoothly from ears to end of black nose,
without prominent cheek bones or pinched muzzle.
Viewed in profile, top of skull and top
of muzzle lie in two parallel straight lines of equal length divided by
a slight, but perceptible stop or break. A mid-point between inside corner
of eyes (which is centre of a correctly placed stop) is centre of balance
in length of head. End of smooth, well rounded muzzle blunt, never square.
Under jaw strong, clean cut. Depth of skull from brow to underpart of
jaw never excessive (deep through). Nose always black.
Eyes:
Very important feature giving sweet
expression. Medium size (never very small) set somewhat obliquely, of
almond-shape and dark brown colour, except in the case of blue merles
when eyes are frequently (one or both, or part of one or both) blue or
blue-flecked. Expression full of intelligence, with quick, alert look
when listening.
Ears:
Small, not too close together on top
of skull, nor too far apart. In repose carried thrown back, but alert
brought forward when alert and carried semi-erect, that is, with approximately
two-thirds of ear standing erect, top third tipping forward naturally,
below horizontal.
Mouth:
Teeth of good size. Jaws strong with
a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely
overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Neck:
Muscular, powerful, of fair
length, well arched.
Forequarters:
Shoulders sloping and
well angulated. Forelegs straight and muscular neither
in nor out at elbows, with moderate amount of round bone.
Body:
Slightly long compared with height,
back firm with a slight rise over loins;
ribs well sprung, chest deep, fairly broad
behind shoulders.
Hindquarters:
Hindlegs muscular at thighs, clean and sinewy
below, with well bent stifles. Hocks
well let down and powerful.
Feet:
Oval; soles well padded.
Toes arched and close together.
Hind feet slightly less
arched.
Tail:
Long with bone reaching at least to hock
joint. Carried low when quiet but with slight upward swirl at tip. May
be carried gaily when excited, never over the back.
Gait/Movement:
Distinctly characteristic in this breed.
A sound dog is never out at the elbow, yet moves with front feet comparatively
close together. Plaiting, crossing or rolling are highly undesirable.
Hindlegs from hock joint to ground when viewed from rear to be parallel
but not too close; when viewed from side, action is smooth. Hindlegs powerful
with plenty of drive. A reasonably long stride is desirable and should
be light and appear effortless.
Coat:
Fits outline of body, very dense.
Outer coat straight and harsh to touch, undercoat soft, furry and very
close almost hiding the skin; mane and frill very abundant, mask and face
smooth, ears smooth at tips, but carrying more hair towards base, front
legs well feathered, hindlegs above hocks profusely feathered, but smooth
below hock joint. Hair on tail very profuse.
Colour:
Sable,
Sable and white, Tricolour and Blue Merle.
Sable: any shade of light gold to rich mahogany or shaded
sable.
Light straw or cream coloured highly undesirable.
Tricolour: predominantly black with rich tan markings
about legs and head.
A rusty tinge in top coat highly undesirable.
Blue Merle: predominantly clear, silvery blue, splashed
and marbled with black. Rich tan markings preferred, but absence
should not be penalised. Large black markings, slate colour, or rusty
tinge either of top or undercoat are highly undesirable.
All should carry typical white Collie markings
to a greater or lesser degree. Following markings are favourable –
white collar, full or part, white shirt, legs
and feet, white tail tip. A blaze may be carried on muzzle or skull, or
both.
Size:(Height)
Dogs: 56-61 cms (22-24 ins) at shoulder; Bitches: 51-56
cms (20-22 ins).
Faults:
Any departure from the foregoing points
should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault
should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its
effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.
Note:
Male animals should have two
apparently normal testicles
fully descended
into the scrotum.
March 1994
The
Smooth Collie variety is judged by the same standard as the Rough-coat
variety in
all aspects except the coat, an important feature in both the Rough and
Smooth Collie ...
in the Smooth, the coat is a short, flat top coat of harsh texture, with
a very dense undercoat.