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| History of the Collie in Brief by Joan Graber Chairman of the Judge's Education Committee written as a service to judges considering Collies. |
| The origin of both the smooth and rough Collies is as much a matter of faith and belief as it is a matter of fact. There is no question that useful sheepdogs of many varieties existed in many parts of the world for centuries. The Collie in more or less modern form appears to have emerged in the British Isles sometime during the eighteen humdreds, though |
| from The International White Collie Chronicle Jan/Feb/March 2002 Volume 7, Issue 1 |
| its most likely progenitors, the sheepdog, the ban dog and the cur, were well known long before that. The sheepdog, a somewhat smaller, lower and longer dog, appears to be the most likely candidate for an early rough Collie prototype, while the cur and the ban dog, with their light Mastiff background, could have played a significant role in the origins of the smooth. One persistent genetic marker that would appear to support this theory is associated with the marking on some newborn sable smooth Collies. These puppies are born either plain-faced (no mask on the backskull) or with light skulls and dark muzzles. This Mastiff-type coloration disappears, usually by the time the pup is weaned, and more typical Collie markings appear. These dogs were proportioned more like today's Collies than were the early sheepdogs. Though often called the Scottish or Scotch Collie, this breed is as likely to have emerged in the lowlands of northern England as in the highlands of Scotland. The Rough and Smooth Collie also share many of the same ancestors as the Border Collie. Every time I attend a seminar on those breeds I find myself wondering if we all will be using picture of the same ancestral dogs. To understand how this breed has developed it is important to recognize the work it was intended to do. White this work centered on the care and management of livestock, largely sheep, the early owners and developers of these dogs were not well-to-do fanciers, but pracitical, hard-working, thrifty individuals. A dog had to earn its keep, possibly playing several roles in its daily work. Tradition has the rough Collie more closely associated with the work of maintaining flocks on their home pastures, doing some guard duty, gathering and driving stock from pasture to pasture. Most of this worl was done in close association with the shepherd, so a quick, responsive dog that was obedient to a large number of signals, sometimes given at great distances, was needed. The dog had to be able to work in all sorts of weather and on varied terrains. They needed great endurance and agility to control stock that were quick, mercurial and sometimes flighty. The Smooth Collie is more closely associated with the duties of drovers whose work entailed putting together stock from various home farms to take to market. The work of keeping very large flocks of sheep, unfamiliar with each other, together and on the road to market demanded dogs that were willing to work effectively in strange surroundings and with unfamiliar stock. Since they were on the road for long hours they also had to have great endurance and agility, as did their counterparts in the fields. Among Irish immigrants to Canada, who sometimes managed to bring their Smooth Collies with them, the dogs also enjoyed a reputation as a good poucher's dog, as ready to hunt, as to herd. In actuality, both types were used for both herding and driving to market, though there appears to be some logic for the work assighed by tradition to the two varieties. The heavier coat would be very usueful to a dog whose herding responsibilites often involved working among brambles, rocky hillsides and snowdrifts. It was also armor when the dog had to guard the flock against predators. On the other hand smooths are recognized by their owners to be somewhat more bold and are certainly the jokesters of the breed. These two types of Collies have been interbred since the dawning of the breed and only the most persistent of the genetic linkages to their different pasts remain. They generally share in all of the major characteristics of the breed, aside from coat. In the USA they are considered one breed and are interbred, while in England and FCI countries, they are now two different breeds. General Comments For those judging Collies using the FCI or English Standards, let me say that there are more similarities than differences between the two FCI/English Standards, one for Smooths and one for Roughs, and the AKC Standard that serves for both varieties. The differences occur in: 1) The section on ears, where the AKC Standard describes the ear as 3/4 erect and 1/4 tipped. amd says if they are carried properly and break naturally are seldom too small. The FCI Rough Standard asks for small ears while the FCI Smooth Standard asks for ears to be moderately large, wider at the base and both FCI Standards describe ears as 2/3 erect and 1/3 tipped. 2) The section regarding size, with both FCI Standards asking for dogs to be 22"-24" and weigh from 45-65lbs, and bitches to be 20"-22" and weigh 40-55lbs, while the AKC Standard asks for dogs to be 24-26" and weigh from 60-75lbs and bitches to be 22"-24" and weigh from 50-65lbs. 3) The color section wher the FCI Rough Standard says nothing about whites except under the statement: "White markings: all above may carry typical white Collie markings to a greater or lesser degree", and the FCI Smooth Standard adds "All white or predominantly white is undesireable" while the AIC Standard describes whites as one of of the four acceptable colors. I've not included the AKC Standard, nor will I be going over the standard in detail. I will, however, refer to portions of the AKC Standard and plan to eleborate on parts of it. I'l also be discussing it in a somewhat different order than the way in which the standard is organized. With about on-half of the standard devoted to head and expression the Collie can be definitely be referred to as a 'head breed." The Collie head is the fearture which distinguishes the supeior Collie from the ordinary one. Without the essential head qualities, the Collie will be lacking in type. This doesn't mean the remainder of the dog should be ignored. The proper body and movement not only set off the head correctly, but (also) reflect the working background and ability of the breed. In the late '30s, Dr. McCain, of Cainbrooke Collies, wrote, "...the effort of breeders for years seems to have been to add to the beauty of the breed and, at the same time, retain the essential qualities of the hearder and driver...". Today's breeders are still striving toward these goals and results can be seen in conformation rings. In the '40s and '50s, cow hocks were a more common problem as were shyness, and heads which widened and coarsened. These were heads that became almost a pie-shaped wedge as the dog matured, instead of the coffin-shape wedge desired. All of these features are rarely seen today. Round eyes, light eyes or those with ellow rings were also seen rather frequently back then. When judging Collies at most all-breed shows, between November and early May, you need to remember that you may be seeing the best examples. As is the case with German Shepherds, there are many specialty shows during those months at which many breeders would rather show. Fewer Roughs are shown, at shows between late April and November, as most of them start dropping coat in late April and don't start to coat up until November. With this very limited time it's undestandable that most Rough exhibitors prefer to show at the Specialty shows. Once a Smooth has shed its undercoat, it may still look acceptable, though it will have only scant evedence of a double coat, therefore, you may not see a significant drop in the number of Smooths shown at all-breed shows, between April and November. - End of article |
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