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Collie Dog Breed
 | Collie refers to various breeds of herding dog
originating primarily in Scotland. The exact origin of the name is uncertain,
although it probably originates in Early Scots col(l) (coal), meaning black.
Another explanation sometimes put forward is that collie was a regional word
in Anglo-Saxon for "something useful." The fictional Lassie, star of movies,
books, and television shows, was a rough collie, which helped to popularize
Collies in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as in many other
countries. Lad of Sunnybank also deserves credit for making the collie popular
and was a real dog written about by Albert Payson Terhune. The "Collie" Club
of America [1] is one of the oldest breed-specific clubs in existence in the
United States (founded in 1886). However, there are three different dog breeds
with "Collie" in their name: |
Photo of
Collie Dog Breed
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Collie (including both Rough Collie and
Smooth Collie varieties)
Border Collie
Bearded Collie
The farm collie was a generic term for a wide range of herding dogs common
in North America until the middle of the 20th century.
Shetland Sheepdogs
(commonly known as "Shelties") are sometimes mistakenly called Miniature
Collies, but they are a completely different breed of distinct origin. |
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Information about
Collie Dog Breed
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The highlands of Scotland were the natural home of the
collie, where the sheepdogs had been used for centuries by shepherds, but
the modern form of the breed was mostly developed in England in the late 1800s.
This early form of the breed was usually referred to as the Scotch collie (or
Scottish collie) in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Scotch collies were
heavier and less fine-boned than today's rough and smooth dogs. The ancestors of
the modern Collie were first exhibited as "Scotch Sheep-Dogs" in the 1860
Birmingham (England) dog show.
Collies come in two varieties of the breed based on coat length in America; in
the UK these are shown as separate breeds. The rough collie is the collie seen
in films and on television (e.g., Lassie). The downy undercoat is covered by a
long, dense, coarse outer coat with a notable ruff around the neck, feathers
about the legs, a petticoat on the abdomen, and a frill on the hindquarters. The
smooth collie likewise has a double coat, but the outer one is short and dense,
albeit there is a notable ruff around the neck. Both rough and smooth varieties
are available in four distinct colors. Sable collies are generally the most
recognizable, the choice of the Lassie television and movie producers. The sable
color on these dogs can range from a light blonde color to a deep reddish-brown,
with any hue in between possible. Tri-colour dogs are mostly black and white
with tan markings. Blue Merle collies are best described as tri-colour dogs
whose black has been diluted to a mottled gray-blue color. White collies are
usually mostly white on the body with a head coloration of any of the three
previous. A lesser-known variant of blue merle colouring is that of the "phantom
merle" - a seemingly tri-colour dog, with only perhaps a slight merling of one
or two areas of fur, which actually carries the gene for merling, which is a
dominant dilution gene. If bred to another dog with a merle gene, the resulting
pups may be "double-dilute", which can result in devastating and lethal
neurological conditions. In America, a dog with the phantom merle coloring is
described as being "cryptic for merle." The least-seen colour among collies is
sable merle, that is sable collies carrying the merle (dominant dilution) gene.
These collies have white hairs mixed in among the sable ones along with patches
of white in the sable. They may have dark eyes, merles eyes (dark brown irises
with patches of blue) or blue eyes (often called China blue color). In America,
blue-eye sable merle collies are disqualified from the conformation show ring,
according to AKC rules.
As modern-day "Lassies", both rough and smooth collies have become successful
assistance, and therapy dogs. At least one guide dog school, Southeastern Guide
Dogs in Florida, currently trains smooth coated collies as guide dogs, and a
number of collies are currently partnered with disabled individuals around the
United States.
Health
The collie is typically a very healthy breed, and is known to inherit few health
conditions that are both serious and prevalent. Some health conditions of note
include Collie eye anomaly, PRA (progressive retinal atrophy), gastric torsion,
dermatomyositis, grey collie syndrome (a type of neutropenia), collie nose
(discoid lupus erythematosus), and demodicosis.[1] Seizures, canine hip
dysplasia, microphthalmia, and cyclic neutropenia are also occasionally seen.[2]
The Collie Health Foundation (http://www.colliehealth.org) maintains a website
and database on disorders affecting collies.
Some Collies suffer from a special gene defect due to a mutation in the
multidrug resistance gene, MDR1. This is also known as "the Ivermectin-sensitive
collie". All dogs with this mutation must be descandents of a dog who lived in
Great Britain in the midst of the 19th century. This mutation is found worldwide
and can even cause the death of a dog, if it gets the wrong medicine (based on
Ivermectin, Doramectin, Loperamid and many more pharmaceuticals). Therefore all
Collies and breeds akin to them (such as the Shetland Sheepdog) should either be
tested or receive a different class of heartworm preventative drug, such as
milbemycin oxime (Interceptor brand by Novartis).
Collies typically live an average of 12 to 14 years.
Temperament
Collies are known to be generally sweet and protective. They are generally easy
to train due to a high level of intelligence and a willingness to please. Some
collies are a bit clingy, but this is often seen as an overdeveloped sense of
loyalty. They are excellent herding dogs and benefit from the companionship of a
family or other dogs.
Famous Collies
Lassie
Colleen from Road Rovers
Jessie, the dog from the satirical novella Animal Farm by George Orwell, is
portrayed as a Border Collie in the 1999 film version
Laddie from The Simpsons
Blanco, pet of Lyndon Johnson
Reveille, official mascot of Texas A&M University
Lad of Sunnybank, from the series of novels by Albert Payson Terhune
Mrs. Collie from AHS [(Amsterdam High School)]
References
^ Caring for a Collie - Breeder Retriever, URL dated November 27, 2006
^ Coile, Caroline, Ph. D., Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds, Barron's Educational
Series, 2005
~From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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