History of the Collie in Brief"
by Joan Graber, Chairman of the Judge's Education Committee,
written as a service to judges considering Collies.
Joan was a Collie breeder and judge.
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 hundreds, though 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 back skull) 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 practical, 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 work 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 poacher'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 assigned by tradition to the two varieties. The heavier coat would be very
useful to a dog whose herding responsibilities 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,
and 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 where 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
undesirable" while the AKC Standard describes whites as
one 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 elaborate on parts of it. I'll 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 feature which distinguishes the superior 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 herder 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 yellow 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
understandable 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 evidence 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.
by Joan Graber, Chairman of the Judge's Education Committee,
written as a service to judges considering Collies.
Joan was a Collie breeder and judge.
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 hundreds, though 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 back skull) 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 practical, 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 work 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 poacher'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 assigned by tradition to the two varieties. The heavier coat would be very
useful to a dog whose herding responsibilities 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,
and 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 where 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
undesirable" while the AKC Standard describes whites as
one 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 elaborate on parts of it. I'll 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 feature which distinguishes the superior 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 herder 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 yellow 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
understandable 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 evidence 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.
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Article - 2002
Originally printed in The White Collie Chronicle
Jan/Feb/March 2002 Volume 7, Issue 19
Originally printed in The White Collie Chronicle
Jan/Feb/March 2002 Volume 7, Issue 19
| " History of the Collie in Brief " |
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by Joan Graber, Rudh'Re Collies, USA
