Scotch collie
Encyclopedia
Scottish Collie or Scotch Collie was a Victorian era term originally given to the various collie
Collie
The collie is a distinctive type of herding dog, including many related landraces and formal breeds. It originates in Scotland and Northern England. It is a medium-sized, fairly lightly built dog with a pointed snout, and many types have a distinctive white pattern over the shoulders. Collies...

 dog types derived from Scotland region. What a scotch collie was so varied. Largely abandoned by the end of the 20th century the name has recently been resurrected by breed historians of the collie dog. Usually used to refer to dogs who had the appearance of collie dogs from both the highland and border regions of what is now known as Scotland.

Some Scotch Collie lines were chosen by national kennel clubs and developed (such as the Canadian or American Kennel Club) into modern breeds such as the Rough Collie
Rough Collie
The Rough Collie is a long coated breed of medium to large size dog that in its original form was a type of collie used and bred for herding in Scotland. Originating in the 1800's, it is now well known through the works of author Albert Payson Terhune, and through the Lassie novel, movies, and...

, Border Collie
Border Collie
The Border Collie is a herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. It is the most widespread of the collie breeds....

 and Smooth Collie
Smooth Collie
The Smooth Collie is a breed of dog developed originally for herding. It is a short-coated version of the Rough Collie of Lassie fame. Some breed organisations consider the smooth-coat and rough-coat dogs to be variations of the same breed.-History:...

, Bearded Collie
Bearded Collie
The Bearded Collie, or Beardie, is a herding breed of dog once used primarily by Scottish shepherds, but now mostly a popular family companion....

 among others. Previous to the appearance of these clubs, the term scotch collie was a reference used to describe the entire land-race of collie dogs. Modern collie dog breeds as we know them now did not exist when "Scotch Collie" was most often in use. During the Victorian and Edwardian era the name was used to describe nearly all types of collie dog of European ancestry. In some regions it described the dogs having the appearance and bloodlines deriving from the border regions of Scotland, in others, for dogs from the highland regions.

In America the term was mostly used to describe the entire land-race of collie dogs until the AKC chose the name "Scotch Collie" for the dogs they chose to develop. After the turn of the 20th century in America, the AKC Scotch Collie's were developed using dogs having the lineage of collie dogs used mostly in the highland regions of Scotland (see Rough Collie
Rough Collie
The Rough Collie is a long coated breed of medium to large size dog that in its original form was a type of collie used and bred for herding in Scotland. Originating in the 1800's, it is now well known through the works of author Albert Payson Terhune, and through the Lassie novel, movies, and...

). Highlander's collies tended to be a bit larger, yet lighter-boned and longer legged than the border collie dogs, requiring the ability to survive on as little as possible, yet still be able to handle the large and unsurly "Coolie" sheep (now extinct)

By 1943 when the movie "Lassie Come Home" was released, the term had evolved into being used almost exclusively to describe the AKC dogs, and modern American dog breed names became most commonly used. Eventually the AKC abandoned the name entirely and split it's dogs into two different names "Rough Collie " and "Smooth Collie" having their coat type being the significant difference.

There are some lines of scotch collie dogs that were included in the development of multitude of modern dog breeds. See Collie
Collie
The collie is a distinctive type of herding dog, including many related landraces and formal breeds. It originates in Scotland and Northern England. It is a medium-sized, fairly lightly built dog with a pointed snout, and many types have a distinctive white pattern over the shoulders. Collies...

 for other types of collie and related dog types. Today the term Scotch Collie has now devolved back into describing a multitude of dog types. While many in the AKC still lay claim to the name for their own dogs, it is now mostly in use by breed historians as well as those seeking to restore or preserve dogs from the ancient lines.

Origin

The origin and history of the Scottish Collie dog breed is not entirely known, but we do know that it included ancestors originating in Scotland and northern England. Before this time, however, the breed has an ancestry that spans thousands of years as the Scottish Collie's ancestors had been used to herd sheep and cattle for many centuries in both the Highlands of Scotland and throughout early England. The word "collie" is thought to come from the word for "black" or "coal" in Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...

. But the word could also trace to Gaelic or/and Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

, in which the words for "doggie" are, respectively, càilean and cóilean. It is also possible the word collie is of mutual English and Gaelic derivation.

The Scottish Collie breed consists of both the Rough Collie and the Smooth Collie. A division between long-haired and short-haired variants also existed in the 19th century. However, it is apparent that at one point the Scottish Collie was much smaller than today's dog, like the many other working collie breeds. The ancestor of the Scottish Collie was short, somewhere around 14 inches or so at the shoulders with a broader head, and black or black-and-white. The dogs that came to be the Scottish Collie had been used to herd and guard the flocks and herds of their caretakers.

Although the Scottish Collie and its ancestors had been used for several centuries as a working dog herding sheep and cattle, it was in England in the 19th century that the dog became popular as a pet and show dog rather than a working dog breed. Queen Victoria took an interest in Scottish Collies and the rest of the country soon followed suit. It was also at this time that the dog became larger through cross-breeding with breeds such as Borzoi
Borzoi
The borzoi is a breed of domestic dog also called the Russian wolfhound and descended from dogs brought to Russia from central Asian countries. It is similar in shape to a greyhound, and is also a member of the sighthound family.The system by which Russians over the ages named their sighthounds...

s. At this point, Scottish Collie breeders began to standardize the breed and keep written pedigree records. Scottish Collies were shown in dog shows in England as early as 1860 and made its way to the United states by 1880. By about 1886, the Scottish Collie breed was fully standardized and remains roughly the same today. It was in this same year the Collie Club of America was formed, becoming one of the founder breeds of the American Kennel Club.

A surge in popularity occurred in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s with the release of the movie "Lassie Come Home" in 1943 and the subsequent television series that began in 1954 and ran for seventeen years.

Breed Standards

As is the case with many breeds of dogs that are still used for their original purposes, breed standards vary depending on whether the registry
Breed registry
A breed registry, also known as a stud book or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young...

 is more interested in a dog that performs its job superbly or a dog whose appearance meets an ideal standard.

The Scottish Collie, on the whole, has been treated mainly as a show dog after its sudden rise in popularity and many more are being kept as ring dogs. Farmers and livestock keepers generally use other types of herding dog
Herding dog
A herding dog, also known as a stock dog or working dog, is a type of pastoral dog that either has been trained in herding or belongs to breeds developed for herding...

, such as the Border Collie
Border Collie
The Border Collie is a herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. It is the most widespread of the collie breeds....

.

Few handlers of working herding dogs participate in conformation show
Conformation show
Conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...

s, as working dogs are bred to a performance standard rather than one based on appearance. Likewise, conformation-bred dogs are seldom seen on the sheepdog trial field, except in Kennel Club
Kennel club
A kennel club is an organization for canine affairs that concerns itself with the breeding, showing and promotion of more than one breed of dog...

-sponsored events. Dogs registered with either working- or conformation-based registries are seen in other performance events such as agility
Dog agility
Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles...

, obedience
Obedience trial
An obedience trial is a dog sport in which a dog must perfectly execute a predefined set of tasks when directed to do so by his handler. According the American Kennel Club obedience regulations...

, tracking
Tracking trial
A Tracking trial is an event to encourage dogs to make use of their strongest facility, the ability to follow a scent trail. The competition emulates the finding of a lost person or article in a situation where the performance of the dog can be fairly assessed...

, rally-o or flyball
Flyball
Flyball is a dog sport in which teams of dogs race against each other from a start/finish line, over a line of hurdles, to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring-loaded pad, then back to their handlers while carrying the ball.Flyball is run in teams of four...

, however these dogs do not necessarily conform to the breed standard of appearance as closely as the dogs shown in the breed rings as this is not a requirement in performance events, nor do they necessarily participate in herding activities.

Coat Colours

Both Rough and Smooth varieties are available in four distinct colours:
  • Sable
    Coat (dog)
    The coat of the domestic dog refers to the hair that covers its body. A dog's coat may be a double coat, made up of a soft undercoat and a coarser topcoat, or a single coat, which lacks an undercoat...

     collies are generally the most recognizable, the choice of the Lassie television and movie producers. The sable colour on these dogs can range from a light blonde colour to a deep reddish-brown, with any hue in between possible.
  • Tricolour dogs are mostly black and white with tan markings.
  • Blue merle
    Merle
    Merle may refer to:*A name for the Common Blackbird, or any of the varieties of Icterids of which the male is predominantly black*Merle , a pattern in dogs’ coats*MS Merle, a ferry formerly operated by Belfast Freight Ferries...

     collies are best described as tricolour or black-and-white dogs whose black has been diluted to a mottled gray-blue colour.
  • White collies are usually mostly white on the body with a head colouration of any of the three previous.


As modern-day "Lassies", both Rough and Smooth Collies have become successful assistance
Assistance dog
An assistance dog is a dog trained to aid or assist a person with a disability. Many are trained by a specific organization, while others are trained by their handler .-Classification:...

, and therapy dog
Therapy dog
A therapy dog is a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, people with learning difficulties, and stressful situations, such as disaster areas....

s. At least one guide dog school (Southeastern Guide Dogs in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

) currently trains Smooth Collies as guide dogs, and a number of Scottish Collies are currently partnered with disabled individuals around the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Health

The Scottish Collie is typically a very healthy breed, and is known to inherit few health conditions that are both serious and prevalent. Some health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

 conditions of note include Collie eye anomaly
Collie eye anomaly
Collie eye anomaly is a congenital, inherited, bilateral eye disease of dogs involving the retina, choroid, and sclera. It can be a mild disease or cause blindness. CEA is caused by a simple autosomal recessive gene defect...

, progressive retinal atrophy
Progressive retinal atrophy
Progressive retinal atrophy is a group of genetic diseases seen in certain breeds of dogs and, more rarely, cats. Similar to retinitis pigmentosa in humans, it is characterized by the bilateral degeneration of the retina, causing progressive vision loss culminating in blindness...

, gastric torsion, dermatomyositis
Dermatomyositis
Dermatomyositis is a connective-tissue disease related to polymyositis and Bramaticosis that is characterized by inflammation of the muscles and the skin.- Causes :...

, grey collie syndrome (a type of neutropenia), collie nose (discoid lupus erythematosus), and demodicosis
Demodicosis
Demodicosis, also called demodectic mange or red mange, is caused by a sensitivity to and overpopulation of Demodex canis as the animal's immune system is unable to keep the mites under control....

. Seizures, canine hip dysplasia, microphthalmia
Microphthalmia
Microphthalmia also referred to as microphthalmos, nanophthalmia or nanophthalmos, is a developmental disorder of the eye that literally means small eye...

, and cyclic neutropenia
Cyclic neutropenia
Cyclic neutropenia is a form of neutropenia that tends to occur every three weeks and lasting three to six days at a time due to changing rates of cell production by the bone marrow....

 are also occasionally seen. The Collie Health Foundation (http://www.colliehealth.org) maintains a website and database on disorders affecting collies.

Some Scottish Collies (and other collie breeds) have a particular allele
Allele
An allele is one of two or more forms of a gene or a genetic locus . "Allel" is an abbreviation of allelomorph. Sometimes, different alleles can result in different observable phenotypic traits, such as different pigmentation...

 of the multi-drug resistance gene, MDR1. This is also known as "the ivermectin-sensitive collie", however the sensitivity is not limited to ivermectin, a common drug used to treat and prevent various ailments in dogs including heartworm
Heartworm
Heartworm is a parasitic roundworm that is spread from host to host through the bites of mosquitoes. The heartworm is a type of filaria, a small thread-like worm. The definitive host is the dog but it can also infect cats, wolves, coyotes, foxes and other animals, such as ferrets, sea lions and...

 disease. More than 20 drugs are expected to cause adverse reactions including milbemycin and loperamide. A study by the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at UC Davis concluded that all dogs with this mutation are descendants of a single dog which most likely lived in Great Britain during the middle of the 19th century.

The mutation of the MDR1 gene is found in Scottish Collies and related breeds worldwide and affects approximately 80% of Scottish Collie dogs in the United States. Dogs with this mutation are predisposed to various sensitivities and some may suffer a potentially fatal neurotoxicosis.

Ivermectin is a popular choice in the prevention of heartworm disease in dogs, an extremely serious and potentially fatal condition. Despite the high prevalence of sensitivity in Scottish Collies to this medication, the low dosage provided is generally considered safe and preventative drugs such as Heartgard are advertised as approved for Scottish Collies, having a wide margin of safety when used as directed. A simple test, recently developed at and provided by Washington State University, can determine if a dog is a carrier of the mutation which causes sensitivity. http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/test.aspx

Scottish Collies typically live an average of 12 to 14 years.

Temperament

Scottish 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 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. Scottish Collies are very playful and gentle around children. They can also exhibit a strong herding instinct, especially around children.

Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at noncompetitive herding tests. Scottish Collies exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials.

Famous Scottish Collies

  • Lassie
    Lassie
    Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...

  • Colleen
    Colleen (Road Rovers)
    Colleen is a fictional anthropomorphic dog from the action/comedy cartoon Road Rovers that premiered in September 1996 on Kids' WB. She is a rough collie from the United Kingdom and the only female in the group. She is apparently the second-in-command, right behind Hunter...

     from Road Rovers
    Road Rovers
    Road Rovers is an American 2D animated television series written and produced by Warner Bros. Animation that premiered on Kids' WB on September 7, 1996. It lasted one season and ended on February 22, 1997. Reruns continued to air until September 6, 1997. It was then on Cartoon Network from February...

  • Laddie from The Simpsons
    The Simpsons
    The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...

  • Flo & the other puppies in All Dogs Go to Heaven
    All Dogs Go to Heaven
    All Dogs Go to Heaven is a 1989 Irish-English animated film directed and produced by Don Bluth and released by United Artists. The film tells the story of two dogs, Charlie B. Barkin and his loyal best friend Itchy Itchiford...

  • Blanco, pet of Lyndon Johnson
  • Reveille
    Reveille (Texas A&M)
    Reveille is the official mascot of Texas A&M University. Students adopted the first Reveille, a mixed-breed dog, in 1931. To thank Texas A&M for its assistance during World War II, the US Army designated Reveille a Cadet General , the highest ranking member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.Eight...

    , official mascot of Texas A&M University
    Texas A&M University
    Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...

  • Lad of Sunnybank, from the series of novels by Albert Payson Terhune
    Albert Payson Terhune
    Albert Payson Terhune was an American author, dog breeder, and journalist. The public knows him best for his novels relating the adventures of his beloved collies and as a breeder of collies at his Sunnybank Kennels, the lines of which still exist in today's Rough Collies.-Biography:Albert Payson...

  • Wilson of the 1984 Manga series (and 1986 Anime) by Yoshihiro Takahashi
    Yoshihiro Takahashi
    is a Japanese manga artist. He writes under a pen name in which his first name Yoshihiro is spelled out in hiragana .Takahashi was born September 18, 1953, in Higashinaruse, Akita. He was very interested in drawing growing up and, in the 60's, started publishing small comics in several newspapers...

    , Ginga Nagareboshi Gin, and ex-circus dog.
  • Murray the dog of Paul Buchman & Jamie Buchman in the TV series Mad About You
    Mad About You
    Mad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...

  • Max the dog of John & Rosie Marshall in the life series You and Me in Threes, a favoured Australian documentary on life in Melbourne.

External links

Clubs, Associations, and Societies
Information about the MDR1-defect
Rough and Smooth Collie Info
Scotch Collie Breed History and Restoration Efforts
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