Collie (smooth)
Country/Date of Origin: Great Britain/1500s
An ancient breed of herding dog, the Scotch Collie shares a common heritage with the Border Collie. In the 1860s the Scotch Collie caught the eye of people interested in the beauty of the rough variety and bred it to increase body size and the thickness of the coat. Coincidentally, there was an increased popularity of the larger, slower English sheep (better wool) over the nimble, cunning Highland sheep. Now the bigger, slower Collie could compete for the shepherd's favor and it began to find its way back into the fields. With the patronage of Queen Victoria, the Collie became the vogue in the 1880's. And American royalty in the form of J.P. Morgan championed the breed across the Atlantic as well. In 1885 Collies were admitted into the American Kennel Club and great specimens were fetching more than the average man earned in ten years. There are two varieties of the Collie. Everything that can be said about the rough coated Collie can be said about the smooth variety except for coat. It has been a Cinderella to its more glamorous rough sibling except where it counts - in working situations. The Smooth Collie has shone as a military dog in the two World Wars, as a guide for the blind and as a search and rescue dog.
Other Names Body Type Personality Coat Health Concerns
Back to TopScotch Collie
AKC Group: Herding
Breed Club: Collie Club of America
Rescue Club: Collie Club of America - Collie Rescue
Back to TopBody Type:
- Identical to the rough Collie except for coat
- Height: 20-24 inches (at shoulder)
- Weight: 40-65 pounds
- The tail is long and carried low. It is never altered
- The ears are erect and fold forward at the tips; they are never altered
- The merle colored smooth Collie often has one blue eye and one brown eye; this is perfectly normal
Personality:
- If the personality of the rough Collie appeals to you, then so will that of the smooth variety. They are identical
- Easy to train. A desire to please is hard-wired in the Collie's genetic makeup
- To criticize a Collie is like attacking mom or apple pie, however, they are a noisy breed. Many owners in a last resort, cut the vocal cords of compulsive barkers
Coat:
- Short, harsh, flat coat with a weather- resistant undercoat
- Permissible colors are sable and white, tricolor, blue merle and white. (see Collie - Rough)
- Moderate grooming required
Health Concerns:
- Possible congenital eye defects
- Subject to hip dysplasia
- Congenital heart disease
- Sensitive to various drugs
- Subject to deafness
Tasty Tidbits:
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