Smooth Collie
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| Smooth Collie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Tricolor Collie with training dumbbell. |
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| Other names | Collie (Smooth Coat) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country of origin | Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 organizations consider the smooth-coat and rough-coat dogs to be variations of the same breed.
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[edit] Description
[edit] Appearance
The Smooth Collie is a large dog, ranging in size from 22-24 inches (females) and 24-26 inches (males) at the shoulder; weights vary from 45 pounds (females) up to 75 pounds (males). Standard size for the breed is on the larger end of the range in the United States and Canada, smaller elsewhere; for example, for the AKC, the range is 22 to 26 inches (56-66 cm) and 50 to 75 pounds (22.5-34 kg).
The Smooth Collie is slightly longer than it is tall, with a level back and a deep chest. The features of the head, particularly the "sweet" expression, are considered very important in the show ring. The breed has a long muzzle, flat skull, and semi-erect ears (although, in practice, the ears typically must be folded over and taped in puppyhood, or they will be fully upright in the adult dog).
[edit] Coat
The coat consists of a soft, extremely dense undercoat and straight, harsh outer guard hairs. The guard hairs are one to two inches long, with the longer hair mainly in a ruff around the neck and on the backs of the thighs. The coat requires a thorough weekly brushing. Shedding is moderate most of the year, heavy during the twice-yearly shedding season.
[edit] Color
Smooth Collies come in four colours: 1)sable (Lassie's colour; can be light gold to deep mahogany), 2) tricolor (black, with tan and white markings), and 3) blue merle (silvery gray marbled with black, and tan markings), all marked with white areas on the chest, neck, feet/legs, and tail tip. An additional color is white (these Collies are predominantly white, with heads and usually a body spot of sable, tri, or blue color). The fourth color is sable merle, which is a light stippled version of sable, sometimes (as with blue merle) accompanied by blue or merled (parti-colored) eyes. Blue eyes or merled eyes in a non-blue merle collie are not disqualifications in the AKC standard although they are heavily penalized. There are, however, plenty of blue-eyed or merled-eyed sable merle collies who are AKC breed champions.
[edit] Temperament
The Smooth Collie is generally a sociable, easily trained family dog. Although not an aggressive breed, they are alert and vocal, making them both good watchdogs if well trained and potential nuisances if allowed to bark indiscriminately. This breed is easy to train, due to its high intelligence and eagerness to please its owners. Indeed, its love for humans gives it near-telepathic abilities, as attested to by many collie owners the world over. Training this breed requires a light touch, as they are sensitive to correction and shy away from harsh treatment. They get along well with children and other animals, usually getting along with other dogs. Smooth Collies are used both as family pets and in obedience competition, agility, herding trials, and other dog sports. Some are still used as working sheepdogs. They are also very useful as assistance dogs for the disabled.
[edit] Health
The Smooth Collie is a long-lived breed for its size, usually living 12 to 14 years. Like all dog breeds, they are susceptible to certain inherited or partially inherited health problems. Those problems currently include:
- Collie eye anomaly (CEA): A collection of eye problems ranging from minor blood vessel abnormalities to blind spots to severely deformed or detached retinas. This problem is so widespread in collies that completely unaffected dogs (called "normal eyed") are uncommon, although conscientious breeders have been able to gradually increase the normal population. The problem and its extent can be determined through an eye exam conducted before six weeks of age, and does not get worse over time. Mildly affected dogs suffer no impairments, and are fine pets or working dogs.
- Progressive retinal atrophy: Gradual degeneration of the retinas of the eyes, eventually leading to blindness. This disease is less common than CEA in Collies, but more difficult to breed away from, as symptoms are not usually detectable until the affected dog is middle-aged or older.
- Multidrug sensitivity: Sometimes fatal reactions to a class of common drugs, particularly ivermectin, used as a heartworm preventative and treatment for mites. The gene that causes this sensitivity has recently been identified, and a dog's susceptibility can now be determined through a simple blood test.
- Gastric torsion ("Bloat"): A painful and often fatal twisting of the stomach occurring in large or deep-chested breeds. Bloat can usually be prevented by feeding small meals and not allowing vigorous exercise immediately before or after eating.
- Epilepsy: Seizures of unknown origin. Frequency of the seizures can often be significantly reduced through medication, but there is no cure for this disease.
[edit] History
- Main article: Scotch collie
The early history of the Smooth Collie, like that of many dog breeds, is largely a matter of speculation. The most common view of the breed is that they are descended from a population of shepherds' dogs brought to Scotland by the Romans around the 5th century. Even the origin of the breed's name is unclear, variously claimed to describe the early shepherd dog's dark color ("coaly"), or derived from the name of a breed of sheep with black faces once commonly kept in Scotland ("Colley"), or derived from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "useful."
The modern history of both the Smooth and Rough Collie began in the reign of Queen Victoria, who became interested in the shepherds' dogs while at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. In 1860, she purchased some of the dogs for her own kennel. With the Queen's interest, it became fashionable to own Smooth Collies. Thus began the breed's transformation from working farm dog, similar to the modern Border collie, to the dog bred as a pet and for the sport of conformation showing that we know today.
The Smooth Collie today is considered a variety of the same breed as the Rough Collie in countries such as the United States and Canada, meaning that they can interbreed and some statistics are kept only for "Collie" rather than for both varieties individually. The smooth and rough are classified as separate breeds in other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Australia. The latter is a fairly recent development, however, with the Kennel Club (UK) allowing the interbreeding of the two varieties until 1993.
[edit] References
- Clark, Stella. Rough and Smooth Collies. Letchworth (UK): Ringpress Books, Ltd., 1993.
- Collie Club of America. The New Collie. New York: Howell Book House, 1983.
- Welton, Michelle. Your Purebred Puppy: a buyer's guide. New York: Henry Holt & Company, 2000.
