Collie

From ArticleWorld

There are at least three breeds of collie dogs, the Bearded Collie, the Border Collie and the Collie, which covers both the Rough Collie and the Smooth Collie. The breed line originated in Scotland and was primarily used for herding.

History

The collies were used for centuries in the Scottish highlands as sheep herding dogs. The term ‘’collie’’ is believed to come from the Older Scots word col (coll), which means black. The original collies were heaver and bigger boned than today’s collies. These collies were usually called Scotch or Scottish collies. Collies made their first dog show appearance in Birmingham, England in 1860. In the United States and United Kingdom, collies gained great popularity in the mid 1900’s. This was due to the ‘’Lassie’’ books, television shows and movies. Rough Collies were used for these shows and movies and remain the most publicly recognized breed in the collie line.

Characteristics

Collies are very intelligent dogs that like to work, modern collies have very little herding instinct left due the mix in the bloodline of bird and wolf hunting dogs. The average collie stands about 60 cm (24 in) and weighs from 20 to 34 kg (45 – 75 lbs). Collies have four basic colors; sable and white, white, tricolor and blue merle, all collies are white on the chest, legs and tail tip. The sable and white collies where the dogs of choice for the Lassie movies and television shows. Many modern collies are used as therapy dogs, guide dogs and service dogs. Famous collies include; Lassie of television and movie fame, Laddie of ‘’The Simpsons’’ and Blanco, the pet of former U.S President Lyndon B. Johnson.