To preserve the classic collie of once upon a time; the dog that was steady and reliable, willing and
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Looking to add a Scottish Collie to your family? Check out our New Puppy/Planned Breedings page.
You can be assured pups will be bred to SCPS, standards with a focus on health and temperament.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2007333152856975/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT
The Incredible Explosion of Dog Breeds
From a teacup-size Chihuahua to a Great Dane, there is an incredible amount of variety among dog breeds. But all breeds belong to a single species, so scientists have studied the breeds to better understand the workings of evolution, and how such great variation could have arisen within one group.
The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is far more variable in size, shape and behavior than any other living mammal, but most experts now believe that all dogs, no matter how different, originated exclusively from a single species: the gray wolf (Canis lupus) of central Asia, said James Serpell, professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and editor of "The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behaviour, and Interactions With People" (Cambridge University Press, 1995).
It's also likely that there was just one domestication event, and all domesticated dogs today descended from an ancestral wolf-dog that became someone's best friend long ago. The evidence comes from a 2009 study in which a team of researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm analyzed samples of mitochondrial DNA (the DNA found in mitochondria, or energy-making structures within cells) from dogs around the world.
They found that all dogs belong to one lineage, which indicates that domestication occurred just one time. (If wolves were domesticated several times in various regions, the team would expect to find more than one lineage among modern dogs.)
Despite the fact that dogs were first domesticated about 14,000 to 17,000 years ago, most dog breeds were developed within the last few centuries. When ancient humans bred dogs for features such as a louder bark (for added protection of their owner's property) or a docile temperament (so it would be less likely to lash out at its owner), they were actually already tinkering with the selection of dog genes.
One of the earliest breeds believed to be purposefully selected for its preferred traits is still around today – the greyhound. Perhaps the first fully distinct breed was the Saluki, also called the Arabian greyhound, whose name translates to "noble," according to "Simon & Schuster's Guide to Dogs" (Fireside, 1980).
"Selective cross-breeding has been done since antiquity, but it really accelerated during the 19th century," said Leslie Irvine of the University of Colorado at Boulder, who is author of "If You Tame Me: Understanding Our Connection with Animals" (Temple University Press, 2004).
Over time, because of natural mutations, climate and human preferences, "breeds became ever more numerous and specialized until they reached the point of modern classification," according to "Guide to Dogs." This classification is based on the aptitude of a breed in five skills: hunting, shepherding, guarding, work and company.
Now, there are about 340 breeds recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the world governing body of dog breeds, sometimes known as the World Canine Organization. But the standards for breed recognition vary from country to country – the American Kennel Club currently recognizes only 167 breeds.
Unfortunately, many purebred dog breeders define a breed in terms of appearance and physical attributes. They tend to ignore the breeds true purpose as a working or herding breed. While physical characteristics of a breed are very important it is critical to breed for the whole dog.
Recently, the number of deliberately crossbred "designer dogs" has been growing. These include the labradoodle (a cross between a Labrador and a poodle), the cockapoo (a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle) and the puggle (the offspring of a pug and a beagle).
"Dogs are constantly evolving as we're continually building variants of dog breeds," said Stanley Coren, author of "The Modern Dog" (Free Press, 2008).
"The nature of humans is to want unique things, but a unique thing is not necessarily a better thing," Coren told Life's Little Mysteries.
Breeds will continue to evolve and change as trends come and go. The German Shepherd, Rough Collie, Border Collie have all been a victim to trend breeding.
At SCPS, our goal is to restore the working collie to it roots as a true herding breed built form to function with a focus health, genetic diversity and temperament.
While change can be good, it can also water down a breed from its original purpose. It may take change to return a breed to the very traits it was originally bred for. Learn more about our efforts to restore the Scottish Collie at scottishcolliepreservationsociety.com
Ref. Remy Melina August 05, 2010
Solo says this vet office is pretty swanky!
PREPARING YOUR PUP FOR FIREWORKS
Fireworks can be fun for humans, but dogs don't have the same reaction.
July 5th is one of the busiest days for animal shelters. For pet owners, it’s no secret that animals are easily spooked by fireworks. That sound can often cause pets, particularly dogs, to run away out of fear.
In the United States, July 4th is around the corner, along with the fireworks that inevitably come with this holiday. Almost all humans with canines in the U.S. declare this day the worst day of the year for their dogs. Veterinarians say that July 3rd is usually the most trafficked day in their offices, with clients coming in to get drugs for their dogs.
When one considers that dogs hear a frequency range of 40 to 60,000 Hz while a human range is between 20 and 20,000 Hz, it only makes sense that dogs have a difficult time with very loud noises. Sounds that may be acceptable to us can be uncomfortable to a dog and fireworks can be very loud.
A few years ago, I found a lost dog on the 4th of July. He was obviously a well fed, groomed, and trained dog that escaped his yard when he heard the fireworks. When I called our local Humane Society, I was informed that it is the busiest time of the year for them, as more dogs are found wandering loose on July 4th than any other day of the year in the U.S.
Tips for providing a safe July 4th for your Canine Household:
▪Make sure your dog gets plenty of exercise earlier in the day.
▪Feed your dog early before they become stressed.
▪Keep your dogs inside during fireworks, preferably with human companionship. If it’s hot, air conditioning will help. Bringing your dogs to a fireworks display is never a good idea.
▪Provide a safe place inside for your dogs to retreat. When scared of sounds they can’t orient, dogs often prefer small enclosed areas. (I once had a dog who climbed in the bathtub during windstorms.) If your dog is comfortable in a crate, that is a good option.
▪If possible, keep the windows and curtains closed. Covering the crate or lowering the blinds can also be helpful.
▪Removing visual stimulation can also help calm dogs.
▪Make sure all your dogs are wearing ID tags with a properly fitting collar. Dogs have been known to become Houdini around the 4th of July.
▪Leave your dog something fun to do – like a frozen Kong filled with his favorite treats.
Also, try using sensory enrichment to calm dogs:
Sound Therapy: The psychoacoustically designed music of Through a Dog's Ear has been specifically designed to reduce canine anxiety and has been successfully utilized by dog lovers world-wide. It is most effective when you first play the music well before the fireworks start, at a time the dog is already feeling peaceful and relaxed. He will begin to associate the music with being calm and content. Then play the music a couple of hours before the fireworks start and continue to play through bedtime. The music doesn’t need to be loud to be effective as it has been clinically demonstrated to calm the canine nervous system. Listen to free sound samples.Sound Therapy combined with Desensitization: The Canine Noise Phobia series (CNP) consists of four CD's that can be used individually or as a set: Fireworks, Thunderstorms, City Sounds, and Calming. CNP is an innovative desensitization training tool that combines three distinctive elements for the treatment and prevention of sound-sensitivities and noise-phobias:progressive sound effects (distant/close)specially-designed psychoacoustic music (Through a Dog’s Ear)reward-based reinforcement protocols (Victoria Stilwell)
Here's what Nancy Weller said after using CNP Fireworks:
"I am preparing for New Years Eve. The most skittish of the greyhounds already went to bed. My boy is just game for everything. Tonight, we are relaxing to the Phobia Series Fireworks. He fights hard to stay awake. The subtle fireworks make him stare at the speaker. Then not. 75+ lb brindle boy, sleeping like a baby. Mom might have to curl up too."
Tactile: There are two canine wraps on the market that reportedly help sound phobic dogs. The original Anxiety Wrap was invented by professional dog trainer Susan Sharpe, CPDT-KA. The patented design uses acupressure and maintained pressure to reduce stress. The thundershirt is also a wrap for your dog that provides gentle, constant pressure. Their website reports that over 85% of Thundershirt users see significant improvement in noise anxiety symptoms. Most dogs respond with the very first usage; some need 2-3 usages before showing significant improvement.Scent: Canine Calm, an all-natural mist from Earth Heart™ Inc., can help dogs relax and cope more effectively with loud noises and other stressful situations. Directions on their website say to spray Canine Calm onto your hands and massage the dog’s outer ears or abdomen. Or lightly mist the air behind your dog’s head, inside the travel crate or car, or directly onto bedding or clothing.
Do you have any additional tips for helping keep dogs calm and safe on this noisy holiday? Please share your success stories. Also, feel free to share how your dogs have acted during previous July 4th holidays.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Now is a good time to start preparing your pets for the 4th of July week.
https://positively.com/contributors/10-safety-and-calming-tips-for-dogs-during-fireworks/
Show us your collies! Let’s start with the gorgeous !!!!
The old fashioned farm collie was a legend in the early 1900's.
Homer Davenport wrote of the working collie Fly on the Geer farm near Silverton where he lived for some time when he was a boy (the Geers were his mother's family). In a newspaper article in 1907 he related: "I remember once when 'By' Geer and a herder were moving a band of 2500 head of sheep over onto a new range and were driving at night . . . a rain was falling that made the sheep hard to keep together. It was slow work. Fly had been very active. She was covering lots of ground, and it was quite dark. But she worked without orders. She seemed in complete control, and her sharp bark could be heard at intervals. Finally they missed her bark; an hour or so had passed without hearing it. The men were alarmed, as they knew that without her in the dark they would possibly lose a hundred sheep every mile without missing them. They shouted for her, but no Fly. She had gone. They decided that the only thing to do was to stop where they were. They got around their flock as soon as they could and got them bunched. They knew they had let some sheep drop behind and that old Fly was with them. But they thought it was strange she didn't hurry them along, as she was known all over the state as a fast worker. They waited and waited. Daylight came and no Fly. Finally about noon she came with 250 sheep. She was tired and traveling slow. One doe had given birth to a lamb, and old Fly had gathered it by the back of the neck, as she would carry one of her pups. . . . Thus the faithful old Fly, carrying the lamb too young to walk and keep up, drove her strayed band on until they overtook the first division."
Davenport loved the old-fashioned collie. He wrote in praise of it and was critical of the development of the show-only dog. He even suggested that sheep herding contests for collies be held in conjunction with dog shows, an idea scoffed at by show dog writer James Watson in their "debate" in the Country Life in America magazine in 1908. Written by Linda Rorem
Sister and brother - same dad, different moms!
And sister in the background
FoxTail Grass - a very serious problem for our dogs.
Why is this grass dangerous for our dogs?
Foxtail grass has a barbed seed head and the plant can work their way into any part of your dog.
The danger of this grass is more than an irritation because the tough seed does not break down inside the body. A fox tail that has embedded itself in your dog can lead to serious infection and even lead to death if untreated. The seeds can be hard to find especially in our collies fur.
According to the Pet Poison Helpline, fatalities occur every year. One veterinary teaching hospital saw 791 cases of foxtail foreign bodies over a 10-year period
How to tell if your dog may have picked up a foxtail
1. Feet, foxtails can easily become embedded between toes. Check for swelling or limping or if the dog is licking incessantly.
2. Ears, if your dog is shaking or tilting his head to the side, scratching incessantly at the ear your vet should take a look.
3. Eyes, redness, discharge, swelling, squinting and pawing all could indicate the dog has a lodged foxtail in his/her eye. Take to the vet.
4. Nose, if you see discharge from the nose, or the dog is sneezing a lot and intensely there could be a foxtail, a trip to the vet is a good idea.
5. Ge****ls, this areas can have foxtail issues as well especially for female dogs. Excessive and persistently licking could be a sign.
Best way to eliminate foxtail grass is pre-emergent herbicide is best from what I’ve read. For now my dogs are not allowed access to the yard that I have an issue in. I have cut off seed heads to try and quell the spreading and am digging the plant up after the seed head is removed....lots of work!
It important to check feet and fur daily just to be safe.
The more we know, the better we can keep our collies healthy.
IS THE SCOTTISH COLLIE THE SAME AS TODAY'S AKC/UK COLLIE?
Dog, (Canis lupus familiaris), domestic mammal of the family Canidae (order Carnivora). It is a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and is related to foxes and jackals. The dog is one of the two most ubiquitous and most popular domestic animals in the world (the cat is the other). For more than 12,000 years it has lived with humans as a hunting companion, protector, object of scorn or adoration, and friend.
The dog evolved from the gray wolf into more than 400 distinct breeds. Human beings have played a major role in creating dogs that fulfill distinct societal needs. Through the most rudimentary form of genetic engineering, dogs were bred to accentuate instincts that were evident from their earliest encounters with humans. Although details about the evolution of dogs are uncertain, the first dogs were hunters with keen senses of sight and smell. Humans developed these instincts and created new breeds as need or desire arose.
Dogs have played an important role in the history of human civilization and were among the first domesticated animals. They were important in hunter-gatherer societies as hunting allies and bodyguards against predators. When livestock were domesticated about 7,000 to 9,000 years ago, dogs served as herders and guardians of sheep, goats, and cattle. Although many still serve in these capacities, dogs are increasingly used for social purposes and companionship. Today dogs are employed as guides for the blind and disabled or for police work. Dogs are even used in therapy in nursing homes and hospitals to encourage patients toward recovery. Humans have bred a wide range of different dogs adapted to serve a variety of functions. This has been enhanced by improvements in veterinary care and animal husbandry.
The breed Collie forms a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The collie type dog originated in Scotland and Northern England. These Collies were medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with somewhat pointed snouts. They were often referred to as Scottish Collies. Today many collies type breeds have a distinctive white color over the shoulders. Collies are very active and agile, and most types of collies have a very strong herding instinct. Collie breeds have spread through many parts of the world (especially Europe, North America, South America and Australia), and have diversified into many varieties, sometimes mixed with other dog types. Some collie breeds have remained as working dogs for herding cattle, sheep, and other livestock, while others are kept as pets, show dogs or for dog sports, in which they display great agility, stamina and trainability. While the American Kennel Club has a breed they call "collie", in fact collie dogs are a distinctive type of herding dog inclusive of many related landraces and formal breeds. There are usually major distinctions between show dogs and those bred for herding trials or dog sports: the latter typically display great agility, stamina and trainability, and, more importantly, sagacity.
Welsh Sheepdog
Common use of the name "collie" in some areas is limited largely to certain breeds—the name means Rough Collie by default in parts of the United States, and Border Collie in many rural parts of Great Britain. Many collie dog types do not actually include "collie" in their name (example Welsh Sheepdog, English Shepherd, Shetland Sheepdog, Australian Shepherd)
The exact origin of the name collie is uncertain; it may derive from the Scots word for 'coal'. Alternatively it may come from the related word coolly, referring to the black-faced mountain sheep of Scotland. The collie name usually refers to dogs of Scottish origin which have spread into many other parts of the world, often being called sheepdog or shepherd dog elsewhere.
While many hear the term Rough Collie or Smooth Collie and think of the UK or AKC registered breed of collie, Rough or Smooth is actually a term to describe the coat type of the collie breed.
The Scottish Collie is not the same as the AKC or UK Collie. While many of today's Rough/Smooth collies exhibit the traits of their ancestor, the Scottish Collie and can be registered in both organizations, the Scottish Collie is a unique breed type that reflects the collie breeds standards that were first formed in the late 1800's/early 1900's.
SCPS goal is not to improve in the modern Rough Collie but rather to restore/recreate the original Scottish type collie that worked the farms over 100 years ago.
If you feel your Collie meet the standards of the Scottish Collie and would like to register your Collie with SCPS, please click on our website for more information.
https://www.scottishcolliepreservationsociety.com/apply.html
Ref: https://www.britannica.com/animal/dog
Courtesy photo - Titus, Scottish Collie
WHAT EVERY BREEDER WANTS YOU TO KNOW.
The breeder can indeed lay the foundation of a good, healthy and serviceable dog but the owner must see to it that he/she brings their new puppy to their highest possible development of the physical and mental foundation already laid in place by the breeder. A breeder goes through great lengths to ensure each puppy they place into a new family is getting the perfect home that will provide them the love, time and opportunity to flourish. When you bring home your new puppy, please invest time to bond, train and provide the best possible environment for your puppy to thrive in. As wonderful as the collie breed is, a collie isn't born trained. What you put into your collie is what you will receive.
A worse fear of a breeder is not knowing what happened to the puppy they entrusted to you, so please keep in touch with your breeder, transfer your new collie into your name with the SCPS and other registries, post lots of pictures of your beautiful puppy as they mature into the collie they are meant to be and please let the breeder know if circumstances change and you can no longer provide the home you had hoped to.
We are here to support you at SCPS in anyway we can. Thank you for helping us preserve the classic Scottish Collie. We couldn't do it without you. ❤️
BUYER BEWARE
When shopping for your new family member, the internet has opened so many choices, however it has also provided an easy opportunity for puppy mills and unethical backyard breeders to sell their puppies. That cute puppy photo may not reflect the unsanitary conditions that puppy lives in or the poor health of it's parents. Photos of the breeder's facility and dogs may be misleading or totally fake. Buying a puppy without physically picking him or her up at the breeders and meeting the parents is very risky, but not at SCPS. Our breeding collies live on farms and family environments, not large commercial breeding kennels or for profit breeders. Our breeders are screened and each breeding dog's health thoroughly documented. Our breeders often post their dogs so you can get to know them before selecting a breeder to purchase your puppy from. Our breeders take great measures to invest in breeding, healthy, well adjusted puppies.
No need to worry about the health of your future Scottish Collie puppy, as SCPS has done the work for you and our breeders are committed to health, temperment, workability and structure.
We invite you to meet our breeders and their puppies on our breeder/puppy page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2007333152856975/
Thank you for supporting SCPS
BEHAVIOR, PERSONALITY, TEMPERAMENT, & CHARACTER - Why it matters.
Personality is the combination of temperament and character.
Temperament = pre-disposition (heritable propensities)
Character = disposition, (learned style of coping or navigating the world)
Character develops through the interaction of temperament and environment
Character emerges as one matures and has more life experience
Temperament refers to the aspects of the dog’s character or personality that change little over a lifetime due to inherited traits and early life experiences which shapes behavior resulting in strong predispositions.
Character traits develop as a dog matures and are influenced by life experiences, preferences, routines, and practices.
A dog’s personality or temperament is consistent and changes little over a lifetime, although behavior can and does change, personality is generally consistent.
Behavior is influenced by five things. Genetics, inherited traits, early life experiences, the current environment, and the humans they live with.
Genetics determine physical traits such as; size, color, structure, coat type, energy level, and the inherited characteristics of a breed.
Traits such as nervousness, reactivity, body sensitivity, sound sensitivity, may be attributed to genetic factors, or they may be acquired and developed with early life experiences of the puppy in the first 12-weeks when these life experiences can both positively or negatively affect a dog’s confidence, emotional stability, timidity, fear, and phobias.
We cannot change a dog’s temperament (pre-disposition), but we can affect their character (disposition). Character emerges as dogs mature and have more life experiences. We can affect character and our dog’s behavior by helping them learn coping skills and better ways to navigate the world. To what degree and intensity will be influenced to some extent by past experiences and the approach we take moving forward.
Dogs will exhibit all types of normal dog behavior and it’s important to understand we can’t fix normal. Genetics give the ability and environment provides the opportunity for these traits to develop to their full potential. But through early learning, training, meeting our dog’s needs and forming the right relationship we can put those instincts under our control. To control those instincts requires ongoing training to keep those skills sharp and under our control. It takes work, time, and consistency to see change. As with many things it will require management, training and lots of patience.
While you cannot change your dog's temperament or personality, you can influence their character and behavior. When purchasing a puppy it is important to know the parent's temperament as puppies tend to inherent their parent's disposition. Regardless of your puppies temperament shaping their behavior as pups and young adults will impact their character as adults.
Source:
https://www.homeskooling4dogs.com/dog-developmental-periods
There is a general consensus today among old-timers evaluating Collies that there is a noticeable destruction of correct Collie expression, which is paramount to a dog being a good Collie.
“The Collie cannot be judged properly until its expression has been carefully evaluated.”
One of the first qualities that a “good” Collie judge studies is the expression of the animals being shown. It should be the ultimate factor in any decision.
“Expression is one of the most important points in considering the relative value of Collies.”
Today, correct Collie expression is being lost! Many new people in the breed do not recognize it as being correct when it is presented to them. The major emphasis today seems to be judging the Collie in profile with little or no value being given to expression. A Collie cannot be judged properly until it is looked in the face. This is the only way to see its expression.
There are several structural factors that are required for a Collie to have correct expression. The increasing acceptance of the change in the shape of the Collie muzzle is a major factor in the loss of the correct, sweet, melting Collie expression. The muzzle is the initial factor in creating the correct Collie head. Whether this change in the muzzle is done intentionally to make the profile lines sharper or is due to lack of knowledge or because it is what is winning, none of the reasons are valid.
Today’s flattening of the top of the muzzle (even simply flattening the muzzle just before the stop) and the narrowing of the muzzle… all contribute to the demise of the smooth, full, round muzzle called for in the Collie Standard. This loss must be judged as a serious fault, a fault of TYPE that is of major importance. It is a fault that detracts from the essence of the Collie.
The Standard gives a great amount of description to correct head properties and to the desired expression, which has “the necessary bright, alert, full-of-sense look that contributes so greatly to Collie expression.”
This expression is created when a “well-rounded muzzle” blends into the flat skull at the slight stop. The first element that is a MUST for a good head is a full, smooth, rounded muzzle. This roundness must be present, from the black nose until the stop. It helps to create the correct expression when it blends into the flat skull at the slight stop. The foreface will thus be “chiseled to form a receptacle for the eyes.”
The muzzle is the first element needed to have a correct Collie head, and thus, correct expression. It is the determining factor for the proportions of the head. The fullness of the muzzle and the length of the muzzle determine what will be the desired width and length of the backskull.
“The proper width of backskull necessarily depends on the combined length of skull and muzzle and the width of the backskull is less than its length. Thus the correct width varies with the individual and is dependent upon the extent to which it is supported by length of muzzle.”
Today’s head faults have become accepted because some breeders found that it was easier to win under all-rounders who only looked at the Collie in profile. Thus, a flat, straight muzzle, a definite stop, and a seemingly flat skull when the ears are up seem appealing when one does not look them in the face. Take a piece of paper and hold up the edge. Then make a round cone of the paper. A rounded edge gives a very different look than does a flat edge. It is a less precise outline.
Many Collie artists who exaggerate Collie characteristics as a means to express their artistic representation of the breed have exacerbated this fad. The Collie head cannot adequately show expression with a line drawing. It is easier to draw a correct profile than it is to draw correct expression. It is also easier to breed a correct profile if one does not demand a correct expression. The Standard only calls for an acceptable profile to have “the top of the backskull and the top of the muzzle lie in two approximately parallel, straight planes of equal length, divided by a very slight but perceptible stop” (emphasis mine). Many Collie fanciers are now breeding Collies that emulate these artists’ renditions of the Collie, not what the Standard states it should be.
Another factor that is essential to good expression is the structure of the skull. The sides of the skull and the top of the skull should feel as flat and smooth as glass. There should be no lumps or dips in the backskull: “The backskull is flat, without receding either laterally or backward.” The zygomatic arches should be flat, without any feeling of roundness to the bones. It should be equal in length to the muzzle.
Today, part of the problem in getting the correct expression is the trend to have the backskull at the same width as the muzzle. This gives the animal a pencil head. The Standard calls for the correct Collie head to be a slight wedge.
“Both in front and profile view the head bears a general resemblance to a well-blunted lean wedge, being smooth and clean in outline and nicely balanced in proportion. On the sides it tapers gradually and smoothly from the ears to the end of the black nose.”
Thus, in order to get the proper expression in a Collie, the head must be a slight, balanced wedge with a round muzzle that blends into a flat skull at the midpoint or stop. This will produce a foreface that is chiseled to form a receptacle for the eyes. The slight wedge allows the eyes to be “placed obliquely to give them the required forward outlook.”
If the Collie has a pencil head or lacks the rounded muzzle, it will have a very foreign expression. Often these animals have the eyes off to the side of the head, giving them the expression of a dead fish.
Another fad that has harmed the expression of the Collie is to have “too much stop.” Breeders brag about having a “nailed stop” in their dogs. Nowhere is this called for in our Standard. We want a “very slight but perceptible stop.” The Collie should have a one-piece head. If there is a definite stop, the result is a two-piece head. With too much stop, the eyes will be placed horizontally, not obliquely. If they are not placed obliquely, the expression will be startling and often vacant.
Many years ago, a big-winning Collie’s profile was on the cover of a magazine. My daughter asked why a Collie that looked like a Husky was on the cover. To prove her point, she took tracing paper, traced the profile, and put small prick ears on the drawing. She was right. Having seen the dog, I had to admit that the dog’s deep stop and short head did indeed give the dog a Husky-like expression.
The final structural element that contributes to a correct Collie expression is the size, placement, and shape of the eye. Placement of the eye is determined by the other three factors mentioned. However, the size of the eye is a separate inherited characteristic. The Standard calls for the eyes to be “almond shaped” and “of medium size.” They should “never properly appear to be large or prominent.”
Today, the trend is to have eyes that are TOO SMALL. “Medium” does not mean beady or squinty. The eyes reflect the soul of the Collie. Eyes that are too small give the dog an evil or blank look, which is the opposite of what is the essence of a good Collie. The Collie should never have the fierce terrier-like expression that is seen too often in the Collie ring today.
Correct Collie expression is difficult to describe, but once one has seen correct expression… has felt a full, round muzzle… has put one’s fingers on a slight but perceptible stop… has let the hands glide over the flat, smooth skull… has looked into the soul of the Collie, which is seen in the properly shaped and sized eye… it is an experience that will never be forgotten. It is what one should constantly strive for in breeding and should be a major factor in judging the Collie
Article:
The Loss of Correct Collie Expression
Barbara Schwartz
September 20, 2022
Correct Collie Expression
https://showsightmagazine.com/correct-collie-expression/
Danville, PA
17821
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Real life applications. Shep (SCPS Carabella's Sheppie Boy) teaches Ivy how to hunt for rodents in the barn. Are your Scottish collies working for you on the farm?
Thinking about registering your collie with a Scottish Collie Preservation Society? Wondering how you're supposed to get a good photo of your dog, especially when you haven't got anyone to help? Here's your answer! Take your cell phone outside on a nice day. Set it in a shady spot, and take your dog out to play. Have a pocket full of treats, and when they come running back towards you hold the treat up and let them stop and look at it. Almost every dog will automatically stack up as though they were standing in a show ring when they look at the treat in your hand. (It's helpful if you pick a sun spot for you and your dog to stand in.) Make it a fun game, toss them the treat let them run around, then have them come back and wait for the next treat. Make it as fun and enjoyable as possible for your collie. Afterward, click the edit button on your video, and slowly scroll through it until you come to a place where your dog is standing and looking at you. Check to see that it is a relatively level photo, and not angled to look down at the top of your dog or making the body seemed distorted. Then click the export frame button, and your camera will send that frame into your photo folder (depending upon your specific phone, of course.) We get loads of registration papers for both the scps registry, and the outcross registry. Putting your dog in his or her best light will make it much easier for the committee to assess your dog. Check out the comments to see the photo that I got of my dog when there was no one around to help.
Pennsylvania SPCA Danville Center
Bloom Road
