ROUGH COLLIE STANDARD
Origin and Purpose:
Both the Rough and Smooth breeds of Collie originated in the British Isles. The Rough Collie was originally used as a herding dog, while the Smooth Collie was the drover’s dog.
General Appearance:
The Collie is a lithe, strong, responsive, active dog, carrying no useless timber, standing naturally straight and firm. The deep moderately wide chest shows strength, the sloping shoulders and well-bent hocks indicate speed and grace, and the face shows high intelligence. The Collie presents an impressive, proud picture of true balance, each part being in harmonious proportion to every other part and to the whole. Except for the technical description that is essential to this Standard and without which no Standard for the guidance of breeders and judges is adequate, it could be stated simply that no part of the Collie ever seems to be out of proportion to any other part. Timidity, frailness, sullenness, viciousness, lack of animation, cumbersome appearance, and lack of over-all balance impair the general character.
Coat and Colour:
The well-fitting, proper-textured coat is the crowning glory of the Rough variety of Collie. It is abundant except on the head and legs. The outer coat is straight and harsh to the touch. A soft, open outer coat or a curly outer coat, regardless of quantity, is penalized. The undercoat, however, is soft, furry, and so close together that it is difficult to see the skin when the hair is parted. The coat is very abundant on the mane and frill. The face or mask is smooth. The forelegs are smooth and well feathered to the back of the pasterns. The hind legs are smooth below the hock joints. Any feathering below the hocks is removed for the show rings. The hair on the tail is very profuse and on the hips it is long and bushy. The texture, quantity, and the extent to which the coat “fits the dog” are important points.
The five recognized colours are “Sable and White”, “Tricolour”, “Blue Merle”, “Sable Merle” and “White”. There is no preference among them. The “Sable and White” is predominantly sable [a sable colour of varying shades from light gold to dark mahogany] with white markings usually on the chest, neck, legs, feet and tip of the tail. A blaze may appear on the foreface or backskull or both. The “Tricolour” is predominantly black, carrying white markings as in a “Sable and White”, and has tan shading on and about the head and legs. The “Blue Merle” is a mottled or “marbled” colour, predominantly blue-grey and black with white markings as in the “Sable and White” and usually has tan shadings as in the “Tricolour”. The “Sable Merle” is predominantly a light sable with darker sable mottling or marbling as in the “Blue Merle” and with white markings as in the “Sable and White”. The “White” is predominantly white, with sable, tricolour, blue merle, or sable merle markings on the head and elsewhere.
Head
The head properties are of great importance. When considered in proportion to the size of the dog, the head is inclined to lightness and never appears massive. A heavy headed dog lacks the necessary bright, alert, full-of-sense look that contributes so greatly to expression.
Both in front and profile view the head bears a general resemblance to a well-blunted 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, without being flared out in backskull (cheeky) or pinched-in 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.
There is a slight prominence of the eyebrows. The backskull is flat, without receding either laterally or backward and the occipital bone is not highly peaked. The proper width of backskull necessarily depends upon 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.
A midpoint between the inside corners of the eyes (which is the centre of the correctly placed stop) is the centre of balance in length of head.
The end of the smooth, well-rounded muzzle is blunt but not square. The underjaw is strong, clean-cut and the depth of balance in length of head.
The teeth are of good size, meeting in a scissor bite.
Because of the combination of the flat skull, the arched eyebrows, the slight stop and the rounded muzzle, the foreface must be chiseled to form a receptacle for the eyes and they are necessarily placed obliquely to give them the required forward outlook. Except for the blue merles, they are required to be matched in colour. They are almond shaped, of medium size and never properly appear to be large or prominent. The colour is dark and the eye does not show a yellow ring or a sufficiently prominent haw to affect the dog’s expression.
The eyes have a clear, bright appearance, expressing intelligent inquisitiveness, particularly when the ears are drawn up and the dog is on the alert.
In blue merles, dark brown eyes are preferable, but either or both eyes may be merle or china in colour without specific penalty.
A large, round, full eye seriously detracts from the desired “sweet” expression.
The ears are in proportion to the size of the head and, if they are carried properly and unquestionably “break” naturally, are seldom too small. Large ears usually cannot be lifted correctly off the head and even if lifted they will be out of proportion to the size of the head. When in repose the ears are folded lengthwise and thrown back into the frill. On the alert they are drawn up well up on the back skull and are carried about three-quarters erect, with about one-forth of the ear tipping or “breaking” forward.
Expression is one of the most important points in considering the relative value of Collies. “Expression”, like the term “character”, is difficult to define in words. It is not a fixed point as in colour, weight, or height and it is something the uninitiated can properly understand only by optical illustration. In general, however, it may be said to be the combined product of the shape and balance of the skull and muzzle, the placement, size, shape and colour of the eyes, and the position, size and carriage of the ears. An expression that shows sullenness or which is suggestive of any other breed is entirely foreign. The Collie cannot be judged properly until its expression has been carefully evaluated.
