Rough Collie

Rough Collie

Sable and white Rough Collie
Other names	Collie, Scottish Collie, Long-Haired Collie, English collie, lassie dog
Origin	United Kingdom (Scotland)
Traits Weight Male 20–34 kg (44–75 lb) Female 15.8–29 kg (35–64 lb) Height Male 55.8 to 66 cm (22 to 26 in) Female 50.8 to 61 cm (21 to 26 in) Coat long double coat Color sable, mahogany sable, shaded sable, tri-coloured, blue merle, sable merle, colour headed white, double merle, white. Litter size 8-12 up to 16 Life span 13 to 15+ years
Classification / standards FCI Group 1, Section 1 Sheepdogs #156 standard AKC Herding standard ANKC Group 7 (Herding) standard CKC Group 7 - Herding dogs standard KC (UK) Pastoral standard NZKC Working standard UKC Herding Dogs standard
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

The Rough Collie (also known as the Long-Haired Collie) is a long-coated breed of medium to large size dog that in its original form was a type of collie used and bred for herding in Scotland. Originating in the 1800s, it is now well known through the works of author Albert Payson Terhune, and through the Lassie novel, movies, and television shows. There is also a smooth-coated variety; some breed organisations, including both the American and the Canadian Kennel Clubs, consider the smooth-coat and rough-coat dogs to be variations of the same breed. Rough Collies generally come in shades of sable, merles, and tri-coloured. This breed looks like a bigger version of the Shetland Sheepdog, but they are not related.

Both Rough and Smooth collies are descended from a localised variety of herding dog originating in Scotland and Wales. The Scottish variety was a large, strong, aggressive dog, bred to herd highland sheep. The Welsh variety was small and nimble, domesticated and friendly, and also herded goats. When the English saw these dogs at the Birmingham market, they interbred them with their own variety of sheepdogs, producing a mixture of short- and long-haired varieties. After the industrial revolution, dog ownership became fashionable, and these early collies were believed to have been crossed with the Borzoi (Russian Wolfhound) to get a more "noble" head (longer muzzle), which is today one of the true characteristics of the Rough Collie. It is not known conclusively if the Borzoi cross made it into the mainstream of the breed.

When Queen Victoria acquired a Rough Collie, after seeing one at Balmoral Castle, they were transformed into something of a fashion item. Continued breeding for show purposes drastically changed the appearance of the dogs; in the 1960s, it was a much taller dog than it is today (in the UK; in the US, the size standard has not been revised downward and dogs have remained between 24-26"). Earlier dogs were also more sturdy in build and reportedly capable of covering up to 100 miles in one day. In the UK the Rough Collie is no longer used for serious herding, having been replaced by the Border Collie, though in the United States and a number of European countries, there has been a resurgence in the use of the Collie as a working and performance dog.