Rough Collie

FCI:

Rough Collie Group I. - Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs, Section 1 – Sheepdogs. Recognized in the year 1885.

General Appearance:

Rough Collie is an intelligent, joyful, playful and friendly dog, which is characterized by an extraordinary devotion and loyalty to the owner. It never shows any sign of nervousness, shyness or aggression. Nevertheless, it is now primarily a companion dog, but it is still right sheepdog in character. It is an excellent watchdog, too. It is very active, but also soft and cuddly, well controlled. Temperament must be calm and balanced, thoroughly friendly and helpful.

Temperament & Behaviour:

It willing learns, it is studious and hardworking, but also highly sensitive and it must not be upbringing and eventual training but never use any pressure, even voice. Necessary is a welcoming and friendly consistency, so it may well breed a Rough Collie for beginner. Hard training methods can cause shyness and nervousness. The owner needs to be calm, patient and kind at all times.

It loves life in the family, permanent housing in an outdoor kennel it is not good for its coat and its soul. It needs constant contact with "its" people that if necessary, it is always ready to defend. It fits quite well in a city apartment, only that it will be necessary to allow regular longer daily walks. With children it has friendly   relationship it is tolerant well with other dogs and other pets, but it requires early socialization.

It is eager to study and successfully acting in various dog sports such as agility, obedience, frisbee, flyball. Thanks to its excellent sense of smell, it may attend purely sporting hunting trial tests and proved itself as a rescue dog. Well, thanks to its nature also applies in canistherapy. Equally successful it behaves well in caniscross and longer hiking tours. It may accompany with the rider on the horse, rollerblading or biking and joggers.

Although it is long time and many years   mostly a companion dog, sheepdog instinct never lost after a short training it can take part at competition in herding sheep. Long walks in the countryside it can pass without leash, it has no hunting sense so there is no risk of escaping.

Body:

Rough Collie excels at first sight by beautiful exterior, which is conditioned by the fact that all parts of the body perfectly suit together. It attracts the impression of beauty not only extremely noble head, but colour-rich long hair and a quiet dignity. Height at withers is the standard 56-61 cm males and 51-56 cm females.

The head has a corresponding size, perfect balance skull and muzzle, a desirable shape, colour and placement of eyes and wearing correctly and properly carried earlobes. The skull should be as long as the muzzle is flat above. Stop should be gradual, but noticeable. The end of the muzzle should be blunt rounded. The nose should always be black.

The jaws are strong. The bottom should be cleanly shaped. It requires a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite. Teeth are appropriately large.

Eyes should be medium-sized, slightly slanted, almond-shaped, dark brown colour, except for those with coloured hair, blue merle. Those could be (one or both, wholly or partially) blue or blue-flecked, an intelligent, lively and alert.

The earlobes are small, the rest can be folded backwards, but when something wakes the dog's attention must be directed forward and be pricked with forward banked tips, approximately 2/3 of the lower upright, the upper third of the front drooping.

The neck should be muscular, powerful, of fair length, arched neck properly. The body is longer, so the body frame is rectangular. The back should be firm, slightly arched loin.

The tail should be long enough so that the last vertebra reaching the hock. At rest it is carried hanging at the end slightly bent upward. In action, it is carried higher, but never above the topline of the body.

The chest should be deep, with well-sprung ribs, shoulder blades for a reasonably wide. The forelegs are parallel to each other and muscular, moderately strong bones. Forearms should be straight and parallel to each other, slim. Feet are oval in shape, with arched and tightly knit toes with firm padded.

The hindquarters are muscular thighs and knees bent appropriately. Crus are lean, sinewy, strong hocks. The movement is smooth, sure.

The coat is very thick and closely fitting. The top coat should be flat and hard by the touch, undercoat soft, very dense, almost entirely covering the skin. It is called "Collar", is rich like "jabot" below the neck and front of the chest.

Colour Sable, Tricolour and Blue

Merle. Sable: any shade of light gold to rich mahogany or shaded sable. Light straw or cream coloured highly undesirable. Tricolour: predominantly black with rich tan markings about legs and head. A rusty tinge on top coat is highly undesirable. Blue Merle: predominantly clear, silvery blue splashed and marbled with black. Rich tan markings preferred, but absence should not be penalised. Large black markings, slate colour, or rusty tinge either of top or undercoat are highly undesirable. All should carry typical white Collie markings to a greater or lesser degree. Following markings are favourable – white collar, full or part, white shirt, legs and feet, white tail tip. A blaze may be carried on muzzle or skull, or both. All white or predominantly white is highly undesirable.

The coat requires regular care. It is needed a special comb, combing long hair and comb with shorter, denser pins to coat brushings dead hair.

Faults from the above requirements should be considered as defects and evaluate accurately the degree of expression with regard to their impact on health, welfare and practical usability of the dog or bitch to traditional work. To negative defects include aggression and fearfulness and any obvious abnormalities physical or behavioural.