Farm collie

Two contemporary farm collies. Note the variation in color and build. The dog on the right is two months old.

Farm collie or farmcollie is an informal term for a class of herding dog, of the broader collie type. Farm collies are bred for more than looks; working dog traits, including cleverness, loyalty, and hardiness, are sought. Farm collies are also common household pets, and sometimes trained as guide dogs for the visually impaired. The term farm collie can have various meanings,^[1] including:

Any collie-type dog that lives on a farm
Any collie-type dog that does farm work, such as herding, livestock guarding, and pest control
The descendants of the original Scotch collie landrace population brought from Scotland and England, and which lived and worked on farms in colonial North America, from which the (misnamed) Australian Shepherd and English Shepherd breeds derived
A collie of a standardized breed of old-fashioned looks that does not meet current interpretations of breed standards

There are different standardised breeds of collie, each often called simply collie in their native regions, including:

Border Collie, also known as the Scottish Sheepdog, derived from the Scotch collie, with a medium-length coat
Welsh Collie, a.k.a. Welsh Sheepdog; developed alongside the Scotch collie, smaller and more nimble than the northern types^[2]
Bearded Collie, a semi-long-haired derivative of the Scotch collie
Rough Collie, a long-haired derivative of the Scotch collie; the Rough Collie is also an ancestor of the Shetland Sheepdog
Smooth Collie, a short-haired derivative of the Scotch collie

A farm collie may be descended from any of these. The diversity of foundation stock breeds means that a farm collie's looks can vary greatly, ranging from those of a Border Collie to those of a Rough Collie.^[3] There are no current registries that include Farm Collies for show purposes, the American Working Farmcollie Association registers farm collies based on working ability and merit.

History

In the 1860s, Queen Victoria fell in love with the breed when she visited the Scottish Highlands, and collies became very fashionable. In the 1960s, the collie was much taller and bigger than it is today. Decades ago, collies were used for herding but they were replaced by Border Collies, it caused some collies to lose their herding instinct.^[2]

Temperament

While often used as a working, herding dog, many are kept as family pets, as they are friendly and good with children. This type of dog is also friendly with other dogs and even non-canine pets.^[4]

Height, weight

Height: males 53–61 cm (21–24 in); females 48–56 cm (19–22 in)

Weight: males 21–32 kg (46–71 lb); females 18–27 kg (40–60 lb)^[4]

Health

Collies are a generally healthy variety of dog, but are energetic, and need both exercise and mental stimulation, such as games and training.^[5]

References

↑ "What is a Farm Collie?". Gina Bisco. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
1 2 "Collie Club of Long Island". Retrieved 12 August 2013.
↑ "American Working Farmcollie Registered Dogs". American Working Farmcollie Association. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
1 2 "Scotch Collie". Dog Breed Info Center. [self-published]. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
↑ "Rough Collie Dog Breed Profile". Petplanet. Retrieved 12 August 2013.

External links

Pastoral dogs

Herding and droving dogs	Australian Cattle Dog Australian Kelpie Australian Shepherd Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog Basque Shepherd Dog Bearded Collie Beauceron Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael) Belgian Shepherd Dog (Laekenois) Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois) Belgian Shepherd Dog (Tervuren) Bergamasco Berger Picard Black Mouth Cur Blue Lacy Bohemian Shepherd Border Collie Bouvier des Flandres Briard Can de Chira Cão da Serra de Aires Carea Castellano Manchego Carea Leonés Catahoula Bulldog Catahoula Leopard Dog Catalan Sheepdog Collie Collie (Smooth) Croatian Sheepdog Cumberland Sheepdog Dutch Shepherd Dog English Shepherd Farm Collie Galician Palleiro Garafian Shepherd German Shepherd Huntaway Icelandic Sheepdog King Shepherd Koolie Lancashire Heeler Lapponian Herder Magellan sheep dog McNab Miniature American Shepherd Miniature Australian Shepherd Mucuchies Mudi New Zealand Heading Dog Norwegian Buhund Old English Sheepdog Old German Herding Dogs (Altdeutsche) Polish Lowland Sheepdog Puli Pumi Pyrenean Shepherd Reindeer Herder Rough Collie Samoyed Sardinian Sheperd Dog Schapendoes Schipperke Scotch Collie Shetland Sheepdog Smithfield Spanish Water Dog Swedish Lapphund Swedish Vallhund Tibetan Terrier Welsh Corgi (Cardigan) Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) Welsh Sheepdog White Shepherd

Livestock guardian dogs	Aidi or Atlas Mountain Dog Akbash Dog or Turkish Akbash Dog Anatolian Shepherd Armenian mountain dog a/k/a Armenian wolfhound Bucovina Shepherd Dog Bernese Mountain Dog Cão de Castro Laboreiro Cão Fila de São Miguel Carpathian Shepherd Dog Caucasian Shepherd Dog Central Asian Shepherd Dog Estrela Mountain Dog Gaddi Kutta Georgian Shepherd Great Pyrenees Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Greek Shepherd Himalayan Sheepdog Hovawart Kuchi (dog) Kumaon Mastiff or Indian Sindh Mastiff Kangal Dog Karakachan Karst Shepherd Komondor Kuvasz Landseer Leonberger Majorca Shepherd Dog Maremma Sheepdog or Italian Abruzzese Sheepdog Mioritic Perro Majorero Polish Tatra Sheepdog Puli Pyrenean Mastiff Rafeiro do Alentejo Šarplaninac Slovak Cuvac South Russian Ovcharka Spanish Mastiff Tibetan Mastiff Tornjak

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