Rough Collie – AKC Breed Standard
| General Character | ||
| Head | Eyes | Ears |
| Neck | Body | Legs |
| Gait | Tail | Coat |
| Colors | Size | Expression |
| The Smooth Collie | ||
General Character
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.
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 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, without being flared out in backskull
(cheeky) or pinched in muzzle (snipy). In profile view 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 or break. A
mid-point between the inside corners of the eyes (which is the center of a
correctly placed stop) is the center 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 skull from the brow to the under part of the jaw is not excessive. The teeth
are of good size, meeting in a scissors bite. Overshot or undershot jaws are
undesirable, the latter being more severely penalized. There is a very 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. Because of the importance of the head
characteristics, prominent head faults are very severely penalized.
Eyes
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 color. They are
almond-shaped, of medium size and never properly appear to be large or
prominent. The color 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
color without specific penalty. A large, round, full eye seriously detracts
from the desired sweet expression. Eye faults are heavily penalized.
Ears
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 well up on the backskull and
are carried about three-quarters erect, with about one-fourth of the ear
tipping or breaking forward. A dog with prick ears or low ears cannot show true
expression and is penalized accordingly.
Neck
The neck is firm, clean,
muscular, sinewy and heavily frilled. It is fairly long, carried upright with a
slight arch at the nape and imparts a proud, upstanding appearance showing off
the frill.
Body
The body is firm, hard and
muscular, a trifle long in proportion to the height. The ribs are well-rounded
behind the well-sloped shoulders and the chest is deep, extending to the
elbows. The back is strong and level, supported by powerful hips and thighs and
the croup is sloped to give a well-rounded finish. The loin is powerful and
slightly arched. Noticeably fat dogs, or dogs in poor flesh, or with skin
disease, or with no undercoat are out of condition and are moderately penalized
accordingly.
Legs
The forelegs are straight
and muscular, with a fair amount of bone considering the size of the dog. A
cumbersome appearance is undesirable. Both narrow and wide placement are
penalized. The forearm is moderately fleshy and the pasterns are flexible but
without weakness. The hind legs are less fleshy, muscular at the thighs, very
sinewy and the hocks and stifles are well bent. A cowhocked dog or a dog with
straight stifles is penalized. The comparatively small feet are approximately
oval in shape. The soles are well padded and tough, and the toes are well
arched and close together. When the Collie is not in motion the legs and feet
are judged by allowing the dog to come to a natural stop in a standing position
so that both the forelegs and the hind legs are placed well apart, with the
feet extending straight forward. Excessive "posing"is undesirable.
Gait
Gait is sound. When the dog
is moved at a slow trot toward an observer its straight front legs track
comparatively close together at the ground. The front legs are not out at the
elbows, do not "crossover," nor does the dog move with a choppy,
pacing or rolling gait. When viewed from the rear the hind legs are straight,
tracking comparatively close together at the ground. At a moderate trot the
hind legs are powerful and propelling. Viewed from the side the reasonably
long, "reaching" stride is smooth and even, keeping the back line
firm and level.
As the speed of the gait is
increased the Collie single tracks, bringing the front legs inward in a
straight line from the shoulder toward the center line of the body and the hind
legs inward in a straight line from the hip toward the center line of the body.
The gait suggests effortless speed combined with the dog's herding heritage,
requiring it to be capable of changing its direction of travel almost
instantaneously.
Tail
The tail is moderately long,
the bone reaching to the hock joint or below. It is carried low when the dog is
quiet, the end having an upward twist or swirl. When gaited or when the dog is
excited it is carried gaily but not over the back.
Coat
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 ring. 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.
Color
The four recognized colors
are "Sable and White," "Tri-color," "Blue Merle"
and "White." There is no preference among them. The "Sable and
White" is predominantly sable (a fawn sable color of varying shades from
light gold to dark mahogany) with white markings usually on the chest, neck,
legs, feet and the tip of the tail. A blaze may appear on the foreface or
backskull or both. The "Tri-color" is predominantly black, carrying
white markings as in a "Sable and White" and has tan shadings on and
about the head and legs. The "Blue Merle" is a mottled or "marbled"
color predominantly blue-grey and black with white markings as in the
"Sable and White" and usually has tan shadings as in the
"Tri-color." The "White" is predominantly white, preferably
with sable, tri-color or blue merle markings.
Size
Dogs are from 24 to 26
inches at the shoulder and weigh from 60 to 75 pounds. Bitches are from 22 to
24 inches at the shoulder, weighing from 50 to 65 pounds. An undersize or an
oversize Collie is penalized according to the extent to which the dog appears
to be undersize or oversize.
Expression
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 color, 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 color of the eye 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.
The SMOOTH Collie
The Smooth Variety of Collie is judged by the same Standard as the
Rough Variety, except that the references to the quantity and distribution of
the coat are not applicable to the Smooth Variety, which has a short, hard,
dense, flat coat of good texture, with an abundance of undercoat.
Approved May 10, 1977
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