Scotch Collies

American Agriculturalist, March 1893 -"The collie is not only a useful and valuable helper, but is also most devoted and affectionate to its master... There is really a sort of instinctive nobility and dignity in the nature of a collie which leads it to expect kindness in return for its intelligent work and devoted attachment." 

The Scotch Collie has an extensive history and many people interested in preserving these working dogs have researched and recorded their findings. If you are interested in learning more about their history you will find scotchcollie.org and oldtimefarmshepherd.org to be valuable resources. There is also an interesting video about Scotch Collies here. 

Below you will find some historical references to Scotch Collies that we have found enlightening and entertaining as well as our experience with the temperament and trainability of Scotch Collies. 

Duncan's royal scotch collies

In the late 19th century and early 1900’s, Professor Duncan’s dogs entertained the people of London billed as Duncan's Royal Scotch Collies.

"Of all the numerous so-called dog shows which have been brought before the music-hall public lately, none have impressed us so favourably as that given by Professor Duncan and his collie dogs. The Alhambra audiences have for weeks past literally screamed with delight at the really wonderful deeds of these canine prodigies."– The Picture Magazine, London, November 1895

“Professor Duncan has somewhat of a sensation in the way of a dog act and his Royal Scotch Collies scored a pronounced hit when shown for the first times in America at the Colonial last week. There are nine Scotch Collies in the act, each a beautiful animal of this breed. Their work consisted of jumping over one another on the hind feet of the jumper, somersault bounds, rope skipping with the trainers, three and four dogs skipping at once…” -The New York Dramatic Mirror, January 15, 1910

Professor Duncan's troupe of dogs was also reported to perform a dramatic fire rescue scene in which a dog climbs a ladder to rescue a baby from a burning building. 

The Breed Standard

The Old-Time Scotch Collie Association describes the overall appearance of the Scotch Collie as,

"...well-balanced, athletic, alert and intelligent dog. The overall emphasis is on moderation with no part exaggerated or out of proportion like the long nose or superabundant coat of the modern Rough Collie. The original Scotch Collie was a rugged working dog, able to cope with various situations and environments easily, sound in body and mind, likewise our modern dogs should show this same heartiness and versatility whether they are used as hard-working farm dogs or as faithful companions." 

scotchcollie.org:breed-standard

The breed standard for temperament : "The Old-Time Scotch Collie should be steady, bold, sensible, quick to learn and responsive. Content to lie about when not needed but ready to spring into action at a minutes notice, reserved with strangers, yet never snappy, vicious or shy. Biddability, sagacity, intelligence and reciprocity are the hallmark of the breed. While hyper-activity, shyness, cowardice, inane stock chasing, excessive barking, lack of watchfulness or low intelligence are serious faults."

Our experience with Scotch Collies is that they are a devoted and even tempered breed.  Our Scotch Collies have a moderate energy level that is pushed into high gear when necessary and quickly regulated when the action is over. Willow will always sound the alarm when a stray dog or unexpected visitor arrives, but she is quick to relax when she sees we have things under control. Scotch Collies are watchful of your expressions and sensing of your moods. For example, when one of our daughters was crying because a newborn kitten died soon after birth, Willow immediately came to her and nuzzled her over and over. When our daughter could not be consoled, Willow stood on hind legs to wrap her forelegs around my daughter in a hug.

Our Scotch Collies are playful and sometimes silly trying to get you to engage in a game of tag and chase or tug. Willow loves to play hide and seek and the kids often send her on "search and rescue missions" to find a hiding sibling. She is also very good at nosing the sleepyheads out of their beds in the morning. 

Scotch Collies regularly check in with you and look directly in your eyes to see what you are thinking at the moment. They are eager to please but also seem to have their own To Do list and set about doing it when no one else is making demands on their time. One of my childhood collies, Ginger, would often find nests of wild baby bunnies that she thought had been "abandoned" by their mother and would gently carry them in her mouth one by one up to our back porch so that we could "help" them. Ginger's son, Cody, gave himself the job of ground hog and snake killer. When he found snakes in the yard he would bark a short, repetitive bark to alert us and then circle it rapidly until he could safely grab it from behind. He would then briskly shake it until it was dead. He had the same method with ground hogs and would fight them to the death, and sometimes to the point of injury to himself if we didn't get to him to call him off. Even though he had a strong prey drive, he was gentle and easy with our rabbits, cats and kittens. 

One of my earliest memories about dogs is standing in a barn when I was around 3 years old and watching a collie with her litter of sable puppies playing in the straw. To my delight, we got to pick one of those puppies and take her home! We named her Ginger and she was such a loyal companion. By the time I reached school age Ginger would sit by my side faithfully waiting for the bus to pick me up and was always waiting to greet me with a wagging tail when I stepped off the bus. I don't know if any of the other kids on the bus noticed her, but I always felt so proud seeing my dog joyfully anticipating my return home.

Links to some groups interested in preserving Scotch Collies:

Old Time Scotch Collie Association

Scottish Collie Preservation Society

Links to Scotch Collie Information 

oldtimefarmshepherd.org

If you now find yourself adding a Scotch Collie Puppy to your wish list, take a look at our puppy pages.