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Scotch Collies are very people-oriented, and they love spending time with their human “pack”. They are sensitive to human emotions and have a strong desire to please their family members. If her owner is sad and down, a Scotch Collie will likely be there to make him feel better; if he is happy, she will be there to share his joy. Playful and gentle by nature, Scotch Collies are excellent with children they have been introduced to from an early age, and they will get on wonderfully with them. They make great therapy and service dogs because they naturally look to humans for direction, seemingly understand our feelings, and want to help.
Scotch Collies generally get along with other dogs but may struggle with non-canine pets because of their hunting instincts for small animals and vermin. Depending on the individual dog and the humans that she lives with, she may be friendly, reserved or aloof with strangers. She has a natural inclination to bark at and chase off strange animals or people in order to protect livestock from predators, but is not snappy, vicious or shy.
Steady, bold, sensible, quick to learn, adaptable responsive, and highly intelligent, she carries an aura of innate wisdom and strength of character. Extremely docile and obedient, she is willing to accept and follow instructions and can be trained to an incredibly high standard. She is content to lie quietly at your feet when she is not needed but is ready to spring into action when called on. A very versatile animal, she is a working dog and playmate, guardian and watchdog, hunter and herder, companion and carer.
Several people without knowledge of each other began looking for any remnants of the Scotch Collie breed at around the same time in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Richard McDuffie of South Carolina and Erika DuBois of Nova Scotia both spent a great deal of time, money and effort in the search for Scotch Collies. Eventually a few dogs in remote areas came to light and have been carefully bred and increased. The several hundred Scotch Collies alive today and the Old-Time Scotch Collie Association owe their existence to these dedicated and hard working individuals who got things moving thirty years ago.
Although the Scotch Collie represents the original type of Collie they are a small, rather unknown breed because the kennel clubs took Collies in an entirely different direction. As the modern Rough and Smooth Collies were developed through selective breeding to a tight standard, the old fashioned Collies were left behind like some redneck cousins you don’t invite to your family picnics. This neglect almost lead to the extinction of the Scotch Collie.
Meaning that things don’t stick in a Scotch Collie’s coat. So they can run around, playing and working all over the farm all day, through high grass full of seeds and burrs, in the mud, rolling in dirt etc. but somehow none of these things seem to cling to the Collie for long. When the dog is ready to come in inside you look at the coat and wonder why he is so clean. It’s the Scotch Collie’s teflon coat, all the unwanted bits of field and wood have fallen off outside where they belong.
Eric Knight wrote Lassie Come-Home based on his knowledge of the Collies common in his homeland of Yorkshire in northern England and an old fashioned type Collie that he owned named Tootsie. So the model for Lassie was old fashioned type Collies and her brains and problem solving skills better match those of the old time Scotch Collies than those of a modern show Collie. Unfortunately when it came time to cast Lassie for the screen, a more modern looking Collie was chosen and this caused the popularity of the Rough Collie to skyrocket. So Knight’s book, a tribute to the brains of the old fashioned Collie, inadvertently helped contribute to the demise of the Scotch Collie.
The Scotch Collie is an amazing breed of dogs that are making a comeback today from near extinction 30 years ago. Keep reading to learn 10 surprising facts about Scotch Collies.
Scotch Shepherds range from 19 to 24 inches tall. They weigh from 40 to 70 pounds and have few medical problems. The Scotch Shepherd needs daily exercise. They enjoy having room to run, and they do well on farms. The average lifespan of a Scotch Shepherd is 12 to 16 years. They have long coats that should be brushed often to prevent matting. ADVERTISEMENT
The Scotch Shepherd is also known as the Scotch Collie. They were originally derived from a mixture of Roman Cattle Dogs, Native Celtic Dogs and Viking Herding Spitzes. Historically, they were used in Scotland to herd, protect and drive flocks of sheep.