What is lassie dog

The Collie Club of America has the distinction of being one of the oldest breed clubs in the USA, since it was founded in As mentioned on the Collie Health Foundation website , the stories and books of author and breeder Albert Payson Terhune frequently featured Collies Rough and brought further attention to the breed, and a pair of white Collies were even kept by President Coolidge and his wife.

People who saw his story in the newspapers and had interacted with Bobbie along the way sent mail to his family, describing parts of his journey. An investigation determined that he must have traveled nearly 3 thousand miles on foot, crossing the Rocky Mountains in the dead of winter to return to his humans. Of course, one Lassie movie was not enough to satisfy a captivated public. Trainer Rudd Weatherwax and his Collie Pal went on to found a franchise, with several movies and a long-running TV series that shaped the imagination of a nation.

The result was a Lassie craze that catapulted Collies to international fame. But as is so often true, the notoriety was not all for the best. While demand for Rough Collie dogs soared, opportunistic breeders flooded the market with indiscriminately-bred puppies.

Health problems increased due to these poor breeding practices. Collies finally experienced a decline in popularity after the s. This was not a bad thing, since it gave breed enthusiasts a chance to rectify some of the issues created by the Collie boom. So how popular are Rough Collies and Smooth Collies?

Rough Collies continued to enjoy attention, being kept as pets by such celebrities as Elvis Presley and Kevin Costner. While Smooth Collies have never been in the spotlight like their longhaired Collie counterparts, they have recently experienced somewhat of a service dog renaissance since people have noticed their ability and practicality, given their lower grooming requirements.

Currently, the Collie breed ranks 38th in popularity of the breeds recognized by the AKC. Present day Collies are considered a relatively healthy breed, with an average lifespan of 12 to 14 years.

But as with any animal that has been selectively bred and studied with great care for many golden years, some health conditions have been identified, including sensitivity to certain drugs. Before adopting a Collie or buying a Collie puppy , it is best to find out what you can about health history. If you are looking to adopt an adult dog or want to evaluate the parents of a litter from which you may purchase a puppy, it helps to know that a dog past the age of 2 without signs of trouble is probably not at risk for vision loss from CEA.

CEA can be identified through genetic disease testing that pinpoints whether a dog is affected, is a carrier, or is clear of a condition. In addition, eye tests performed by a veterinary opthalmologist, in which the eyes are dilated and inspected, will determine to what extent a dog is affected by CEA. Typically much less common but more serious than CEA, it is a degenerative condition that will lead to blindness. No dogs with PRA should be used for breeding.

Most dogs with PRA will be blind by the time they are 1 year old , but there is a late-onset form that will not manifest until a dog is anywhere from years old. This is why it is vital for breeders to genetically test for PRA. While Collies are not very at-risk for elbow and hip dysplasia , it is an added bonus if you can find a breeder who has had OFA joint testing done on their dogs.

However, this is not a very simple test, as it involves anesthetizing a dog to obtain clear x-rays while he is positioned on his back. Not all breeders are willing to put their dogs through this, especially if they come from a bloodline not plagued by joint problems or if their dogs have MDR1.

MDR1 Multi Drug Resistance Syndrome is a drug sensitivity that makes Collies and 12 other popular breeds, plus mixes of these breeds sensitive to certain chemical compounds such as anesthetics and some parasite preventives. MDR1 can be identified through genetic testing DNA test , which involves sending a saliva or blood sample to a lab for analysis. In a perfect world, yes. But even a seemingly flawless canine specimen can have hidden issues. Usually the best-case scenario is to choose dogs who have minimal faults and thus gradually breed out undesirable characteristics.

So why get a Collie, or any purebred dog, if they have health problems? Collies and their relatives are prone to eye problems, Bully breeds to skin problems, Boxers and other brachycephalic dogs to breathing problems, Beagles to epilepsy, St.

Bernards and similar large, heavy breeds to joint problems. Hybrid vigor is largely a myth, as was found by an in-depth study over a five-year period that examined the veterinary health records of 90, purebred and mixed breed dogs. This is simply not true. While broadening a gene pool can have some benefits, the fact remains that crossing dogs of different breeds together will not magically wipe out inheritable health defects.

Sometimes mutts make the best dogs, but their genetics are a wild card. If you adopt a crossbreed or mutt, it is still a good idea to make sure that the parents have been screened or even to have the active dog individually tested to know what potential health conditions may crop up. The two Collies Rough variety I grew up with on our Michigan hobby farm had several jobs.

They were draft dogs: hitched up to a wagon in summer or toboggan in winter to pull my little sisters or cousins around the yard. They were entertainers: Leia would jump through hula hoops and tire swings, and Luke would army crawl and dance on his hind legs.

They were herders: sent to round up our goats, chickens, and even the pet rabbit after they had been let out to free range. They were varmint dogs: killing or driving off mice, gophers, woodchucks, opossums, raccoons, or stray cats that infested or trespassed on our property.

They were watchdogs: reliably announcing the arrival of visitors. They were protectors: staunchly placing themselves between us children and potential danger. You may be thinking, well, those are examples of just two multi-tasking dogs. But these are by no means rare instances. In my local Collie Club, we have Collies involved in herding, agility, barn hunt, conformation shows, obedience trials, and volunteer therapy dogs that work in the community.

Some Collies are still used as general-purpose farm dogs, particularly by those who value their gentler, less mouthy approach to guiding livestock. They have also successfully been used as assistance dogs. For example, the standards of the United Kennel Club an international breed registry and the American Kennel Club the registry of the USA specify that female Collies should weigh pounds and stand inches tall at the shoulders, while males should weigh pounds and stand inches at the shoulders.

The UK United Kingdom and FCI Federation Cynologique Internationale standards, by contrast, call for a smaller dog ranging in wither height from centimeters for females and centimeters for males, with the weight unspecified. I am part of some international Facebook Collie groups, and I follow thousands of Collie Instagram accounts from nearly every nation under the sun.

In general, American Collies are larger, having longer muzzles with less of a stop dished face , and very often erect ears that do not stay tipped naturally folded over at the top without the aid of glue or tape applied when they are puppies. European Collies tend to be smaller, with many of them having luxurious coats. Australian Collies have a certain look, as do German Collies… I could go on.

This goes for merle dogs of any breed, not just Collies. Some double merle puppies are born with no eyes at all. Unscrupulous breeders deliberately breed blue merles together to obtain an entire litter of merle puppies, which can be sold for more money since they are a less common color. Often the only way to identify an adult sable merle is to check the ear tips for retained silvery hairs.

A Rough Collie requires maintenance, though not to the extent you might think. On average, I spend minutes once a week per Collie.

Yoshi , my fox-like female, is the 15, while Gustav , my lion-like male, is the The secret is in the upkeep. Personally, I enjoy the grooming sessions and see them as a bonding experience with my dogs. Most female Rough Collies are easier to brush out than males. However, they do have a full coat shed after giving birth or after each heat, which occurs every months in unspayed females.

As spring gets into full swing, you can expect a big pre-summer blowout of the suddenly superfluous undercoat. It will come out in clumps, like a horse casting off its shaggy winter coat. This natural thinning of the undercoat is how a Collie prepares itself for the summer heat. It does them no favors and actually removes the natural insulation that helps them stay cool in hot weather. Dogs do not sweat through their skin like we do, except on the paw pads. Panting is their natural cooling system.

They survive just fine. Some will even lick themselves clean like cats. They do not typically carry an oily coat or offensive doggie odor. However, a good bath is recommended every few months some say only once annually , preferably with a mild or medicated shampoo to avoid skin irritation. It can also help to pre-mix a solution of shampoo and water in a pump bottle or empty dish soap container to squirt it onto the skin.

Be sure to rinse and dry as well as possible to prevent hot spots from cropping up. Do Collies shed? Yes, but when not in the throes of a seasonal blowout, Rough Collie shedding is comparatively minimal to other double-coated breeds.

Instead, soft Collie under-fur clumps into tidy little tumbleweeds, easily located and swept or vacuumed up. Some side notes on cleaning up after the Lassie dog breed … Investing in a brush for de-furring furniture and certain types of rugs saves tons of time and effort.

Trust me; I want to compose an ode to mine. I discovered the amazing properties of fur rakes while working at a veterinary clinic. Some people in my Collie Facebook group swear by their self-cleaning vacuums and skip that process entirely. See their go-to vacuums below:. Collies, Rough or Smooth variety, are considered to be average energy dogs. Most of the time, they are content to perform bear rug impersonations.

Usually they are good with one walk a day, or a rousing game of tug-of-war or fetch. I went through a rough patch for a while, and I was living in a trailer with no yard for Gus to run in. At that time, we had two walks every day like clockwork, with off-leash time on the weekends. If you have an apartment and no fenced yard, keeping a Collie can be done; but it will take some commitment on your part.

Also, take the weather into account when exercising your Collie. Dogs can and will overheat faster than humans, and are thus more susceptible to heat stroke. Because we live in Florida, I never walk my dogs midday during the hot months which is most months and when we do walk, we avoid pavement — especially asphalt or blacktop — if at all possible.

Some people also opt to have their dogs wear footwear , for the same purpose that humans wear shoes. Dog shoes can also be helpful in cold climates.

You can save yourself and your dog the hassle by investing in some canine snow boots. If you have a more high-energy Collie dog, you may want to consider nosework training or involvement in agility or herding competitions. For puppies, the energy requirements will obviously be higher. When Yoshi was younger, she got two walks per day — usually one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. This dog, which he named Toots, would spend hours waiting at the gate for Eric to come home, this devotion along with intelligence inspired him to create the Lassie character, first in short stories and later in a book.

Lassie showed the same devotion and intelligence that is commonly seen in Scotch Collies. Besides being inspired by Toots, Eric had probably encountered Scotch Collies in his youth growing up in Yorkshire, England.

This was an area where working dogs like the Scotch Collie were valued and when Eric was a youth, born and moved to the United States in it was before the Border Collie had taken over and the old fashioned Scotch Collies were likely still commonly used in this part on northern England. Living in Yorkshire at an impressionable age he probably heard stories of the loyalty, devotion and brains off the old fashioned Collies. Given all this there is little wonder that he based his fictional Collie story in Yorkshire.

If you are interested in the different types of Collie and their history check out this article Where Do Collies Come From? If you are interested in learning more about the dog that inspired Lassie, read this article that I wrote called 10 Fact About Scotch Collies. The Scotch collie dog will make the best friend of all the dogs in the canine race, writes a collie admirer.

Of all useful animals God gave to man what can excel the dog, at […]. If you have a vision of bringing the Scotch Collie back, so later generations can utilize and enjoy the original, please join hands with fanciers of like mind. Excerpted from The dog book, Volume 1, James Watson — Although collies were shown at the Centennial Show and at those held in New York, Boston and elsewhere prior to , they were a […].

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Puerto Rico English. Republic of Singapore English. South Africa. Sweden - Sverige. Switzerland Suisse. Switzerland Schweiz. United Kingdom. United Arab Emirates English. United States. For Dogs. For Cats. About Hill's. Media Press Releases Media Kit. Other Careers. Pet Care Center. Rough Collie At a glance. Size: Weight Range : Male: lbs. Female: lbs. Height Male: in. Personality: As part of the herding classification, the rough collie personality is known to most as smart, quick to learn, and very in tune to people.

Living With: The rough collie is family-oriented and loves playing with children. History: The ancestors of today's rough collie worked as herding dogs in the Scottish Highlands. Related Pet Care Articles. The English cocker spaniel is slightly taller than long. Find more dog breeds and dog care information at Hillspet. Therefore, they need ample daily exercise daily; otherwise, they become mischievous or high-strung.