Rough Collies Not Very Popular These Days...? Discussions

Used to see a lot of them round here but lady who owned the last of them lost her last one about 6 years ago and decided to get a staffie instead. Funnily enough only dog I have been properly bitten by was a rough collie, came across the green with the sole intention of biting me and achieved it's aim.

I used to walk a beautiful rough collie for family friends when I wasn't allowed a dog of my own when I was growing up. He was a complete star - beautiful, well trained, intelligent, with a wonderful temperament. I absolutely adored him.

However, he was an old fashioned rough collie - ie a large dog, with not such a huge coat, and not a really thin skull and muzzle as you tend to see these days. He was like one of the first collie dogs in the Lassie films.

Now, if I could find one like him, I would definitely like a rough collie. I quite like the USA roughs, but not keen on the UK bred ones anymore unfortunately :-(

Headshape, size and in the coated bsd the coat.

Colour ect is diff as is temp but they are still similar.

Adam

Thats actually what I've always thought, but I think like many dogs they just get labelled as something.

Maybe they don't compare well to border collies, certainly don't do a lot of ob aglity ect.

I doubt the ablity to perform repetitive behaviours that can be edited indecates brains.

Adam

A rough looks nothing like a BSD.
Different Ears, different Stop, diferent Head width, different coat, different conformation, different movement, different temperment, different colours.

I think the reason they have declined as they are NOT like lassie, & are getting smaller & smaller

I was going to say much the same Mish - and out of the 4 types of Belgian only two have long coats. Heaven forbid the BSD ever becomes as overcoated as the RC The size is different too - ever seen a RC standing at 27"? I'll put it another way - you might think my lad being half Collie half BSD could possibly be mistaken for a RC if they are that similar..... nope, as with all BSDs, most lay-people think he is "'some kind of Alsatian".

I agree with those of you who suggest that RCs don't look as lovely as they used to. My RC was huge and really beautiful. I was speaking to a RC breeder some months back and she said that yes, they have got smaller yet their coats are now enormous!

So yes the grooming aspect may be part of it.

Adam - must admit I can't quite see how Rough Collies and BSDs are remotely similar, and certainly 'personality' wise they are not at all alike, I don't think...

RCs are very intelligent dogs by the way and *usually* the most gentle of creatures

Yes we get, GSD/Bcollie X-/wolf, but ever Lassie!

Grand & great grandparents always had them and crosses of, amongst others, but RC's were the fave. Total different to the few you see today, much larger, much less coat, just different. Only seen a few in recent years, all with poor temperaments and too much coat for my taste. Don't see many shelties anymore either.

My OH had one while growing up. She was lovely and the perfect family dog, gentle and loyal. She was quite old when I met her but was still had a cheeky side

I have always loved Lassie xxxxxx ref the USA ones, I watched a breed programme (USA), it said their ones were bigger than the ones over here. Other than size, what is the difference?

Re the difference between British and American RCs, that's a good question; is it possibly that here in the UK they have started breeding them to be somewhat smaller but with more dramatic coats? If you look at pics of show RCs in recent years, some of them have almost a type of 'halo' of fur around their heads!

Maybe in the USA they have remained with the more 'classical' RC - big in size but with a beautiful yet not overly fluffy coat?

The heads have changed alot too havent they?

From some research I did a few years ago, when considering a rough collie, it seems that some USA rough collie breeders are keen to keep the intelligence and herding ability in their lines. The herding ability has all but been lost in the dogs you see over here, and I would also hazard a guess that some of the inherent intelligence, drive and trainability with it :-(

Certain lines in the US have kept the collie a large dog, with less coat and a more substantial skull and muzzle. Most, if not all, of the UK bred dogs are now very small, and you are often hard pressed to tell a collie from a large sheltie, with huge coats, which are just ridiculous in a working (herding) breed.

Thanks Moobli. So basically, if you wanted a 'traditional' one, it would be hard to find such a dog over here? Such a shame.

Impossible I would say :-(

Completely tragic:-( :-( I actually thought of having one in our family, in years to come.

Ive got a roughie (Poppy, Eilory Starlight Flyer)



shes the 6th Rough in our family. Dont see them very often, but IMHO thats no bad thing, look at the state breeds get into because of films. 101 dalmatians or homeward bound anyone?

GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much for posting this lovely picture, what a beautiful RC!

I love the Tri Colours

Our RC was sable and white but I think the Tris are stunning, so dramatic looking!

Only dog I've been severely bitten by too. Happened when I was a child & people laugh at times at shows as I have no worry round rotties or mastiffs but tend to freeze & be fearful if I meet a rough collie.I'm ok once I get to know them, fine now with my friends, but still not sure with ones I don't know