What is a Scottish Shepherd?

This question often results from someone researching Call of the Wild by Jack London, Buck was a Saint Bernard / Scotch Shepherd mix. A Scotch Shepherd is the same thing as a Scotch Collie, in olden days the names were used interchangeably.

What are English Shepherds called in England?

Today English Shepherds in England are called English Shepherds, back in the days when they were quite common in England and not so well known in America, they were just known as Shepherd’s Dogs or occasionally the English Shepherd’s Dog. For more info on this subject see the post The English Shepherd’s True Origins – England.

Are Farm Collies the same as English Shepherds?

The term farm collie is generally not used to define a breed of dog but a broad type of dog. The English Shepherd is a breed that falls within that type along with several other breeds, crosses thereof and a few mongrels as well. See the post Farm Collie Definition for more info on this subject.

Why does John Wayne have collies for dogs in his movies?

Well this is certainly an interesting question! I don’t know of a specific reason, not being a film historian, but I would suspect it is because his films were trying to be historically accurate. During the period of the 1800s, the time period in which most John Wayne movies are set, the Scotch Collie was a very common dog in rural areas. Take a look at a few photos from that time period and notice how often Collies appear around old ranches and farms.

Are Scotch Collies and Old Time Farm Shepherds the same thing?

This is a common question. The Scotch Collie is the original Collie shepherd’s dog landrace from Scotland , as such it covers a wide range of looks. Some of these dogs became known as “farm shepherds” in rural America during the 19th and early 20th century. Richard McDuffie found some of the last pure “farm shepherd” dogs and began registering them with the NKC as Old-Time Farm Shepherds. So while the OTFS is a type of Scotch Collie (even Mr. McDuffie saw it this way), not all Scotch Collies can rightly be called OTFS.

Where can I find OTFS puppies?

Good luck with that! The OTFS, as a breed had a very small genetic footprint to start with when McDuffie started registering them in the 1990s, today they have dwindled away to almost nothing. I personally bred a litter of registered OTFS last year and have another planned for next year, but as far as I know I am currently the only breeder of these dogs.

Where are Old Time Farm Shepherd breeders?

Good question, I wish I had an answer for you. I have talked to many people who had OTFS dogs they bought from McDuffie and Strunk and they all had glowing praise for their dogs but none of them bred their dogs. Today the OTFS breed is all but extinct. I organized an OTFS picnic in Tennessee last summer to try to get in touch with other owners or breeders, but the only people who showed up were people interested in buying puppies, no current owners. The OTFS Yahoo group is dead and has been for years, I worry that the breed itself may follow soon.

What’s the difference between Scotch Collie and modern?

Short answer: 150 years of breed evolution. The modern Collie and the Old-Time Scotch Collie came from the same source but almost as soon as people began breeding show Collies, others began complaining about their change in looks and loss of intelligence.  The difference today in looks and behavior is marked. Read more on this subject at Landrace vs. Purebred Scotch Collies.

Are Rough Collies descendants of wolves?

Yes, but then again so are all domestic dogs. Although it used to be said that the Collie was closer to the wolf than other breeds, modern genetic research has proven that Collies are no closer to wolves than most other breeds.

Can collies be hunting dogs?

That depends, most modern Collie dogs have no hunting instinct whatsoever. Some lines of Old-Time Scotch Collie have a lot of hunting instinct, some are even bred specifically for hunting! My Collie Rainier is a hunting and treeing machine.

How did we get the landrace Collie?

The landrace Collie evolved over a long time and a broad area of Great Britain. Long before the upper-class got their hands on the Collie and began breeding them for looks, it was a working dog of great intelligence kept by the rural poor. It is these smart, hard working, landrace Collies that this site is dedicated to preserving. More info at Improved Off The Face Of The Earth and The Collie Spectrum: Understanding the Scotch Landrace.

I hate my Collie.

I am sorry to hear this, but I am not terribly surprised. The modern Collie is the result of 150 years of bad breeding decisions, decisions often based on looks alone, it is prone to have temperament and health problems. You may be glad to know that not all Collies are like this, a small group of people are currently working at reviving the old fashioned type of Collie, see the results of their efforts at the Old-Time Scotch Collie breed database.

READ THE FULL STORY AT Old Time Farm Shepherd.org

It is interesting that many examples exist in which Scotch Collies and English Shepherds are mentioned in the same sources, indicating that they were recognized as different breeds, yet few, if any sources exist that contrast the two breeds. One of these sources was brought to my attention recently by my friend and well know English Shepherd breeder Vivian Flynt. It seems that the famous English Shepherd breeder and promoter, Tom Stodghill was breeding and selling Scotch Collies and English Shepherd concurrently in 1947. His ad from the April 1947 issue of UKC Bloodlines is below.

Family Similarities

The issue has never clearly been answered in my mind what the difference between the Australian Shepherd and the English is, sure the AS can be merle and bob-tailed, they certainly are not all that way and ES can also be bob-tailed too. Logic dictates that no more than 50% of Aussies can be merle at any one time since merle x merle breedings are dangerous and a merle x non-merle breeding will result in only about 50% of the pups being merle. The same goes for natural bob-tails, although less dangerous to cross NBT x NBT the fact remains that a percentage of Australian Shepherds do not exhibit this dominant gene. Take away the merle and bob-tail and what differentiates them from English Shepherds, at least Border Collies have their working style to differentiate them. The point I am making here is that all working members of the collie family are quite similar, the Old-Time Scotch Collie does not need to be strikingly dissimilar to justify its existence as a separate breed any more than AS and ES need to be strikingly dissimilar.

The Collie Spectrum

As I described in the article The Collie Spectrum: Understanding the Scotch Landrace and as illustrated in the post Collieometer – Illustrating the Collie Spectrum the range of looks within the collie family is like a spectrum from the Roman Cattle Dog looks of Stodghill’s English Shepherds on the one side to the pointy-headed aristocrat known as the Rough Collie, everything else falls somewhere between these two extremes and each breed decides just where they draw the line within that spectrum to form their breed, furthermore every collie breed overlaps another somewhere along that spectrum. So it should be no surprise that the Old-Time Scotch Collie breed overlaps others, most notably Rough Collies, English Shepherds and Australian Shepherds.

Primary Differences

The following points stand out in my mind as the primary and most notable differences between the English Shepherd and the Old-Time Scotch Collie.

• Ears – OTSC ears tend to be more erect or semi-erect, and have a higher set.
• Ruff – OTSC often have a more pronounced ruff.
• Coat – OTSC tend to have a longer and thicker coat than many ES.
• Head – OTSC usually have a longer, more pointed muzzle.
• Temperament – OTSC temperament leans more towards the biddable and less towards the bossy or aggressive.

Border Collie	English Shepherd
Australian Shepherd	Old-Time Scotch Collie

READ THE FULL STORY AT Old Time Farm Shepherd.org

The new breed was in the old concealed. The old in the new revealed.

History tells us the Shepherd’s Dogge ultimately became the Scotch Collie, a very long time ago in a turbulent area across the waters known as the Borders. This area was the Anglo-Scottish frontier, geographically in contemporary times where the north of England meets the south of Scotland. Topography like the Chevoit Hills, the Debatable Land and the Roman Wall challenged the border tribes of the sixteenth century and was home turf for the Scotch Collie. It is well documented, this classic Scotch Collie of old became the tap-root for numerous offshoot breeds – the likes of the AKC Victorian Collie, the Border Collie, the Australian Shepherd, the English Shepherd, the Kelpie and the American farm shepherd (to name some of the more well-known). Several hundred years ago the Scotch Collie was also established here in rural America. In the 1940′s along the Oklahoma-Kansas state line (time and origin of my misspent youth), just about every farmstead was safeguarded by a Scotch Collie or a farm shepherd. I found out later, the breed was liberally spread across the entire United States and Canada.

For whatever reason, the American Scotch Collie almost faded into oblivion after the 1950′s. Since then, several valiant efforts have been made to save the breed; efforts which were productive. A few enthusiasts were instrumental in preserving the Scotch Collie genetics in the last half of the twentieth century and are to be highly commended. The original dog most rescuers were trying to get back to, was in fact the original “Scotch Collie”, yet it was identified by several names and misnomers. This did create some confusion amongst older breed enthusiasts, and gave mixed directions to interested newcomers. Another obstacle in attempting to reestablish the breed was lack of affiliation with a major registry; a difficulty which can hopefully be overcome. The next problem we face, to my knowledge, a realistic standard had not been established for the Scotch Collie in America. What went before tells us: the lack of an explanatory standard can be a major hinderance towards advancing any breed.

It is anticipated, by properly identifying our breed as the Scotch Collie and gaining the support of a major registry, and by developing understandable breed standard, we can unite the various salvage efforts, and actually resurrect the Scotch Collie! To that end, I have been in contact with the United Kennel Club, Inc. (UKC) of Kalamazoo, MI. UKC was established in 1898 and I believe is the largest registry of working dogs in the United States. Longevity and expertise in registration are certainly part of UKC history. At this point UKC has not said they would register the Scotch Collie, but neither have they said No!

The New Scotch Collie Alliance (NSCA) is hereby organized to acknowledge the existence of Scotch Collie remnants, recognizing there are living collie dogs exhibiting hereditary claims to the old breed name. Also, NSCA now provides a breed standard which encourages careful exclusion of extraneous breed influences, to actively pursue purity of type. The method of breed renewal will be to utilize vestiges of Scotch Collie character found in lines of grade collies existing in isolated pockets of the United States or Canada, and to identify individual sports found in the off-shoot breeds, which still reflect the stamp of their Scotch Collie ancestors. In the process, this will ultimately diminish extreme diversity of type and reconstitute the once definitive mental characteristics, as well as attain the magnificent external appearance of the Scotch Collie. The recently established breed standard is a basis of comparison and assistance, not an iron-clad supreme authority. It is an objective to work toward. The Scotch Collie mental traits always take precedent over physical features. The Scotch Collie Breed Standard is at Enclosure 1, and is based on half-century-old memories of old timers, century-old photos and documented descriptions dating back to the 16th century. In reality and in spite of resurrection efforts, the old Scotch Collie is almost extinct, being absorbed in fact by the very breeds it itself spawned over the past several centuries. That its distinct type recurs with consistency from the ranks of the offshoot breeds speaks volumes for the antiquity and genetic dominance of the tap-root Scotch Collie, proving the traits and characteristics of the modern Scotch Collie quite obviously run deep. It is not the objective of the NSCA to register pedigrees or to become a governing body. Our goals are to establish a workable Scotch Collie Breed Standard, identify and unite the Scotch Collie breed fanciers into a restoration project, all with the intent of our collies becoming recognized and registered by the United Kennel Club, Inc.

Time and experience has afforded me the lesson that good working dogs are not bred by groups or registries. Each individual breeder has a unique vision and a particular talent for breeding dogs. Each breeder follows his/her own vision, hopefully within the confines of the breed standard. Pedigree registries have never been the defining influence on the quality of dogs produced and we cannot expect that. Each breeder must accept responsibility and, each will meet with varying degrees of success – perhaps in tandem with like minded associates, by breeding-in selected traits and breeding-out those traits not condoned by the breeder(s). The breeder also selects or culls bloodlines in building his/her own strain. To be sure, each breeder cultivates the degree of quality and abilities within their own distinctive strain within the breed. Some strains developed will be of high quality, some lesser. While building a strain, it is best to affiliate with the most professional and enduring registry available and to work with them as a partner. 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. We need to demonstrate to UKC a commitment and unified strength. May we work together for breed recognition so we ultimately achieve our personal objectives.

NSCA Draft Breed Standard

Mission: The dual purpose in preserving this working breed is to maintain the distinct functional working qualities, and to keep the physical appearance of the tap-root dogs – physical and mental traits which transcend at least three centuries in the United States.

General History, Breed Appearance and Mental Traits: The Scotch Collie in the United States is a work-based breed developed to herd livestock. The American version evolved from collie dogs accompanying European immigrants to the new world as early as the 17th century,  thus the Scotch Collie in America maintains a century or more tenure over spin-off breeds. The pastoral dales of Scotland’s Lowlands and the north of England are believed to have been the underlying stock farming environment which stimulated the breed to demonstrate as aptitude as a herd dog. Their splendid fitness as guardians, watch dogs, varmint dogs and companions of children evolved over generations while protecting homesteads, livestock and farm families in rural America. Sable & white and/or tri-color (black, white & tan) have been the primary and traditional colorations of these dogs in the United States. They are strongly built and over-all-balanced dogs – athletic, lithe and active. Their coat is thick not wooly, consisting of an undercoat resembling sealskin; the outer jacket is wear-resistant and harsh, not fine and thin. A Scotch Collie exhibits a neck ruff, a curving tail with a thick brush. The head is broad across the skull and muzzle, with a definite step between. The ears more or less pricked or semi-pricked. The preferred height of the collie is from 22 to 26 inches, the ideal weight is from 50 to 75 pounds, the male taller and heavier than the bitch. The Scotch Collie should not be too big or awkward to outrun stock. Biddability, courage while working, and trustworthiness are mandatory traits. Any propensity for hyper-activity, viciousness, shyness, cowardice, inane stock chasing, excessive barking, lack of watchfulness or to be short of high intelligence are all considered serious faults. The intelligence of the old Scotch Collie is always the most redeeming characteristic of the breed recalled by admirers dating to pioneer days, and the one most critical to maintain. The collie should be amenable to the voice of its master and responsive to his/her command. The first consideration in perpetuating the breed should at all times be , producing a useful and intelligent dog. This standard describes an ideal specimen of the breed. No Scotch Collie will match this standard exactly. The objective of the breeder is to use the standard as a guide and as the goal to strive for.

Color: The color of the Old Scotch Collie has become a factor only because other herding breeds descending from these early collies have for the most part become identified with specific colors; e.e. Border Collie (black & white), English Shepherd (black & tan), Kelpie (black & tan), Australian Shepherd (blue merle) and Heelers (blue ticked and/or red ticked). Since sable & white, and black, white & tan (tri-color) are the ancestral colors of the old Scotch Collie and serve to distinguish it from the other breeds just mentioned, an evolutionary process to ultimately recapture that color standard should be undertaken by contemporary breeders. Realizing contemporary foundation dogs may be outside the color standard, initially all collie colors are acceptable in a foundation dog if the mental traits and conformation of the Scotch Collie are present in the individual; however, the following color standard is established as a reachable objective in the foreseeable future. The white portion of both color phases (sable and tri-color) preferable ring the neck, appears on the feet and legs and can blaze the face. An abundance of a white color is preferred, although no dog should be over  50% white and spotted  dogs are also outside the preferred standard. The occurrence of black guard hairs on the back, tail and face of the sable are not unusual and entirely acceptable. Although sable without white, and tri-colors with little tan, and other collie colors may be registered; in selecting mates, in the interest of descendants ultimately meeting the color standard, mates of off-colored dogs should be of the approved color(s). The sable hue can range the brown color spectrum, from rust to the color of maple syrup, to a golden tint. The breed color distinction secondary only to mental capacity and physical hardiness, must necessarily be strived for, ultimately achieved and maintained for breed identity.

Coat: The “from the past” Scotch Collie in the United States and Canada has traditionally been a rough-coated dog. A smooth-coated variety of the breed was known in Europe, and a few smooth-coated dogs gravitated to the United States. The rough-coat is the only coat acceptable in this standard; however the coat or jacket can vary in length at the discretion of the breeder. The coat is a matter of considerable importance, with the double coat being the correct sort. The sealskin undercoat has water-resistant properties and serves to protect the dog from inclement weather. The outer-voat must be thick, harsh and hard, but not wooly; protection from thorns, briers and nature’s weather elements the objective.

Head: Historical depictions of the old Scotch Collie in the United States and Canada reveal a collie with a characteristic wide skull more solid than slender and a broad muzzle with a definite step between the skull and muzzle in profile. The moderately flat-wide skull and broad muzzle (with a step) of the pioneer Scotch Collie are intrinsic and necessary to distinguish this old breed from contemporary show strains of collies. The more roomy skull between the ears, ostensibly for greater intelligence, and the stringer muzzle for biting power are time-honored and desirable for the breed, thus a narrow backskull and a straight-plane muzzle in profile are not desirable. Eyes are large and wide apart, never pig-eyed or drooping. Ears should be small and semi-erect.

Conformation: A depiction by Englishman dog-fancier Vero Shaw made in the late 1800′s serves well as a Scotch Collie conformation standard, “These are the dogs that are light and sinewy in build, with long neck and head, ears certain to be more or less pricked, the belly a bit tucked up, and the hind-quarters sloping back to the well-let-down and sickle-shaped hocks, indicative of speed and with a general outline, as his lithe frame and shaggy coat are seen looming through the mist, not at all unlike that of a wolf… the feet of a Collie… should be small and rather round.” Please note, the drawing of the Collies accompanying Mr. Vero’s original description agrees with the head type delineated in the previous paragraph. The sloping refered to by Shaw does not mean a sloping top-line like a German Shepherd, but refers only to a slightly sloped croup. The best balanced collie is the same distance from the root of tail to shoulder as height at shoulder. Defects: long of body and short of leg.

Vero Shaw's collie illustration

Character: The collie should be attentive to its master and easy to control, exhibiting courage, boldness and confidence when exposed to livestock. Steadiness, obedience, responsiveness and trainability in their highest form should all be a part of their innate herding aptitude – and even be capable, through repetitive exposure, of handling herding duties without formal training. The collie must be reserved and suspicious of strangers. However, fear biting, shyness, snappiness when being treated for injury or during a dog show, or while being handled for worming or grooming are all unacceptable. The collie should be trainable for handling by its master, veterinarians or show judges. Roaming beyond the limits of its master’s property is an undesirable characteristic and the collie should be trainable in this regard, i.e. to stay within its master’s territorial boundaries. Hereditary nervousness is considered a major fault. Protectiveness of any livestock on the farmstead against marauders or varmints is expected of the Scotch Collie; this should be a natural characteristic of any individual collie.

Guardian Instinct: The nature of a Scotch Collie must emphatically be one which exhibits guardian behavior. Distinguished from guard dog behavior, guardian instinct or behavior means the collie protects the living things belonging to its master whether it be livestock, children or other family members. This innate behavior by the collie includes herding escaped livestock back to the correct pen without need of human direction, tending after baby livestock with almost maternal concern and alerting its master to anything unusual, especially if an animal is hurt or in trouble. A collie with guardian instinct requires any other dogs of the homestead to follow rules established by the master, and may even correct other dogs when they disobey their master. The herding instinct of the Scotch Collie is inherent within this guardian behavior, in that their herding instinct is not motivated by a prey drive. The Scotch Collie strives to make the livestock obey the desires of the master or the collie itself by expressing dominance; the collie’s motivation is the result of the master’s routine, the homestead’s physical boundaries, and previous bonding between the collie and the homestead’s livestock.

Working Style: The Scotch Collie does not use the power of the eye to control livestock, nor does it have a creeping style when approaching livestock – both adversarial traits inherent with some collie/shepherd breeds later developed from the Scotch Collie, ostensibly from nineteenth century outcrosses with gundogs. Thus, the Scotch Collie could be described as loose-eyed and upright in its working performance, not adversarial in approach to livestock. Herding dogs may be described by herding-style, such as gathering dogs, as heelers or as headers. A Scotch Collie is any and all of those depending on the task at hand, to include their traditional talent of fetching and driving milk cows to the barn. Natural herding balance, being in the right place at the right time, is a talent they develop through repeated use on livestock. They will bark and grip if dealing with a belligerent animal where power is needed, but are not overly aggressive if obeyed by the livestock. The Scotch Collie should not be prone to, or must be easily broken from, needless livestock harassment. These collies are excellent varmint dogs and often excel as tree dogs. Such treeing traits can be selected for within the breed and outstanding lines of squirrel dogs, coon dogs and opossum dogs have been developed.

Ambiance: A true working Scotch Collie has a distinctive character or quality which surrounds it like an aura. This spirit could be likened to the majesty of a lion, the pride of a great thoroughbred stallion, the confidence of a Winston Churchill. All good Scotch Collies possess this ambiance.

READ THE FULL STORY AT Old Time Farm Shepherd.org

April 18, 1995

I am 62 years old. The country was full of Old Time Farm Shepherd or Farm Collie dogs when I was a boy. Some called them Shepherds, others Collies but they were the same dogs. They served as family pet, guarddog, stock dog and hunting dog.

After World War II people turned to specialist breeds and just neglected the old farm dogs that excelled at many things. My interest in them was always as hunting dogs. I was always interested in the old farm dogs but like most people, took them for granted.

I spent 42 years, 1953 – 1995 breeding and reestablishing the Leopard Cur – Leopard Tree Dog or McDuffie Strain Leopard, whichever name you want to call it. They descended from the old time farm dogs (Farm Shepherds or Farm Collies) of the Carolinas. They have the Shepherd mind-set but can cold trail, open on trail and have the staying power demanded of coon, bear and lion dogs.

In more recent years (1980′s) there was a resurgence of interest in squirrel hunting. The type of dog needed for hunting squirrels was one that could trail some, but not cold trail and would use eyes and ears to locate squirrels. Terrier types were being promoted as squirrel dogs. I realized that the old time farm dogs of my childhood did a far superior job. As a result I started a nation wide search for the Old Time Treeing Farm Shepherd. I write two monthly columns, “McDuffie Strain Leopard and Camus Cur News” and “Breeding for Results” for Full Cry Magazine. I started writing requests monthly in both articles as well as my advertisements asking for anyone who knew of Old Time Treeing Farm Shepherds to contact me.

I had hundreds of responses. Most were from people who wanted to buy one. Many remembered that type dog and just wanted to say nice things about them. Probably about fifty people told me of where treeing shepherds were. Further investigation revealed that most of these were crossed up English Shepherd, Australian Shepherd, Border Collie types.

A vocational agriculture teacher from Tennessee called me and told me of an old woman who had some of the Old Time Farm Shepherds. He told me that he grew up next door to her and her husband. He said that when he got up to go to school the shepherds would be treed. If their owner had not gone to them during the day, they would still be treed when he came home from school. Then he would take his rifle and go shoot out the squirrel, coon, ground hog or whatever they had treed.

He grew up, went away to college, then the military and worked in other states before coming back thirty or so miles from home, to teach school. He read my request for information and remembered that his neighbor had those kinds of dogs but knew the man had been dead for 15 years or more, so he just assumed the dogs were gone. One day he went turkey hunting at his old home place and discovered that the man’s widow (now in her mid 80′s) still lived there and had some of her husband’s dogs (or at least descendants). He called me and I went up there and bought Ole Shep and three litter mates, at that time about 6 months old.

Here is the story: Her husband’s family had this family of dogs as far back as anybody could remember (well before 1900) from the mid 1920′s until his death late 1970′s her husband kept and bred his own dogs. He sold and gave away pups to people over a wide area of Central Tennessee. He was judicious in seeing that none of the modern English Shepherd, Border Collie or Australian Shepherd genes got mixed into any of his dogs. He called his dogs “The Old Bob-Tail Shepherd” because a percentage of them were born bob-tailed.

When he died his wife kept his dogs. Without his efforts at breeding and distributing dogs in the area, that type of dog died out or became cross bred until the only ones left were those owned by his widow. The parents of the four pups I got were the last dogs she had left. They were old and probably the second generation she had raised after the husbands death. The sire of the pups was dead before I got the pups and they were definitely the dam’s last litter due to her old age. Had I not gotten them it would have been too late.

Mrs. Allison can’t come up with a long pedigree. She didn’t keep up with her husband’s breeding records, if there were any written, and she can’t remember a lot of names, however, she does know the family was kept pure from outside influences.

The four pups I got, Ole Shep, Rover, Keppie and Little Bit are all true to the Old Time Farm Shepherd – Collie type. They are all sable & white. In their winter coat they have a good bit of black showing through but when they shed they are pretty much clear sable. Their mother was black and white, the sire sable and white. Sable and white seems to be the predominant color but some come black and white or tri-color.

We found another family in Tennessee and one in North Carolina that are mostly Old Time Farm Shepherd – Collie but have a little English Shepherd. They, however, breed true to the “Old Time” traits.

The dogs we have are in the 40 – 50 pound range. Some may get larger but most don’t. They have almost human intelligence – being able to figure things out and respond appropriately to unusual situations. They are very people oriented but distrustful of strangers. They are territorial and natural protectors of property. They are natural stock dogs (however, I do not allow mine to work any kind of livestock. I break them off all livestock because I hunt them among livestock and I don’t want them being distracted by it.) They are natural heelers but do not have the tight-eyed, crouching style of the Border Collie.

I have worked with a select group of people who have agreed to breed like I tell them and we have a large enough gene pool now to start producing a good many breeding quality pups for sale this year.

I have three pups for sale now, in the event anybody is interested. They are by Rover, a litter mate to Ole Shep, out of my Gipsy female, Rover and Gypsy and my two best dogs. All three pups are sable and white and are natural bob-tails. One female and two males.

I feel sure that you are familiar with the genetics of the bob-tail gene. It is inherited as a simple dominant and is probably heterozygous because I do not know of any bob-tail breed in which it breeds true. For a pup to be bon-tail at least one parent must be bob-tail. Two long-tail dogs will not throw a bob-tail pup even though all four grandparents may have been bob-tail.

I do not particularly like the bob-tail. However, of the four pups I bought from Mrs. Allison only Ole Shep was long-tail. Rover is definitely a better dog than Ole Shep. To me that makes all the difference.

Respectfully
J. Richard McDuffie

READ THE FULL STORY AT Old Time Farm Shepherd.org

It’s a truth I can validate… I was there! In the mid-twentieth century, the old original American Farm Collies of Scotch Collie ancestry almost trotted off into the misty fog of obsolescence – along with draft mules, victory gardens and covered bridges. As late as the 1980′s I turned around and these versatile old farm dogs were very nearly totally gone, and seemed to have slipped away rather quickly. Contributing to this exodus, the last widespread generation of American youth (born in the 1920′s) who grew up with the Scotch Collies, had left the farm and were swept up by World War II and the industrial revolution. The next generation of farmers, post-World War II, found themselves so preoccupied with the new fast pace and specialization, their old-style versatile canine helper, the Farm Collie, came to survive only amongst the die-hard rural folks, reluctantly on the fringes. The last of the “old ones” I personally remember were aged dogs in the 1960′s. Fortunately, and with moderate success, in the 1980′s some revival of this ancient working breed was attempted from scarce remnants. Gratefully those efforts kept this special canine type from completely disappearing.

From an historical perspective, any rummaging through the long-ago chronicles of the British Isles will tell us, during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, Scotland (along with other western European countries) was ravaged by political and religious turmoil. Consequently many Scots fled to America and to other lands in search of less tyranny and repression. Some Scotch families stopped off for a generation or two in Ireland, before making the more dramatic leap across the Atlantic, in due course becoming known as Scotch-Irish. In any event, a large number of immigrants from bit Scotland and Ireland (to include English and Welsh colonizers) were tenant farmers in their homeland and made the logical transition to pursue agricultural vocations in the new promised land across the waters. Thus they brought with them on their bold venture, their European farm collies, anticipating the utilitarian canines would continue to be of assistance with agrarian pursuits in the New World.

Englishman Vero Shaw’s book published circa 1879 states this pre-industrial European farm collie was called on different occasions, the Sheep-Dog, the Scotch Collie, the Working Collie and simply the Collie. On the Oklahoma-Kansas border in the 1940′s this writer knew them by all those appellations to include Farm Shepherd. Since the name Scotch Collie gives credibility and comfort to my own Scottish bloodlines, I prefer that designation personally. However, the name Farm Collie (or farmcollie) has been chosen by at least two newly formed breed clubs, thus I will recognize that label but without prejudice use the other appellation occasionally and shall not be concerned as long as everyone recognizes the Scotch Collie was the dominant ancestor of American working farm collies. I will also use the description lode time Farm Collie, if just to inject some romance and emphasis on the direct historical connection I feel between this present day breed and the Dark Ages.

Shaw goes on to state in his book, “We can only say that second to the dogs used in the chase – as we must suppose man to have hunted wild animals for food before he advanced so far on the road to civilization as to keep flocks and herds – the Sheep-dog must have been one of the earliest to come under man’s dominion and form part of his home stock.” To shore up the contention that sheep dogs assisted early man – according to research by well known canine authority Maxwell Riddle, sheep were domesticated some 10,000 years ago (Stone Age) and according to Riddle ancient shepherds most likely started using sheep dogs shortly thereafter. Given the longevity of the breed, and acknowledging it has remained a working breed up to and including the early 21st century, the traits and characteristics of the modern working Farm Collie are quite obviously deeply rooted, but as you will see not necessarily restricted to herding functions.

Other researchers have traced the family tree of the old working collies of Scotland to early middle ages. In view of this long-established bond with antiquity I must respectfully take exception with any opinions which imply present day breed characteristics did not become clearly defined until 19th century dog shows began. We know the Greyhound likeness was carved on Egyptian tombs 4000 years ago. The Corgi can be traced 3000 years in the past. Hungarian Shepherds trace their sheep dogs back more than 1000 years. The genesis of most working dogs in undeniably primeval in origin. It;s true the lowly shepherd’s dogge garnered little historical recognition in comparison to the wonderful stag hounds of the medieval hunt or the brave Mastiff bull fighters of the Roman arenas, but to allege that the Scotch Collie, likely the oldest of all present day working breeds, existed only 200 years in its current type, is quite a leap and obviously misleading. This writer has viewed a wood-print circa 1650 which is reputed to be a working collie of that period. For several hundred years, probably thousands, the ancient farmstead collies undeniably evolved based on survival of the fittest, a method which is brutally efficient in maintaining competence within a working breed of canines. The inherited habits of centuries gone by predispose our renaissance Farm Collie to accomplish nearly anything – in the way of herding or attending stock.

The great genetic antiquity of the Scotch Collie caused them to be somewhat bulletproof when it came to mental or physical evolution, thus, according to old engravings and writings, they remained virtually unchanged for at least several hundred years – if not much, much longer! Then, during the 1860′s or thereabout in their British homeland, the Scotch Collie family tree developed two new branches. One, the Border Collie, evolved as a skilled herder of sheep and eventually excelled in the new Sheepdog trials. Some researchers have uncovered nineteenth century collie crosses with the Gordon Setter and other birddogs, which may have contributed to the well-known “eye” of trial-type Border Collies. Queen Victoria has been credited with influencing development of the other new branch, the bench show appendage. With the Queen’s assist, a dog breed from Russia, the Borzoi, was apparently crossed on the old Scotch Collie to achieve the desired show type collies in England. The objective was to bring more elegance, grace and beauty to the collie appearance. This Borzoi cross is said to be the progenitor of the present AKC collie. The “trunk and roots” however of the old Scotch Collie of antiquity carried on independent of birddog or Borzoi influence and remained steadfastly unchanged, not being much influenced nor denying occasional crosses with hounds and curs in pioneer America. Acknowledging it was more a type than a breed, while emigrating to the United States and Canada, and until its near disappearance in the late 20th century, the working/mental traits and the rugged physical appearance of this most ancient variety of British dog survived intact. Our above-mentioned canine expert Maxwell Riddle, goes on to say in his 1974 comments,

Even today, if one goes into the farming areas of America, older people are likely to ask: ‘What has become of the old fashioned farm shepherd dog?’ These were not purebreds. But they belonged to an ancestral type just the same… they had prick or semi-prick ears, fairly long outer coats, and soft, dense undercoats. They had a neck ruff and a curving tail with a thick brush.

I agree with Riddle. The old Farm Collies were not purebreds in the sense of pedigrees documented by a registry, but a type nonetheless, closer to being a breed than some so-called breeds – at least, as he says, “…an ancestral type.” A dictionary definition of a breed states, “A distinctive race or kind.” So defined, a convincing “breed” argument could be made since these similar working dogs were once found in rural settings all over the United States and Canada, all descended in some part from the collie of Scotland – unified in purpose and general appearance. In view of admirers who consider them a breed, the old Farm Collies are substantially different (in mental and physical characteristics) fromQueen Victoria’s collie and most derivatives of AKC show strains. Devotees also claim a marked difference between the American working Farm Collie and its distant cousins the Border Collie and the Kelpie, and even a subtle difference from closer kin like the English Shepherd or the Australian Shepherd. Not to be discounted, in the renaissance of this ancient breed, some vestige of the old Scotch Collie has been found within some AKC collies and within a limited number of English Shepherds and Australian Shepherds, and those few have served wonderfully as seedbeds in crosses with Farm Collies. Even some calm-acting Border Collies have been used in contemporary crosses, to compliment the Farm Collie abilities. In moderation such crosses may continue to be beneficial to help lift the old collie back to its former station of high regard on farms, ranches and estates.

The Farm Collie of rural America has been a working-functioning breed evolving over centuries for use in rural settings. The differences between the Farm Collie and other working breeds, which are also derivatives of the most primitive Scotch Collie, may be slight, yet measurably distinct in the minds of believers. Over the tide of time, to be truthful, the individual grade collie dogs not suitable for farm work were extirpated. Those which suited the farmer and his work, lived on and were allowed to beget the next generation. Through the famine and desolation of hard times, another mouth to feed in the way of a non-productive canine, simply was not tolerated. Thus a kind of evolution was in place, not unlike Mother Nature’s “survival of the fittest,” and resulted in Americanized working farm collies – genetically befit to handle rigors of farm life.

In the interest of understanding the unique traits of the almost extinct Scotch Collie please carefully consider the following. The best of working collies as I first knew them in the 1940′s were:

1. Excellent companions as one went about chores on the place, serving both as guardian and helpmate. Ordinarily they did not roam, kill poultry or harass livestock.
2. Exhibitors of caring instincts for livestock on the homestead. Dogs, other than Farm Collies, may stalk livestock in an adversarial relationship such as cat and mouse or wolf and prey. Olde tyme Farm Collies tended to their charges, often affectionately.
3. Receptive to a sense of order. The Farm Collie knew where the livestock of the homestead were supposed to be. If the livestock escaped, the collie put them back…if it was time to milk the goats the collie would fetch them to the barn…if a young child of his family approached danger, the collie intervened.
4. Indeed, one-family dogs that bonded with their human family unit and became protector of each family member, especially children. They could recognize the vulnerability of human young, as well as livestock babies.
5. Selective protectors of the home. This dog could distinguish between regular approved guests and strangers. Strangers were likely held at bay until entry was authorized by a member of the household.
6. Marvelous hunting dogs, when set on varmints. Many were tree dogs on squirrel, raccoon or opossum and would ferret out snakes and rodents.
7. Exhibitors of an aura – a true working Farm Collie had a distinctive character or quality, which surrounds it like an ambiance. This aura could be likened to the majesty of a lion, the pride of a great thoroughbred stallion, the bearing of a Winston Churchill. These descriptions may fall short, but the observant fancier could recognize it when they saw it. All the good Farm Collies of Scotch Collie descent exude this regal aura.

A reminiscence entered here dating back to my childhood may help illustrate a bit more what the value of a Farm Collie was to a group of lads in the mid-1940′s. We boys liked to ride horses, which we did at every opportunity. Back then a lot of the farms kept ten or twelve milk cows and sold the milk for added income. The Dave Grose, Sr. family outside Newkirk, Oklahoma kept such a herd. Their horses ran with the milk cows in about an eighty acre pasture as I recall. When I visited my boyhood friend, Donny Grose, among other things we always wanted to catch up the horses. The only problem was, one mean cow! You didn’t have to worry about the bull, just that old black and white cow. I can remember her today; she had only one horn, the other lost in some mishap, but the remnant horn was long, and sharp as the devil’s pitchfork! If you entered the pasture, she would get you. The Grose family had Ole Smokey, a sable and white collie of the olde type so common on the farms of the 1940′s. If we boys wanted to catch up the horses (which amounted to cornering them against the pasture fence), we had to take Ole Smokey, for he would keep the old mean cow off of us. We were safe as a squirrel in a den tree if Smokey was with us. He would also accompany us for a swim in the pond, tree a mess of squirrel and could catch rabbits in a plowed field. Smokey would also round up any stragglers at milking time or pin down a chicken if you pointed it out. Ole Smokey, a versatile companion indeed, for a bunch of carefree country lads.

Mention of appearance and color is made here only to point out there are at resent no tight breed standard for the Scotch Collie. Max Riddle’s liberal description above could suffice, i.e. “They had prick or semi-prick ears, fairly long outer coats, and soft dense undercoats. They had a neck ruff and a curving tail with a thick brush.” I would add, the Scotch Collie’s head is usually broad with a prominent stop between the rather blunt-like muzzle and forehead. Although Mr. Riddle did not mention color, those Farm Collies of Scotch Collie-type I was personally familiar with in the 1940′s were either sable and white or tricolor (black, white and tan), which I believe are the ancestral colors for the breed in the United States. Some argument could be made for the color of black and tan which is not unknown in the Scotch Collie, but is more prominent in the English Shepherd breed, or black with a white ruff, which belongs more appropriately with the Border Collie. The merle color is intrinsic to the Australian Shepherd, another derivative of the Scotch Collie. Either red tick or blue tick is the coat color of the Australian Cattle Dog (the heeler), an even more distant relative. Proponents of the old collie claim the Scotch Collie differs in natural disposition from these four cousins just mentioned. This writer sees the Scotch Collie as not necessarily better than any other breed, but the master of all he surveys and an all-around champ of the homestead as herder, guardian, babysitter and varmint dog – and most compatible with my personal vision of what a farm dog should be! I would venture you can confirm many claims for the Scotch Collie’s abilities by questioning any farmer over sixty years of age, if he/she remembers the Farm Collies of the past century. Most lily he/she will relate some stories of the collie’s intelligence which will almost surpass belief, true as they might be. The breed numbers of the olde tyme Scotch Collie-type are still dangerously low, but should keep increasing as the burgeoning human population continues to seek sanctuary in the rural areas of our country. If I were going to obtain a work-based farm dog, as a helpmate securing family safety and doing homestead chores, the olde tyme Scotch Collie really deserves its job back.

READ THE FULL STORY AT Old Time Farm Shepherd.org

In the December 15, 1911 issue of the magazine Country Life in America a letter appeared under the heading “Who Is Breeding Old-fashioned Collies?” The writer stated:

As long as I can remember I have heard stories of the wonderful sagacity and faithfulness of Scotch collies… Some of those that have lately come to my attention I have investigated, and have invariably learned that the remarkable dog in question was a survivor of the race of old fashioned collies or shepherd dogs. My further inquiries as to where such dogs can be obtained have met with no success. ‘Brought over from Scotland,’ ‘from an old family strain, now practically vanished,’ ‘purchased from a Swedish farmer in Minnesota’ -these are some of the answers to my inquiries… I believe that the old-fashioned collie or shepherd dog was one of the finest dogs that ever came to be the companion and helper of man… I wish I could find out myself where I could get such a dog… sometimes my search has led me to people who simply didn’t know that such a dog ever existed, or who have tried to palm off one of their new, snipe-nosed aristocrats on me.

Erika DuBois' collies Punkin, Fluff & Prince

Like many people before and since, the writer of the letter was concerned about what was happening to the collie. The show version of the breed was receiving a lot of publicity as dog shows became popular in the U.S. Wealthy fanciers such as J.P. Morgan were paying big prices for collies and importing English show winners. But collies and shepherd dogs had been brought to America by settlers from the earliest days and people could see that the collie of the dog shows was not quite the same as the working dog called collie or shepherd which they remembered. It was a confusing situation.

Before the advent of dog shows in England in the mid-nineteenth century, most breeds of dogs were not clearly defined. Local strains predominated in various area, with much overlap and interbreeding. With the development of dog shows and working trials, different types began to be sorted out into the modern breeds under the names by which they are known today. This process took some time and was accompanied by many arbitrary developments. Dogs that today are considered separate breeds started out as one, the natural variation that occurs within litters eventually leading to divisions as show breeders sought more and more standardization. In many cases, what strains came to be recognized breeds, and at what time, and even in what form, had a lot to do with whether and when a group of people decided to take up that type as their breed. Contrary to common belief, most of the kennel club breeds have no special purity of background; about all that can be said is that earlier or later, written pedigrees began to be kept, a group of people formed an organization to promote what they agreed upon as the “breed type,” and the studbooks were officially closed. Many local breeds, as old and pure as those which became recognized show breeds, continued for a time as working dogs. Some, such as the Welsh Black-and-Tan Sheepdog, lacking the promotion of a breed organization, died out or were absorbed into other breeds. A few, such as the Lancashire Heeler, have only recently been rescued from near extinction and granted kennel club recognition.

The herding dogs of Scotland and northern England were often called collies, but just as often “sheepdogs” or “shepherd’s dogs.” Appearance was very diverse, with various sizes, colors, coat types. By the turn of the century the general trends of breed formation in these dogs were well under way, although not yet complete. The division of the original collie into the show type and the working type was being finalized. Up until the 1890s some collies were still taking part in both bench shows and working trials. But the bench show dogs were being bred for an increasingly refined appearance with a longer, narrower head and heavier coat. The working collie kept more of the original appearance, but the quality of the “eye” was highlighted with the establishment of herding trials, and this trait with its semi-crouching working style was emphasized through selective breeding.

While these developments were taking place, the original type of collie or shepherd dog style remained in considerable numbers as an all-round worker and family dog on farms and ranches. Within the overall category of this “old fashioned collie” were local variants, but the basic type was similar to the dog described by John Holmes in The Farmer’s Dog:

There are several other types of Collie quite distinct from the Border Collie in that they are ‘loose-eyed’ workers. Most of these are native to Scotland and include the old-fashioned Scotch Collie from which the modern show collie is descended. now practically extinct, I have clear recollections of several of these dogs in my youth and believe that, in my early efforts to walk, I was assisted by one. They were all easy-going, level-headed dogs, useful but not flashy workers, and quite willing to lie about the place when there was nothing better to do. Personally, I think it a great pity that this type has been practically exterminated by the increasing popularity of ‘strong-eyed’ dogs. For all-round farm work they were often far more use than the classically bred [trials type] dog.

"Bob" lived during the 1920's in Rockford, IL

Adding to the confusion was the fact that show Collie breeders for a time attempted to monopolize the name “Collie” for the animal they were breeding. It was recognized that there were different breeds of Setters, of Spaniels, of Hounds, but despite the fact that the show breeders clearly were changing the physical appearance, they insisted their animal was the one-and-only true Collie. The working dog, if mentioned at all, often was denigrated as a lesser animal or even as a mongrel. Eventually, of course, it proved impossible for the Collie name to be kept exclusively for the use of the show breed. First the Border Collie and then the Bearded Collie appeared as official names, although the show Collie breeders did succeed in having the Shetland Collie renamed Shetland Sheepdog.

As time went on and the show Rough/Smooth Collie and the trialling Border Collie became more well-known in their modern forms, some attention began to be given to dogs that continued to work as stockdogs on farms and ranches. Clubs were organized, breed standards were drawn up, and dogs of similar type were gathered into registries. In this way, just as had been done with other breeds in earlier times, the English Shepherd and Australian Shepherd were established as registered breeds. Developments in these breeds took individual courses and there were different influences due to locality, but both of these breeds essentially came from that general working collie/shepherd gene pool well-spread across North America.

Tracy of Fordwich, a Canadian collie

About this time, the original old-fashioned collie itself began to diminish in numbers. The country was becoming more urbanized. Exotic breeds were imported and became fashionable pets. In North America, the word “collie” came to be identified with the show Collie or “Lassie”-type collie and only recently have Border Collies and Bearded Collies become more well known. (Interestingly enough, in Britain and Australia it is often the Border Collie that is meant when the word “collie” is used alone.)

Back in 1912, there was a strong response to the letter in Country Life in America inquiring where old-fashioned collies might still be found. Many letters appeared from those who admired the old-fashioned type and wrote in praise of it, relating anecdotes illustrating the abilities and character of these dogs. Some writers had such dogs in the past (referring to periods going back as far as the 1880s), and like the original letter writer were looking for another. Others wrote about their present dogs. Some were mentioned as being of “Scotch” origin, one as being of North Wales stock. Some dogs were pedigreed but old-fashioned in appearance. There were also a few letters from fanciers of the bench show dog defending the modern type of collie, some even deriding the old-fashioned type which they had been trying to breed away from. The editor of the magazine’s canine columns had become interested in the quest for the old-fashioned collie and, noting the controversy, suggested that there might be room for both types. Throughout 1912, the letters indicated a building interest in the idea of forming a separate club for the “old-fashioned collies.” But in January 1913 there was a change in the editorial staff of the magazine and a well-known show dog breeder took over the canine columns. Nothing more was said about old-fashioned collies or the formation of a club for them. An opportunity was lost.

The old-fashioned collie seems to have survived in reasonable numbers until the 1950s. There are fewer reminiscences of them after that time. Several ranchers and farmers have indicated to me that this was about the time they last worked with “collies.” Then, when their old dog died, although remembered fondly, it was easier to turn to a Border Collie, now more widely available and being bred systematically for herding ability, or an Australian Shepherd or English Shepherd (this last, however, was also becoming rare). The old-fashioned collie had never been taken up in an organized fashion. Its “natural habitat,” the family farm with its variety of livestock and crops, was diminishing in numbers. There was no club, registry, or organized activities such as shows or trials to provide publicity.

Erika DuBois' dogs Prince & Fluff

Still, there were memories of these old-fashioned collies. Many stories continued to be told of “Old Shep” or “Laddie.” Pictures of old-fashioned collies can be seen in numerous old family albums. They appear in books – a photo in a bibliography of naturalist John Muir, for instance, shows an old-fashioned, broad-headed collie sitting at Muir’s side.

And people continue to think about the old-fashioned collie and wonder if any can still be found, perhaps some old strain surviving on a remote ranch or farm. They know about Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, English Shepherds, show Collies, but these are breeds with their own identities and characteristics now and not, in and of themselves, the old farm collie that is being sought.

In late 1991, Erika Du Bois of Mabou, Nova Scotia wrote to the American Minor Breeds Conservancy (now the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy) inquiring about the possibility of locating old-fashioned collies. She had also written to the Small Farmer’s Journal, describing the old-fashioned collie she obtained when she moved to a family farm in the Cape Breton area. She had noticed that over the years the dog which had once been common in the area had gradually disappeared as changing live-styles and fashions had their effect. In the mid-1980s, Erika became interested in seeking out such dogs, but found them to be extremely rare. Although she has found a few likely individuals, the search continues.

READ THE FULL STORY AT Old Time Farm Shepherd.org

It is a curious and sad fact of history that various attempts have been made to save the old fashioned collie from extinction over the past 119 years, but none of them have had long-lasting or serious impact, they all seem to fizzle after a period of time. The dogs we have today come to us as much through chance and dumb luck as they do through the efforts of others to rescue the old-time scotch collie from extinction. Let me outline some of the efforts, successes and failures that have taken place in the name of the old fashioned collie.

In 1892 we have the first recorded instance of someone bemoaning what was happening to the breed and suggesting efforts to save the old type. The English Kennel Gazette had this to say.

There is no reason why beauty should not go hand in hand with utility, but at present unfortunately such is not the case… the old Scotch collie is in danger of being improved off the face of the earth… It will sooner or later have to be recognized that the show bench collie is absolutely distinct from his ancient prototype, and the formation of an old Scotch Collie Club will have to be seriously considered.

We don’t know what, if anything, became of the English Kennel Gazette’s suggestion but we assume very little since nothing is recorded of this effort. It is interesting to note that this article was written just 18 years after collies began to be bred towards the goal of winning dog shows. Also of note here is that there is no mention of a Borzoi cross, one would think the English Kennel Gazette would certainly be in a position to know if this had taken place and this article lamenting the change in the breed would be the place to bring it up.

From this time on complaints about the direction collie breeding was taking increase as do people lamenting the disappearance of the old fashioned collie type. These were mostly just passing comments and idle talk, no real effort or talk of an organized, concerted effort was made until 1911 when a letter to the editor of Country Life in America magazine written by one Otis Barnum asked the question, “Who Is Breeding Old-Fashioned Collies?” In part he wrote

As long as I can remember I have heard stories of the wonderful sagacity and faithfulness of Scotch collies, but somehow, since the advent of the modern, sharp-nosed, show type of collie, these stories have been getting fewer… I believe that the old-fashioned collie or shepherd dog was one of the finest dogs that ever came to be the companion and helper of man… I wish Country Life in America could do something to save this noble breed from extinction, and I wish I could find out myself where I could get such a dog.

This one letter really got things moving. The editor, R. A. Sturdevant, got behind it, and many more letters were written from people on both sides of the issue, breeders of show collies were outraged, one of them wrote.

I am not clear as to what you mean by the Old-fashioned Collie. If it is that you wish to cultivate the sort that was shown twenty or even less years ago, with thick, coarse heads, light eyes, pendulous ears, and vacant expression, then I am quite sure you will never make any headway and I shall do all I can to show the absurdity of your scheme… Frankly I am opposed to your plan and think it is absurd to make an effort to undo all that we have done (as we think) in the interests of the collie.

Many wrote to express their love of the old collies, some of these talked of organizing.

I know that many collie lovers do not take kindly to the present show type, and I believe that you can handle the organization of a new club and the formation of a new standard very successfully through Country Life In America. The American Kennel Club would not recognize a new breed of Scotch collie, and it would be a delicate matter to bring before dog show clubs. The plan I would suggest is the formation of a club to preserve the original type of Scotch collie. This club should decide on the required standard and offer prizes at shows to be awarded according to this standard.

I enclose some photographs of the old-time black-and-tan collie — the kind we should save from oblivion by forming an “Old-Fashioned Collie Club.” The pups were bred by me in 1894.

It seems there was real momentum behind this grassroots effort and the old time collie would be saved. The letters continued to pour into Country Life in America throughout 1912 and the editor supported the effort and printed many of them. Then in January 1913 Mr. Sturdevant was replaced as “stable & kennel” editor and as far as anybody knows never wrote about the old fashioned collie again and the movement of 1912 to save the old fashioned collie died on the vine when the new editor ceased to print the letters or mention the cause again.

Erika DuBois was the next to mount a large scale search for the old Scotch Collies starting in the late 1980′s, her article “Old Scotch Collie” published in the Small Farmer’s Journal‘s spring 1991 issue was the opening salvo of the farm collie movement. Erika’s search inspired others to look for this now almost extinct breed, numerous writings followed. In 1994 Linda Rorem’s article “What Ever Happened to Old Shep?” appeared in Ranch Dog Trainer. In 1997, Pril Zahorsky wrote “Let’s Bring Back Ol Shep!” published in Countryside. Richard McDuffie’s writings in Full Cry magazine in the early 1990′s highlighted his search for old time Scotch Collies with hunting instincts, and resulted in his discovery of the Allison dogs in Tennessee, the foundation of his “Dunrovin” line.

In the period from around 1995 to 2002 it seemed like the old time Scotch Collie was actually making forward progress for the first time in decades. The Friends of the Old Farm Collienewsletter, published by Linda Rorem from February 1995 until December 1997 stood as a central point to share information on these efforts. The first issue showed that the dogs they were looking for were different from English Shepherds and that setting up some sort of breed club was the ultimate goal.

There also has been some contact with English Shepherd breeders, as this breed appears to be the closest to the old-fashioned collie… At this point, I would like to begin a discussion of possible moves that might be considered in the endeavor to reestablish the Old Farm Collie. 1) To date, as indicated above, few definite leads have developed as to where any old-fashioned collies are being bred… Should we continue on this path for a time yet, before making any further moves? 2) Should we begin to make definite plans for establishing a formal club and consider what will need to be done to accomplish this?

Then in February of 1997 the Farmcollie Discussion List was created, it thrived as the hub of the farm collie movement from its creation until around 2005. On the very first day this list was in existence the following was posted:

You might want to hold off on notifying the collie list until you have a written standard, discription, and goals.  These things give you a certain legitimacy that otherwise is lacking.

This indicates that, at least initially, the intent was to develop a breed club or some other sort of organization. Indeed, in the first days and weeks of the list a primary point of discussion was the development of a breed standard, setting forth goals and establishing a club name.

The Collies: Back to the Future website, developed and maintained by Gina Bisco went online around the same time (1997). It was, and continues to be a wealth of information on old fashioned collies of all types.

Eventually several clubs came together to represent at least a portion of the old Scotch Collies, the Highland Working Collie Association sought to reform the breed as it existed in Highland Scotland, the Victorian Collie Club wanted to preserve collies as they existed around the turn of the last century and the American Working Farmcollie Association (AWFA) which claimed to represent all descendants of the collies of old with working instincts. Guy Ormiston attempted to start a club called New Scotch Collie Alliance to represent the old time Scotch Collie and to get the United Kennel Club (UKC) to recognize the breed, the UKC’s refusal stopped his efforts short.

It is sometimes hard to put your finger on the causes when things start to deteriorate, and so it is difficult to say what happened to the farm collie movement in the mid-2000′s. Starting around 2001 there was a good deal on infighting between factions and groups, much of this squabbling is preserved in the Farmcollie Discussion List archives for anyone interested. Around this same time it seemed like the focus was slowly drifting from the old fashioned Scotch Collie towards the English Shepherd. Most of the clubs formed during this period folded in just a few years, leaving only the AWFA today, whose goal isn’t saving the old time Scotch Collie, but preserving working instincts in all collie dogs. The Farmcollie List survives to this day, but with a fraction of the traffic it saw in its glory days.

In 2010 the Old-Time Scotch Collie Association was formed with everything the previous attempts were lacking, a working breed description and a registry. Perhaps this time things will go better. People have been trying to save the old Scotch Collie for 119 years, recognizing the need for an organization and registry to represent them but never quite pulling it off. It is hoped that this effort can build on the successes of past endeavors while learning from their mistakes. Please join us in helping to save these dogs from extinction, help us to get the Old-Time Scotch Collie the recognition it deserves.

READ THE FULL STORY AT Old Time Farm Shepherd.org

Short answer: Old-Time Scotch Collies are a “landrace breed”. Read on to learn what constitutes a landrace breed, how they differ from “purebred” dog breeds and how we can maintain this healthy, hearty and intelligent population.

What is a “landrace”?

Landraces are local populations of animals that are consistent enough to be considered breeds, but are more variable in appearance than are standardized breeds.

A combination of human and natural selection has shaped the evolution of landrace breeds. Natural selection and geographical isolation have created genetic consistency and adaptation to the local environment.

A Conservation Breeding Handbook
by D. Philip Sponenberg and Carolyn J. Christman
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/CBH%20chapter%201.pdf

Many purebred dog breeds started out as a landrace and were further refined and standardized through selective breeding towards a written “breed standard”. So it was with the Scotch Collie, as breeders worked towards their arbitrary standard, the dogs evolved into the heavy-coated, long nosed, aristocratic dog we know today as the Rough Collie. There are other landrace dog breeds you are no doubt familiar with but may be unaware are landrace breeds. Some of these are:

• Border Collies
• Jack Russell Terriers
• Salukis

Breed Partisans

Certainly there is room for both Rough Collies, Old-Time Scotch Collies and all other members of the collie family, and yet some people want to deny the Scotch Collie’s status as a breed.

It is very common for people unfamiliar with landraces to deny their existence as breeds, to “improve” them through crossbreeding until they are nearly extinct, and to even try to destroy them.

Carolyn Christman
program coordinator of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
http://www.gompalhasaapso.com/Resources/Articles/Landraces.htm

This has been exactly the case with the old Scotch Collie. In the 17 years since McDuffie acquired the Allison dogs most of their descendants have been crossed into the English Shepherd breed for so many generations that the two types are indistinguishable. Others seem to react defensively, or deny the existence of the Scotch Collie altogether, such as the person who wrote the following.

Unfortunately, the Scotch Collie has been extinct as a true or pure breed for many, many generations.

Tish Toren
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/oldtimescotchcollies/

Never mind the fact that the old Scotch Collie was never a “pure breed” dog in the first place. Once it became a “pure breed”, that is to say “a breed that closely resembles other dogs of the same breed” it ceased to be the old time Scotch Collie and became the Rough Collie.

Purebred or Standardized Breeds

The creation and breeding of purebred dog breeds is based on an entirely different system [from that found in nature] with detrimental consequences: in creating today’s breeds, a few animals of a characteristic strain, a “landrace”, were selected that were highly typical. While showing some basic traits in common, these landraces were rather heterogeneous. The few selected animals were inbred in order to fix the desired characteristics. Sometimes, different looking strains were crossed in order to create an entirely new type.

Dr. Hellmuth Wachtel
Breeding Dogs for the Next Millennium
http://www.givskov.it/Diverse/AnneGrete/Breeding/hellmuth.htm

 

Standardized breeds are what most people think of when they think of breeds; in fact, standardized breeds are the only kinds of breeds that many people recognize as breeds. Standardized breeds began as landraces but were developed further when a group of breeders agreed upon a “standard,” or definition, and agreed to breed towards this ideal. As a result, uniformity and predictability were increased and diversity was reduced.

A Conservation Breeding Handbook
by D. Philip Sponenberg and Carolyn J. Christman
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/CBH%20chapter%201.pdf

The Old-Time Scotch Collie is not such a “standardized” breed, it is a landrace breed. In fact, from the beginning when this standardization of the Scotch Collie began, certain people have spoken out against it, have clamored for the old fashioned collie to be left intact even as they slowly disappeared. As early as 1892 some were fighting to preserve the old Scotch Collie.

There are now two classes of exhibitors —the moderates, who work quietly on the old lines, seeking to beautify and refine a working dog, and the progressives, who sacrifice utility and intelligence for beauty. At present the progressives hold the fort, and consequently the old Scotch collie is in danger of being improved off the face of the earth.

The Fanciers’ Journal, January, 1892

 

The Scotch collie has been traveling the same road [as the Setters] during the past twenty-five years. The showmen have been breeding a head of peculiar shape, and this, with a few other obvious parts, which contribute to the new type, makes the modern collie. His obscure type parts that are of practical importance get scant recognition from the collie judge. The intelligent collie of other days will soon be in a separate group. The show collie will form another variety, useful only as a show dog.

World Today – 1908

 

THE number of people who have a warm place in their hearts for the old-fashioned collie or shepherd dog, and who appear to be concerned for the future of the breed, is gratifyingly large. Since we first opened the discussion of this subject six months ago, we have received many letters from dog lovers who want to see the old-fashioned collie saved.

Country Life in America – 1912

From this perspective we can see that the primary difference between the Rough Collie and the Old-Time Scotch Collie is that one is the purebred breed and the other is the landrace breed. To be sure there are differences is appearance and temperament between the two breeds, but those differences originate from the different breed selection methods enforced on these dogs. They are from the same root, the indigenous herding dogs of Highland Scotland, and share more in common than in difference. It is also true that not all modern Rough Collies have lost everything that made the old Scotch Collies unique and therefore fall within the acceptable range of the Old-Time Scotch Collie standard. This sort of breeding between Rough Collies and Old-Time Scotch Collies would not be cross-breeding any more than breeding different types of Jack Russell Terriers would be. Since the number of Old-Time Scotch Collies available for breeding is currently quite low (as of this writing there are 54 dogs in the registry and not all of those are even alive), bringing in new blood is critical to survival. Where else can this new blood come from?

Q: My breed is a rare breed, so where am I to go to outcross?
A: [One] way is crossing with a related breed. While there is great reluctance because of the still prevailing “pure race” dog breeding system, this method was of necessity used repeatedly in various breeds. Already after four generations of back breeding, breed type can be nearly restored, so even when greyhounds were crossed with bulldogs, or Boxers with Pembroke Welsh Corgis!

Dr. Hellmuth Wachtel
Diversity FAQs
http://www.farmcollie.com/divfaq.htm

So we have several potential sources of new breeding stock.

1. Rough Collies with old fashioned looks and temperament.
2. Related breeds, of which there are several, English Shepherds, Australian Shepherds, Ovelheiro Gaucho and others.

This outcrossing is in fact not just necessary for our breed’s survival, but is recommended for the health of the breed. Many problems suffered by modern “pure bred” dog breeds are the result of inbreeding, these kinds of genetic diseases can be avoided by maintaining a wide range of genetic diversity.

Last year the time-honored mother of modern pedigree breeding herself, the English Kennel Club, has changed her basic and principal centennial rule: dogs of unknown or “impure” origin are no more absolutely excluded from being registrable if officially admitted! In fact this would not destroy a breed’s characteristics if well planned and followed by back-breeding and appropriate selection. On the contrary, as few as just one strange animal per hundred breeding dogs and generation in a population would very effectively prevent genetic losses and thus counteract the advance of inherited diseases and improve viability, health and general fitness of the breed!

Dr. Hellmuth Wachtel
Breeding Dogs for the Next Millennium
http://www.givskov.it/Diverse/AnneGrete/Breeding/hellmuth.htm

Dr. Wachtel goes on in this article to present 6 Steps to better breeding for breed preservation. Most of these steps are what breeders of old time Scotch Collies have been doing for generations.

1. Banning inbreeding (incestuous and linebreeding)
2. Severely restricting use of individual studs according to numerical breed size, i.e. use of many sires
3. No over-typing selection.
4. DNA breed studies investigating actual state of remaining gene diversity per breed.
5. Selecting dogs primarily for performance, health, longevity, temperament, not just for looks and soundness
6. Planning measures for boosting genetic diversity (use of genetically distant individuals, planned crossbreeding, combining color and coat variants etc.)

These postulations may appear revolutionary but they are based on long established scientific knowledge long applied in any other discipline of animal breeding (farm animals, wildlife conservation, rare zoo animals).

Who knows, maybe some day in the distant future the healthy collie genes in the Old-Time Scotch Collie breed may be able to help the inbred Rough Collies survive, just as Rough Collie blood is currently helping to increase the limited gene pool the Old-Time Scotch Collie.

READ THE FULL STORY AT Old Time Farm Shepherd.org

Dunrovin's Ole Shep

Dunrovin's Rover

Dunrovin Keppie

Dunrovin's Little Bit

There are also pictures of all of Dunrovin’s Ole Shep’s progeny that made contributions to the farm collie gene-pool, with one exception. We have…

McDuffie's Beethoven

Chesney's Rebel

Dunrovin's Tankard

Unfortunately we don’t have any pictures of Carter’s Rusty. Does someone out there have a photo of Carter’s Rusty or any other progeny of these foundation dogs that we can post on this website? It would really help make our record of OTFS history complete.

READ THE FULL STORY AT Old Time Farm Shepherd.org

As published in Countryside & Small Stock Journal May – June 2011 issue

When my wife and I bought our old farm house two years ago we had no idea where it would lead us. We had lived on acreage in Arizona for most of our married lives so we didnʼt think this little farm in Oklahoma would be much different, boy were we wrong! Pastures, we learned, either had to be grazed or mowed, otherwise they grew into impenetrable jungle in a matter of weeks. Chickens had to be locked up tight or they became easy pickings for opossum and raccoons, and snakes loved our eggs. A few sheep took care or our pasture problem pretty effectively, but sheep need to be moved around to different pastures occasionally, and they need to be inspected periodically for parasites, this inspired us to look for a dog that could help with the sheep. It appeared at first that we had a pretty tall order to fill, we needed a dog that could herd, hunt vermin, play well with the kids, protect the property and yet not hurt the chickens. It just so happens that our problems were much the same as those faced by farmers 100 years ago when the majority of farms were small family operations, and we solved our problem with a breed of dog that was popular on farms 100 years ago, the Old-Time Scotch Collie.

There was a time when no decent farm was complete without a Scotch Collie, it served multiple purposes from pest control to baby sitting to helping with the livestock. If you ever needed another you could often get one free from a neighboring farm, as many farmers had them and produced them occasionally. The Scotch Collie, was arguably the most popular farm dog in America in 1910, just read this item from the St. Louis Post Dispatch of 1911.

“Harry B. Hawes proposes, very sensibly, we think, that the Board of Agriculture establish state kennels to breed Scotch collies for free distribution, just as the state distributes game fish, pheasants and Hungarian partridges… To use Mr. Hawesʼs description: ”On the farm the collie almost takes the place of a man. He is the night watchman, the playfellow for the children, the companion of the fanner, and on stock farms can take the place of a boy in handling cattle, sheep and hogs.”

The Scotch Collie was so widely considered a must-have around the family farm that they were offered for sale by seed suppliers and stock farms. Burpee sold a lot of collies even by todayʼs standards through their seed and poultry catalog, by avoiding the show ring and focusing on breeding intelligent working dogs they earned a good reputation with farmers and ranchers around the country.

The publication Southern Planter had this to say in July 1903.

“The true farmer’s dog is a Collie. He is, when properly bred and trained, worth a half dozen “hands” in handling sheep and stock generally.”

The farmerʼs Scotch Collie dog was so much more than just a herding dog, it was an all around family farm dog whose usefulness derived primarily from 5 key characteristics.

1. Herding: This ability still exists today in many breeds derived from the old Scotch Collie like the Border Collie and Australian Shepherd.
2. Hunting: Not only allowing the farmer some diversion in the days before radio but also useful in keeping down farm pests like gophers, rats and opossums, not to mention putting food on the table.
3. Guardian: Keeping away stray dogs and unwelcome visitors, this aspect also involves looking after smaller stock. Keeping hawks and foxes away from the chickens, looking after lambs, calves and children.
4. Biddable: Defined as “meekly ready to accept and follow instructions; docile and obedient” this aspect is important to all the others because lots of dogs will hunt for example, but how many are so eager to please that they will stop chasing the rabbit on your command?
5. Almost human intelligence: Now I imagine lots of readers rolling their eyes when they read this but itʼs true that the old Scotch Collie did in fact possess “super-canine” intelligence. The stories you read about these dogs in books like Lassie Come Home or Lad: A Dog, although fiction, are based on real collie behavior. Take for example Bobby of Silverton, Oregon who, when lost in Iowa, traveled 3000 miles on foot to return home. Or Shep of Fort Benton, Montana who, upon his masterʼs death, waited faithful for five years at the train depot from which his masterʼs body traveled east.

So what happened to the dog that was as indispensable around the farm as the pitchfork? The Scotch Collieʼs fate is tied in with that of the small family farm, as family farms withered and died in the mid twentieth century there was less need for an all around farm dog. At the same time breeders, by emphasizing looks and breed standards over performance, largely bred the usefulness right out of the Scotch Collie, these AKC registered, looks over performance bred dogs became todayʼs Rough Collies. A collie breeder wrote the following in Dogdom Magazine in August 1908.

“Go back to the days of [the old collies from the 1870s and 1880s]. Nearly all the puppies from these dogs proved to be good workers, in fact, I would say not less than fifty per cent of the puppies in those days proved to be intelligent and had the working instinct. As time went on we found them less susceptible to training, in trying to follow the fashion of long heads, and breeding to the winners, our puppies grew less intelligent, until at the present time we find that we do well to get one in ten worth the trouble of training”

By the 1980s the old time Scotch Collie had almost become extinct without anyone even noticing, they had been taken for granted because they had been so common, once people began noticing that they were disappearing it was almost too late. One person who noticed and did something about it was J. Richard McDuffie. He wrote an article lamenting the loss of the old Scotch Collie in Full Cry Magazine which elicited hundreds of responses, mostly from people looking for a dog themselves. He had this to say about these dogs.

“The country was full of Old Time Farm Shepherds or Farm Collie dogs when I was a boy. Some called them Shepherds, other Collies, but they were the same dogs. They served as family pet, guard dog, stock dog and hunting dog. After World War II people turned to specialist breeds and just neglected the old farm dogs that excelled at many things. I was always interested in the old farm dogs but like most people took them for granted.“

McDuffie eventually located a farm in Tennessee that had maintained a pure strain of these old Scotch Collies, bought the last litter produced by an old bitch and began breeding and selling them. The descendants of the four dogs McDuffie purchased are now all over the country, working on small farms, hunting squirrels, serving as loyal friends and companions and pretty much doing what the Scotch Collies of old were doing 100 years ago.
Other isolated populations of dogs have been located too. For instance in 2009 Jessica Hennings bred a litter of Scotch Collies from her male who came from the deep-woods of British Columbia and a female that was found in a public market in Peru. The resulting pups display the old time looks and temperament that has become so hard to find in modern collies.

It appears that the old Scotch Collie has dodged a bullet, they narrowly escaped extinction and avoided the fate of the St. Johnʼs Water Dog which quietly met extinction at about the same time and under similar circumstances. They now have a club of people looking after their well-being and keeping track of pedigrees, the Old-Time Scotch Collie Association. Despite the efforts made, the old Scotch Collie is not out of the woods yet, populations are still dangerously low and the amount of genetic material available for breeding is also a concern. Many of the remaining dogs have been inbred for the past decade or so to keep the breed alive but this puts the breed in danger too as it may result in disease or fertility problems.

My wife and I now have two great Old-Time Scotch Collie dogs to watch our homestead. They kill rats and gophers as good as any cat, herd and protect the sheep and chickens, chase off stray dogs, bark when strangers come up the drive and are loyal, obedient, intelligent companions to our family, in short everything we were looking for and a little bit more. My only hope is that in another hundred years they are still around to help small farmers and rural dwellers as they were in my grandfatherʼs time and thankfully in mine too.

For more information visit www.scotchcollie.org

READ THE FULL STORY AT Old Time Farm Shepherd.org