border collie Archive
What is the difference between English Shepherds and Scotch Collies?
From the beginning I always thought differentiating ourselves from the more well-know English Shepherd would be important. It is the primary reason I toyed with the idea of using the name “Scottish Shepherd”, because it shows more clearly that one is a dog of Scottish extraction while the other is English. More and more asRead More
Northumbrian Collies
It is my belief, based on the research I’ve done, that much of the differences in modern collie breeds originated in the regional varieties of sheep-dogs found in Great Britain. That the Rough Collie resulted largely from the shepherd dogs of the Scottish Highlands, the English Shepherd resulted largely from the shepherd dogs of EnglandRead More
English Shepherds In Their Native Habitat – England, 1901
In this story we read and see photos of a sheep-dog trial held in Northern England in 1901. These dogs are the spitting image of English Shepherds as they exist in America today, notice too the upright working style. I should also point out that this trial takes place close to the Scottish border andRead More
Wandering Willie
Note: The story below is about Willie, a “Northumbrian collie” from the Cheviot Hills, no doubt a representative of the regional shepherd dogs that would become know as the Border Collie in later years and not a true Scotch Collie. Read more about Britain’s different regional shepherd dogs. Many a touching story has been told of theRead More
The Collie Family Tree is Incorrect
I see the “collie family tree”, which was developed some years ago by Linda Rorem, referenced quite frequently on collie related websites [VIEW THE COLLIE FAMILY TREE HERE]. It is very useful in illustrating the relationships between various british sheepdogs but I have to say it has one glaring flaw which blatantly oversimplifies the situationRead More
James Hogg, The Ettrick Shepherd – 1829
Excerpted from “Biographical Sketches and Authentic Anecdotes of Dogs” by Captain Thomas Brown – 1829 Note: James Hogg was a Scottish poet and novelist who wrote lovingly of his collies in the early 1800s. He lived in Ettrick, Scotland, which is in the border region. It is entirely possible that the Border Collie was distinctRead More
Queen Victoria’s Collies
Much has been written about Queen Victoria’s Collies, one can hardly read a history of the breed without some mention of how she made them popular or how she bred Borzoi into them. In my research I have so far found no information to indicate that she made any significant contribution to the popularity ofRead More
