english shepherd Archive
Questions Searchers Ask About Scotch Collies
Reading over the analytics report for my website over the last 6 months I noticed that a lot of people come here looking for answers to specific questions. So I have decided to answer a few of these questions here. The following are actual questions people have asked search engines and been brought to thisRead More
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
Whatever Happened to Old Shep? by Linda Rorem
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 are not, in and of themselves, the old farm collie that is being sought.
Improved Off The Face Of The Earth
Various attempts have been made to save the old time scotch collie from extinction over the past 119 years, but none of them have had long-lasting or serious impact. The dogs we have today come to us as much through chance and dumb luck as they do through the efforts to rescue the old-time scotch collie from extinction.
Facts for Farmers – 1869
An early American source on the Scotch Collie, this book covers every aspect of agriculture from breeds of livestock to barn construction to farm economics and includes many beautiful engravings. It shows that Scotch Collies were well known and commonly used in America before dog shows and Queen Victoria boosted their popularity, it also showsRead 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
The Scotch Colley – Poultry Monthly 1881
Of all the canine race, the Scotch Colley is the most intelligent. The herder’s help-mate and friend, and gentleman’s pet. He, with wonderful intuition, anticipates your wants to such a degree as to cause the writer to assert that the Colley reasons, and in support of the position will relate an occurrence he is knowingRead More
The African American in the Woodpile
This is the story of Doc the Leopard Cur “Shepherd”. When Richard McDuffie brought home the last litter of the Old Bob-Tail Shepherds he faced one gigantic obstacle in preserving this line; What would he breed them with? He seemed to have had a very bad opinion of the English Shepherds and according to hisRead More
The Collie Spectrum: Understanding the Scotch Landrace
The wide diversity of looks that are called Scotch Collie can be confusing to some, especially since most modern dog breeds have such close conformation that all members of a breed look very similar. The Scotch Collie is what is called a “landrace breed”, they developed rather organically over a broad area of Northern ScotlandRead More
Dogs; Their Origins and Varieties – 1847
THE SHEPHERD’S DOG, OR COLLEY. The genuine original Shepherd’s dog is now nearly altogether confined to Scotland, where he is called the “Colley.” He stands about twenty-one inches in height at the shoulder; is very gracefully shaped; muzzle pointed; ears half erect; coat long, but fine and silky; tail and hams fringed with hair; colourRead 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
British rural sports, Stonehenge – 1875 edition
Sheep Dogs The sheep dog has undoubtedly a higher commercial value than any other, as he has often under his charge a flock worth thousands of pounds. There are various breeds in use throughout the United Kingdom, some smooth, but the majority more or less rough. The most distinct of these is the Scotch colley.Read More
