Collie Dog Breed Origin and History

The origin and history of the Collie dog breed is not entirely know, but we do

know that the Collie originated in Scotland and flourished in England since the

1800s.  Before this time, however, the breed has an ancestry that spans

thousands of years as the Collie's ancestors had been used to shepherd sheep and

cows for many centuries prior in both the Highlands of Scotland and throughout

early England.  The etymology of the word Collie stems from the word black

in Anglo-Saxon.  Thus, we can speculate the breed was originally much

darker than today's sable and white Collie dog breed.





The Collie breed consists of both the rough and smooth Collie, and this division

has been evident in the 1800s as well.  However, it is apparent that at one

point the rough Collie was much smaller and less refined than today's much

larger dog  It is probable that the smooth Collie has descended more from

the mastiff group.  The rough Collie was short, somewhere around 14 inches

or so at the shoulders with a broader head, and black or black and white. 

Regardless of these differences, the dogs that came to be the Collie were always

used to herd and guard the flocks and herds of their caretakers.

Collie Dog Breed History

Although the Collie and its ancestors had been used for several centuries as a

working dog herding sheep and cows, it was in England in the 1800s that the dog

became popular as a pet and show dog rather than just a working dog breed. 

Queen Victoria took an interest in Collies and the rest of the country soon

followed suit.  It was also at this time that the dog became larger and

more refined.

At this point, Collie breeders began to standardize the breed and

keep written pedigree records. Collies were shown in dog shows in England as

early as 1860 and made its way to the United states by 1880.  By about

1886, the the Collie dog breed was fully standardized and remains roughly the

same today.  It was in this same year the the Collie Club of America was

formed and around this same time became one of the first parent breeds of the

American Kennel Club.





A surge in popularity occurred in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s with

the release of the movie "Lassie Come Home" in 1943 and the subsequent

television series that premiered in 1954 and ran for seventeen years.

For more information regarding the Collie dog breed and other large dog breeds alike, please visit us at largedogbreedz.com