Collie Shorthair
HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
The breed is believed to have originated from an ancient herding and guard dog used by the Romans in their herds. Most likely they originated from crosses of Greyhounds, Gordon Setters and Irish Setters. Its origin dates back to the British Isles, where it reached its peak in the 1800s. At that time, the creation of the breed showed great growth, including the sale of copies to other countries.
Country of Origin: Great Britain
GENERAL APPEARANCE L : He presents himself as endowed with intelligence, in a state of alert and activity. He behaves with dignity, equipped with perfect anatomical formation, without any of the regions out of proportion, giving the impression of capacity for work. The physical structure maintains the line of potency and activity, absence of rusticity and without any coarse trait. The expression is the most important. And considering relative values, this is obtained by the perfect balance and combination between the skull and the muzzle, by the size and shape, color and insertion of the eyes and correct positioning and carrying of the ears.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : Viewed in profile, the upper lines of the skull and muzzle are two parallel, straight lines of equal size, separated by a slight but noticeable “stop” or deviation. Slightly longer torso compared to height.
BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT: Cheerful and friendly, never nervous or aggressive.
HEAD : Proportional characteristics of the head are of the utmost importance and must be considered in proportion to the size of the dog. Viewed from the front or in profile, the head has a clean, wedge-shaped figure, with well-defined boundaries and a smooth contour. At the midpoint between the proximal corners of the eyes (which is the center of a well-placed stop) is the center of balance in head length.
CRANIAL REGION
skull : Plan. The sides of the cheeks gradually and smoothly converge from the ears to the tip of the nose. The depth of the skull, from the eyebrow to the lower jaw line, can never be excessive (too deep).
Stop: Slight but noticeable. The midpoint between the proximal corners of the eyes is the center of a correctly positioned stop.
FACIAL REGION
Truffle : always black.
Muzzle : Soft termination; muzzle well rounded and truncated, never square. Muzzle not pointed.
Jaws and Teeth : Good size teeth. Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite (ie the upper teeth overlap the lower teeth and are set square to the jaws). Strong, well-defined jaw.
eyes : Very important feature, giving its sweet expression. Medium in size (never too small), gently slanted set, almond shaped and dark brown in color, except in the case of blue merle in which the eyes are often (one or both, or part of one or both ) blue or stained blue. Expression full of intelligence, with a quick and alert look when at attention.
Ears : Moderately large, wider at the base and set not too close together or on the sides of the head. At rest, carried backwards, but, in alert, directed forward and carried semi-erect, that is, with approximately two thirds of the ear erect; the final third, naturally falling forward, below the horizontal.
NECK : Muscular, powerful, of good length and well arched.
TRUNK
Back: Level and firm.
Loin : With slight elevation.
chest : Deep chest and reasonably broad behind the shoulders. Ribs well sprung.
TAIL: Long, with the bone (last vertebra) reaching at least the hock joint. At rest, carried low, with a slight upward curve at the tip. May be carried happily (high) when excited, but never on the back.
MEMBERS
PREVIOUS : Straight and muscular, with moderate bone.
Shoulders : Sloping and well angled.
Elbows : Not turned either in or out.
Metacarpals : Showing flexibility without signs of weakness
Paws : Oval, with cushions (cushions) well padded. Fingers arched and tightly closed.
HINDQUARTERS :
Knees : Well angled.
Metatarsals : Well descended and powerful.
Paws : Oval, with cushions (cushions) well padded. Fingers arched and tightly closed together. Slightly less arched hind legs
DRIVE : : It is a particular characteristic of the race. A balanced dog never expels the elbows, although it moves with the front legs relatively close together. Braiding, crossing or rolling is highly undesirable. Viewed from behind, the hindquarters, from the hock joint to the ground, are parallel. Powerful hindquarters with plenty of drive. In profile view, the movement is smooth. A long stride is desirable and should be light and appear almost effortless.
COAT
By : : Short, flat, coat hairs of rough texture, with dense undercoats. It should not be clipped or trimmed.
COLOR
Three colors are recognized:
“Sable” (Sable): Any shade from light gold to dark mahogany or shaded “sable”. Light straw or cream colors are highly undesirable.
Tricolor: Predominantly black with well-saturated brown markings on limbs and head. A rusty hue to the top coat is highly undesirable.
Blue Merle: Predominantly clear, silvery blue, speckled and marbled with black. Deep brown markings are preferred, but their absence should not be penalized. Large patches of black, slate or rust hue on the top coat or undercoat are highly undesirable.
All of the above mentioned colors may have white markings typical of the Collie to a greater or lesser degree. The following markings are favorable: white collar, all or part of it; forechest, legs and paws white; white tail tip. A white mark may appear on the muzzle, skull, or both. All white or predominantly white is highly undesirable.
SIZE : Males: 56 to 61 cm.
Females: 51 to 56 cm.
FAULTS
Any deviation from the terms of this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well being of the dog. and on their ability to perform their traditional work.
DISQUALIFYING FAULTS
• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.
• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.
GRADES
• Males must have both testicles, of normal appearance, well let down and accommodated in the scrotum.
• Only clinically and functionally healthy dogs with typical breed conformation should be used for breeding.