Scotch Collie
The Scotch Collie (also known as they Scottish Collie) is the breed that is now typically known as the Rough Collie and Smooth Collie, the most famous collie would be the tv dog named Lassie. They came originally from Scotland and their job was to help shepherds with their herding. They also were prevalent in the North of England. It is not known exactly but it is thought that this breed has been resident in Scotland for many thousands of years. The word collie is though to come from the words black or coal from Old England. During the 19th century in England this dog became popular as a pet and as a dog for show as opposed to just a working breed. Queen Victoria in particular took interest in Scottish Collies. At this point the dog breed also started to change into a larger dog as it was cross bred with other larger breeds. The Borzois was an example of one it was crossed with. The Scottish Collie made its way to the USA in 1880. In the middle of the 20th century the breeds popularity shot up thanks to the release of the movie "Lassie Come Home", the following television series cemented this breed in many people's hearts.
Appearance
These dogs vary from 61 cm to 48 cm to the withers and 18 to 32 kg. The Collie has two different coat types either rough or smooth. The most obvious and well known collie colour is the sable version, this is the choice of the Lassie dog, the colour sable goes from light blonde to dark red browns. Tri color is also more than possible with this dog, as well as blue merle. Finally white is also possible with generally a white body and a coloured head.
Temperament
These dogs have natural roles as assistant and therapy dogs. They are also trained as guide dogs. They tend to be very lovable and protective without being overly aggressive. They tend to be easy dog to train as they are smart and love to please their masters. No doubt this was part of the reason that this breed was used to star as the main dog in Lassie. It should be noted that this means that they very much like to be part of the family, and will not necessarily do very well on their own. It should be noted that they may exhibit herding instincts around children, so care should be taken to train them appropriately.
Grooming and care
These dogs do well in apartments, they just need to get out of the house every day. They need at least a daily walk and preferably a job. They need more than just access to garden. The coat needs to be brushed at least twice a month and preferably once a week. If a matt does occur on this dog then it is better to just cut it out rather than try and comb it out as otherwise it will probably hurt the dog. As expected with a dog with just a fine coat, it needs to be regularly bathed. Dry shampooing is also an option
Health
The Scottish collie tends to live between 12 and 14 years. This breed is generally a quite healthy breed. They do tend to get some rare inherited diseases including, Collie eye anomaly, dermatomyositis, gastric torsion, progressive retinal atrophy, cyclic neutropenia. Many collies have a particular resistance to certain drugs which are normally used to cure various problems in dogs. This also means that they can get an adverse reaction from them. A couple of the drugs include milbemycin and loperamide. It is also possible that they can suffer from a fatal neurotoxicosis