THE COLLIE DOG

The muzzle should be of reasonable length, tapering to the nose, and can not show weakness or be snipy or lippy. Whatever the colour of the dog might be, the nose must be black. The teeth must be of good size, level and sound; very small unevenness is permissible. The jaws sterile cut and strong. The eyes are an essential characteristic, and give expression to the dog; they should be of moderate size, set somewhat obliquely, of almond shape, and of a brown colour except in the case of merles, once the eyes are frequently (one or both) white and blue or china; saying filled with intellect, with a fast alert look when listening. The ears should be small and reasonably wide at the base, and placed not too near together but on the cover of the skull and not on the face of the head.
Generally character he is a lithe busy puppy, his deep torso revealing lung electricity, his neck strength, his sloping shoulders and well bent hocks indicating speed, and his saying elevated intellect. He should be a reasonable length on the leg, giving him more of a racy compared to a cloddy look. In a couple of words, a Collie should show endurance, activity, and intelligence, with free and true action. In height dogs should be 22 inches. To 24 inches. In the shoulders, bitches 20 inches. To 22 ins. The smooth collie only differs from the coarse in its coat, which ought to be hard, dense and rather smooth.
The throat should be muscular, strong and of fair length, and somewhat arched. The dog needs to be straight in front. The fore-legs must be straight and muscular, neither in nor out at elbows, with a fair amount of bonethe forearm somewhat fleshy, the pasterns demonstrating flexibility without weakness.
In the displays this kind of dog is always at the peak of the class. He is considered the most tractable, and is surely the most agile. Secondly to this type in favour is your smooth-coated selection, a really hard, useful puppy, well adapted for mountain work and usually very fleet of foot. He isn't so sweet in temper because the black and white, and is slow to make friends. There isn't a more graceful and physically beautiful dog to be viewed than the series Collie of this current period. Produced from the old working type, he is now practically a distinct breed.
The Collie puppy makes an excellent sporting dog, and can be trained to do the job of the Pointer and the Setter, in addition to that of the Water Spaniel and the Retriever. He can be trained to perform the responsibilities of other breeds. He is clever at searching, acquiring an excellent nose, is a good vermin-killer, and a most faithful watch, guard, and companion.
There should only be a slight depression in the beginning. The width of skull necessarily depends upon combined length of skull and muzzle; and also the whole must be considered in relation to the size of the dog. The cheek should not be full or prominent.
Little is known with certainty of the origin of the Collie, but his cunning and his external appearance would seem to indicate a relationship with the crazy dog. Buffon was of opinion that he was the legitimate dog of character, the inventory and version of the entire canine species. He considered that the Sheepdog exceptional in instinct and intelligence to other breeds, and that, with a character in which education has relatively small share, he's the only creature born perfectly trained for the support of man.