Experience the Joys of Rough Collies

Would you like to experience the joys of the Rough Collie? For a little history, collies came from Scotland and were originally bred for herding sheep. Originally the Collie was black or what we now know as Tri-color (black, white and tan). They have a striking appearance, gentle temperament, are smart and very loyal, so, in my opinion, the Rough Collie is the best Collies to have. Their coat is a lush double-layer with a mane of fur around their neck, the Rough Collie projects a regal nature.

The Collies’ natural instincts to herd and protect animals soon made this breed a great family dog because of its gentle nature. Soon, Queen Victoria discovered these beautiful dogs and brought them to Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She increased their popularity in England, across Europe and then the world.

Do you remember the series “Lassie” that made the Collie so popular? In 1919, Albert Payson Terhune published his first book about a Collie, named “Lad a Dog”. What followed were 19 other books about Lad. Later in 1920, Eric Knight wrote a book about a Scotch Collie (or farm Collie) called “Lassie Come Home”. Then in 1954, that book was made into the very popular television series about “Lassie”, starring a male Collie named Pal, trained by Max Waxwether. It was so popular with children and adults that it aired for 19 years and everyone fell in love with the Rough Collie.

Why was it so popular? Because the show portrayed the beautiful, noble Collie as a sweet, loving, and highly intelligent best friend, protector, and companion. As a result, Lassie drew fans from all over the world, making it the eighth-longest scripted television show, garnering two Emmy’s.

Over the past few years, Collies have been placed on the endangered list. That’s right, these beautiful, intelligent dogs are not as popular as they used to be.

Why? This has happened partially because ‘designer dogs‘ have become so popular. People have forgotten that you must have purebred dogs to create designer dogs. What are designer dogs? Taking two different purebred dogs and breeding them to create a new breed.

The poodle and Rough Collie cross has become very popular because they don’t shed and they are hypoallergenic. What people don’t know is that the benefits of this cross-breeding only extends to the first generation.

As the owner of a 17-year-old Shi-poo, I can tell you that it’s true, they don’t shed; however, their hair grows longer and longer which requires constant grooming to keep the hair from matting. Also, when a child approaches a Shi-poo too quickly as children often do, a Shi-poo will growl and snap. They are not child-friendly dogs. Breeding designer dogs can change the nature of the original purebred.

Here at Briarwood Collies, our purpose is to breed purebred Collies with an emphasis on health, temperament, intelligence, and conformation. We genetically test all of our breeding Collies and that is why we are confident enough to offer a 10-year genetic health guarantee on all our Collie puppies.

We would love to talk to you about obtaining your own Rough Collie puppy from our farm so you, too, can experience the joys of your own Rough Collie. Comment below or send us a message and we’d be happy to hear from you.