The previous video introducing the Collie dog, in order to avoid being too boring, reduce the video viewing, and eliminate some of the more hardcore content. But if you don't make up these pieces of the puzzle, it always feels a little incomplete. Here is the original copy of the video script, in which the content not mentioned in the video is specially marked in blue, interested friends can take a look and understand.
Video link: Bian Mu Su Mu Ben is a family, the invincible Collie family in the world
The Collie originally referred specifically to a shepherd from the Scottish region, so the Border Collie Naturally refers to a Shepherd Collie from the border area between Scotland and England.
The Collie described in Mr. Thomas Bewick's book
There are many theories about the origin of the word "Curley". Some believe that the word comes from ancient English and refers to black dogs. They believed that the coat color of the Collie at that time was mainly black, hence the name. Others believe that "Curley" is derived from the Scottish Gaelic language, which originally referred to dogs in general.
The current popular saying is that the word "Curley" originally referred to the black-faced sheep endemic to Scotland. Although the current recognition of this statement is relatively high, the evidence is not sufficient. Therefore, Mr. James Watson, the author of The Dog Book, prefers that "Curley" is derived from the Scottish Gaelic language.
This claim is not without similar cases, and the word "Kane" in the Kane Terrier is also derived from the Gaelic language, referring to the rocky landforms of the Scottish Highlands. It can be seen that there was no shortage of such naming habits at that time.
The Collie's signature features include a slender snout, semi-erect ears, and leg hair. They are smaller, smarter and more agile than shepherds in England. They are born with a desire to work and to be affirmed by their masters. Work gives them a strong sense of accomplishment. Without these right-hand men, Scottish herders would not have been able to control such a large herd on their own, especially in hilly areas with varied terrain.
In addition to having a strong sense of responsibility, their minds are also amazing. Collie dogs can recognize their own sheep. After a snowstorm, they will also find their sheep buried in the snow. They are the first generation of brick-moving dogs, good employees in the eyes of leaders, and models for all social animals. If they also have a motto, it must be "self-discipline gives me freedom".
Moreover, the Curley dog is alert by nature, not like the golden retriever Lallingti, but it will not be like Rottweiler and Durbin.
They are very attached to their original family and are known as "One family dogs". If you want to get a loyal dog, the Curly is a great choice. The well-known "Lacey the GreyHound" in the West tells the story of the Curly dog Lacey, who has been repeatedly sold, and runs back to his owner every time.
Lacey the Greyhound movie poster
Coincidentally, in the United States, there was indeed a Collie dog who was separated from his owner during the journey, and then trekked 4,000 kilometers alone, and finally returned to his owner's home. These seemingly impossible miracles have proven time and time again the supreme loyalty of the Curly.
The early Collie was a regional breed, but many Curlys moved to England with their Scottish owners in the 19th century. With the rise of dog shows in the mid-19th century, this excellent sheepdog gradually became widely known. Their most famous fan and volunteer salesman is None other than Queen Victoria herself. The Queen herself has many Collie dogs as pets, and her favorite is the Curly dog from the Lowlands of Scotland, the predecessor of the Border Collie.
Queen Victoria's pet has many Lowland Collies
At that time, the Collie was divided into Highland Collie and Lowland Collie according to the place of origin. The former, also commonly known as the Scottish Collie, later developed into today's Scottish Shepherd, while some of the latter developed into today's Border Collie.
In fact, the 19th-century Curley did look closer to today's border collies than to Scottish Shepherds. However, from the end of the 19th century, the breeding direction of The Collie began to become more inclined to appearance, they became more ornate than before, the head was smaller and more pointed, but there was a regression in IQ and work ability.
Early Collie dogs
It was also at this time that the Collie gradually changed from a sheepdog in Scotland to a specific breed (according to AKC standards, if according to the FCI standard coarse hair and short hair Colly are two different breeds). This process is so similar to the evolution of the fox terrier. The definition of the fox terrier has also changed over time, from the previous general reference to the terrier used to hunt foxes to the specific reference to the bristle fox hound and the flat haired foxhound, so in the time of John Russell Pastor, the ancestors of the Jack Russell Terrier also belonged to the fox terrier. And the fox hunting terrier also sacrificed the ability to work for the sake of appearance, and today, whether it is a flat hair or a bristle fox terrier, it is difficult to be competent for the work of fox hunting, which is also a kind of irony. And coincidentally, in the evolution of the Curly and Fox Terriers, the snout has narrowed, and I don't know if this is a coincidence.
With the popularity of pet Collie dogs, the living space of the working collie dogs is getting smaller and smaller. To make matters worse, the Border Collie was born at the end of the 19th century. Their unique low-leaning, creepy posture and sheep-herding style of intimidating sheep with their eyes are completely dimensionally reduced to other shepherds. It can only be said that it is not that other shepherds are incompetent, but can only blame bian mu for being too powerful.
Almost all of today's border collies originated from the same dog, and this lowland Collie named Old Hemp is considered the ancestor of all border collies. It has a strong working ability and has bred more than 200 offspring in its lifetime, which have become the basis for the development of border grazing varieties.
Old Hemp, the ancestor of the border pastor
For example, it is like a dog with an Einstein, and it is particularly able to give birth, giving birth to more than 200 babies. These children have a theory of relativity from an early age, so what does this make other ordinary children compete? As a result, by the end of the last century, there was almost a common herding on farms in Britain and the United States, and even in Scotland, the home of the Collie, people preferred to graze sheep.
As a result, the Collie, which was still common on american farms in the middle of the last century, gradually disappeared. On the other hand, the Curly dog of the demonstration line has almost reached the precipice of extinction due to the smaller and smaller gene pool of the previous frequent inbreeding gene pool, and has also produced many serious genetic diseases.
The Kennel Club (KC) report shows that the average COI (inbreeding index) of the demonstrated Collie is 14.3%, which is only slightly better than the COI obtained by the siblings in the same litter. Their EPS (effective population) is only 39.43, which is considered to be serious if it is below 100, and below 50 indicates that the species is at risk of extinction.
Fortunately, in recent years, Hobby enthusiasts have found several surviving working Collie dogs in remote areas, which can not only revitalize the working Collie, but also can be used to improve the health problems of the display line, which has indeed brought a glimmer of light to this breed.
The Curly dog came from the hills of Scotland and conquered the world with its unique charm. Now that the breed has new blood, I wish them a brighter future.