The American Farm Collie: Saturday, February 27, 2010

What is an American Farm Collie?

American Farm Collies are a land-seer race of dogs developed from dogs brought from Europe to America. The origins of these dogs were mainly from various "collie" type dogs from places like Scotland and England. Long before the AKC came into existence, the term collie was a generic term for a type rather than a breed of dog. As the decades came and went, there came to be a standard dog you would expect to see when arriving at a typical small family farm. Dogs with certain features that carried across multiple breeds, they were hard to categorize. These dogs were bred by farmers who didn't bother keeping records written down, but rather through word of mouth. If a friend had a dog who did a good job, you'd ask them to mate with yours. The surviving pups would seldom be sold, but traded among the farmers and their family members.

As much as the farmer had to 'multi-task' so did their dogs. The average mid-west and western farmer had to be self-reliant, and so did their dogs. These dogs were not bred for looks but for deeds. No matter how beautiful the dog, if it chases chickens, eats chicks, barks at the livestock, or snaps at children his life on the farm will be short. Losing a beloved dog is a very common childhood memory for the children raised on farms. In today's world it seems harsh, but for a small farmer a dog who doesn't perform is a burden often to big to bear.

American Farm Collies have had to be able to earn their keep. They have had to thrive with little to eat provided by the farmer. They are expected to hunt down vermin. Track and kill small animals that may be harming crops or livestock , yet still stick close to the farm. Dogs with a tendency to roam would never do, neither would dogs who showed little interest in humans since they could be called upon at any moment to help out.

For family farmers from the 19th to the 21st centuries, the needs have changed little. As we enter the 21st century, family or 'homestead' farming is making a comeback in America and the need for American Farm Collies is on the rise again. Even today, for a farmer to justify the luxury of a dog there are several factors that have to be met. Just a few of these would include:

- stay at home without being prone to roam
- know the difference between wild prey and the farm chickens/rabbits/ducks/geese
- find and kill ground dwelling vermin that could destroy crops and grain/hay stores.
- alert to animals in danger
- alert to predators nearby
- alert to humans anywhere nearby, both friend and strangers
- track, hunt and or retrieve during hunting sessions
- herd when it was needed
- protect livestock when needed
- bring in the chickens to roast and protect the hen house at night
- bring in the rest of the livestock, and watch over the animals in the barn at night and in winter
- be gentle with babies and children
- pull a wagon filled with firewood or small crops
- lead a goat around to graze on a rope

One thing is certain, these dogs have to be energetic, smart, responsive, gentle, tough, calm, and always waiting help. They have to know when it's time to work, and time to rest. They can't be obsessive like a modern Border Collie. They must be responsive to whatever is happening around them at any moment, from catching and killing snakes to herding the chickens. These dogs have to think for themselves, yet be able to take directions. They have to learn fast and have the desire to please.

It takes several years of investment of time and energy to get even the best dogs to learn what their jobs are, so just finding the right puppy is a major project. A good farm dog is often loaned out to neighbors as an assist during hard times. Finding the dog who relishes the farmer's lifestyle is a lifelong hunt, and some are never privileged to find their 'perfect' dog. Those who do, spend the rest of their lives telling tales of their feats and acts of bravery.

These dogs have to be physically able to handle these varied chores, as well as handle the climate. Their coats have to clean itself, without grabbing foxtails and burrs. American Farm Collie coats can be light to medium in length, with a double or single coated depending on the pedigree line. The coat is always low shedding, and seldom, if ever, need brushing. Thick bushy coats are impractical for a multitude of reasons, and dogs with such coats are not usually bred.

The gentle expressive eyes of American Farm Collie dogs are a key trademark, and there are plenty of oil paintings and prose which celebrates those eyes. Unlike the appearance of the Modern AKC Collie, American Farm Collies get their looks from the landseer European collies of the Victorian era. Their eyes are medium to large and expressive. Queen Victoria sung the praises of her collie "Noble" on his tombstone:

“That liquid Melancholy eye
From whose pathetic soul-fed springs
Seemed surging the Virgilian cry,
The sense of tears in mortal things.”

What did Noble look like?
Noble: Queen Victoria's Prized Collie
He was born of what was then called a Scottish Collie which was again, a general term for a type of collie known to come from Scotland. Her love of these dogs brought them to the public's attention.

Victoria loved her common man's dogs, yet they were considered "mongrels" by the aristocratic elite and far too common to be worth the cost of a breeding program. There were a couple of breeders who sought to take the collie dog, and and "class it up". Around the turn of the century one very popular breeder felt it was their duty to 'improve' the breed and make it more regal, and to fit in with the fashions of the European aristocrats. A breed that was fashionable and in demand at the time were the Russian Wolfhound/Borzoi. There were lines of Scotch Collies that had similar elegant traits of the Borzoi, and they chose to breed them to the Borzoi to increase that elegance about them (and therefore more exclusive and valuable).

Despite these efforts, and without a wealthy group of philanthropists to sponsor their development, the common collie dogs still flourished. They didn't need anyone to sing their praises for them, their popularity was undeniable.

When the AKC arrived at the turn of the 19th century, all Collies were lumped into a single generic standard. Rather than break up collies into separate 'types' like the retrievers and terriers, they established a single standard. This left out a considerable population of the collie dog as it was then known. The standard that the AKC chose was not based on popularity, uses, nor on the existing land-race of dogs in existence. Instead, they arrived at a standard arbitrarily based on a very specific 'look'. Not all of the existing Collie pedigree lines fit into that "breed standard" and collie dogs who had floppy ears, lighter coats, hard stops, medium to large eyes and were on the small side were left out of the AKC's breeding pool.

The "common man's collie" have always been popular choice for a pet dog, as well as with family farmers. As the decades have flown by and family farms and homesteads have become a novelty, so have the dogs that were so often seen on them. In my opinion, it's because the general term Collie has specialized itself into a very specific dog breed, rather than a type. Unlike the term shepherd or terrier...the word collie has come to mean a single dog breed.

It's my wish to widen that term, to encompass dogs that ARE collie dogs but have never been supported by keeping a registry of pedigrees an have been excluded from the breeding pool. The only solution realistically is to form a NEW breed club that supports these efforts. A breed club which supports inclusive rather than exclusive traits, and keeping the stud book open. It's in preparation for opening such a breed club that this blog is dedicated.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

A little bit about how I climbed onto the bandwagon..

I type nearly as fast as I think, so I tend to be a lot more wordy than I probably need to me.

MY STOR

Y:
In 2008, I was on a quest to find a dog. I had a dog in my head. The dogs I recalled admiring and drooling over back in the dark ages of 1960's-70's when I was growing up . Some of my favorite dogs of that time were Shetland Sheepdogs and Australian Shepherds. Unfortunately, as I started looking for my own dog I was thoroughly disappointed. The Sheltie people have continued to pursue big thick fuzzy coats, and that pointy"Collie" head. I searched and searched for a breeder who was defying that trend but had no luck. In addition the Australian Shepherd has since become AKC approved and is almost unrecognizable from the dogs I grew up with as a result. Golden Retrievers, another old favorite, seem to have gotten larger, less laid back, with less refined faces, heavier bones, and nothing like the one my family still talks about to this day, over forty years later.

I refused to give up my quest, being pretty internet savvy, and unemployed I just knew I'd find the 'right' dog somehow. I was finally financially and socially stable enough to get my first dog and by all that is holy I was going to figure out what 'real' dog breed carried the traits I desired.

The more I researched, the more I found out that my idea of the perfect dog was something rare and apparently non-existent. During hundreds of hours internet research, I stumbled across some amazing pages on the histories of the Aussie, and then read about the English Shepherds. I became truly excited that there were others who had similar ideas. By the time I came across the AWFC site I was hooked and hoping I'd found a group a people actively pursuing to preserve a dog type that's never been a 'breed' but more of a 'type.

As for my personal dog search, the more I researched the more I realized I was looking for a fantasy dog. It was going to have to be mixed breed of some kind. The dog I was trying to find was somewhere between a small Aussie, a large Sheltie, some ES, and maybe some kind of spaniel. Because of my circumstances I had to have a dog small enough for an apartment, with a light-to-medium coat who shed very little and most importantly was low to mid energy. I wanted a refined aristocratic head, with a solid stop, floppy ears, good sized eyes but all those were negotiable. I wanted a smart, practical and of course beautiful dog that I could take with me everywhere. For a short time, I thought I might do well with a Miniature Aussie..but all the dogs I saw looked like they were crossbred with various toy dogs and that wasn't what I sought.

Luckily after almost a year I found THE dog for us. It took exactly 3 seconds before I knew that I would jump to the moon to get this particular pup. The interesting part is that I wanted a fixed female dog, who was adult or senior. One day I forgot to remove puppies from my search and I found a dog whose countenance was irresistible....a male puppy! Luckily, I was right to stick with my gut and he's grown into what is the perfect dog for us. He was more than I even knew I wanted or needed and I'm extremely happy. It was the search for this dog that has now started pushing me into wanting to start a line of dogs that will be preserved for the future. Right now, I'm learning about dog genetics and looking to have my male carefully scrutinized for all the basics like CEA, Hips, Shoulders...etc. Once he's been through all the screening processes, I hope to breed him with a similarly screened female, (I already have my eye on one) and start from there. I don't expect to start a huge trend or anything. I figure if Parson Jack Russell was able preserve a type of dog that no one was breeding for, then there is hope that it's still possible.

The more I've educated myself, the less I respect the AKC. As I've gotten older I guess I realized that it's pretty foolish to assume that "those people" "know what they are doing"... it started when I saw the winning Aussie with leg bones the size of a BMD, the coat of a Samoyed among other things...and the clincher was watching the winning GSD's literally dragging their backfeet across the carpet at Westminster and other big shows.