Collies and Shelties

ORIGINAL: Dottiew24

What are the best foods for shelties and collies?  .

As a rule, you don't want grain-heavy foods for either breed. Also, Collies require a high Omega3/6 ratio that other dogs or they will develop dry skin.  This can be in the food or a good EFA supplement.

With adult onset demodex, you are dealing with a weakened immune system, as you know.  No matter what, do not let the vet give your dog steroids (oral or injection) or it will make things worse.

This thread really brought up memories. I used to raise/show shelties and sure do miss them still.  I lost my entire kennel to toxic food in the late 80's, the last sheltie I had was in the early 90's. When lost Sally I could not even think of another dog til Shiloh just last year (was over 10 years).  Anyhow I did a lot of studying of pedigrees back then, tracing my dogs as well as the breedings I had planned. DM aka Ginger, if you want to PM me the bloodlines I might be able to tell you something. Not guaranteeing it but maybe.  I had blues, tris, bi black and bi blue, and in the later years of the kennel leased mahogany sable male.  Some of my dogs were stronger herders than others and I was just getting interested in herding certification when lost them all.  I'm at work but when I get home I'll see if can find the pics of the dogs. I had scanned @ 80 last year but my harddrive was wiped out Oct 05 and I lost everything on it.  The pics are in a box somewhere in the storage room, along with all the bloodwork, hair analysis, food analysis, etc etc etc.   Kim
 

My Shadow comes from some equally impressive, I'm can't remember, but he apparently comes from older-type stock and is timid around new people, but isn't afraid of any living animal.  Breed told me this was because where the shelties came from the only predators were people.

ORIGINAL: brookcove
Far from having any known issues, the smooth coat is connected with some of our healthiest, most talented, and most temperamentally sound lines.  I don't understand the reasoning behind culling the smooths originally overseas, but they did not do it in their native land, nor here.

Sadly, the show Border collie here is taking the same course.  Smooths and roughs are shown together and the judges follow the tastes of the overseas show judges.

I like the smooths, too. I thought about going for a collie, but if I did, it would definitely be a smooth one. I just don't like a lot of hair on a dog much. I have seen smooth BCs over here, even working sheep years ago when I used to watch the trials on tv. I haven't seen one out of the sheep trials, though. I haven't the faintest idea what they're on about with BC standards, but there's such a huge variation and it seems like every second BC owner over here breeds. I've seen incredibly fluffy ones and very short ones and ones with not quite a smooth coat but a slick one. Is the smooth coat a double coat? It seems Australian farmers prefer a double coat on their dogs because of the weather. Sounds crazy when you think it's usually really hot here, but I think a double coat insulates them from the heat as well as the cold.

Yes the working coat does insulate from heat - rough coats work in the deserts of Texas and California, too.  Ben's sire was bred on a ranch in the Mojave desert and he had a huge-mongous coat.

The dogs you are seeing working are later imports or decendants of station dogs that survived kennel club recognition.  For instance, my pup's mother was bred by a Scotsman who emigrated first to Australia with his dogs, developed a strain he called the Cattle Dominators, then moved to America when he realized there was more market here for cattle working dogs.  Rocky's grandmother is registered with the Australian Working Sheepdog Society! 

They aren't accepted in the Australian/New Zealand kennel club and so they have their own registry.  But I've been told by many Australian who have worked on sheep stations that Border collies are kind of a joke, in general - even the ones you see in trials.

ETA:  I emphasize, I've only been told the above . . .[]

Doey anyone know of really good websites that I can learn more about the collie?  I want to know as much as I can before I go any further so that I provide her with the best care.  I really researched a lot before we got our sheltie and we couldn't be happier with her, despite a curve ball here and there (ie: demodex  and extreme car sickness  Has anyone tried rescue remedy?  I have heard a lot of people talk about it and I was considering trying it for car sickness and thunder storms.  Right now I am just afraid to try much without asking someone who has tried it, because I recently tried a product off the internet for the demodex that was 'guaranteed' and it was just awful. Her poor feet are in awful shape, red, swollen, so painful even when I washed them with just water, and scabbed, her face has scabbed.  I am returning it right away, I feel terrible about it.  I am just so disappointed because it was supposedly safe and effective. 

I don't know much about Collie and Shetland Sheepdog origins or standards, but it would enrage me (for no apparent reason) if someone were to call my sheltie (if I had one) a miniature Collie!!! 

Doey anyone know of really good websites that I can learn more about the collie?

Chelsea Collies has put together a nice collection of Collie info  [linkhttp://www.chelsea-collies.com/page2.html]http://www.chelsea-collies.com/page2.html[/link]

and I've got some links on basic care and diseases on my website  [linkhttp://www.4onesti.com/collieinfo.html]http://www.4onesti.com/collieinfo.html[/link]

Has anyone tried rescue remedy?  I have heard a lot of people talk about it and I was considering trying it for car sickness and thunder storms.

I use ginger root capsules 30 minutes before a trip and it works great.  Usually, once they have a few trips without getting sick, they stop getting sick on their own (in my experience anyway).

It doesn't bother me when someone asks if my sheltie is a miniature collie, I guess because I understand and see the resemblence when someone just doesn't know.  I usually just try to gentlly let them know her breed and that the sheltie and collie are different. I can see how sometimes people get confused also because the dog doesn't fit the breed standard. We had a neighbor who had a very large sheltie adn everyone thought he was a collie. Every now and then I get thrown by a breed that I have never seen in person.  I like to go to the Crown Classic held in Cleveland, they have what is called 'Meet the Breed' and you can see different breeds and interact with them.
 
Thank you for the website Colliewog, I really appreciate it.  Do you get many people who are confused about your smooth collie's breed?  Right now we had to shave my shelties body and she resembles a Smooth Collie.
 

ORIGINAL: brookcove

They aren't accepted in the Australian/New Zealand kennel club and so they have their own registry.  But I've been told by many Australian who have worked on sheep stations that Border collies are kind of a joke, in general - even the ones you see in trials.

ETA:  I emphasize, I've only been told the above . . .[]

*chuckles* We all know there's nothing like a kelpie. I haven't visited many stations, but every farm with sheep I've visited has had at least 2 kelpies to work them and not a BC in sight. I was told how much a kelpie pup from proven working parents was worth and just about fell over. []  I still like BCs, though. []

ORIGINAL: Dottiew24

Thank you for the website Colliewog, I really appreciate it.  Do you get many people who are confused about your smooth collie's breed?  Right now we had to shave my shelties body and she resembles a Smooth Collie.

I am more surprised when someone DOES know what they are!!  We are getting more recognition now that we have so many at the guide dog school down here (all related to my dogs).  I am more often hearing "Oh, I saw one of those the other day.  Did you know they're using them for guide dogs now?"  I just smile and say "Yes, I know." 

If you're not into hair and want a "pushier" dog, then the smooth is ideal.  You don't see many couch potato smoothies.[]  I'm open to any questions if you want to PM me.  I've had Collies my entire life (over 30 yrs) and they are my world!

Ah, you get used to it and it gives you a chance to educate people about dog  breeds,  and Shetland Sheepdogs as opposed to Collies. Just most folks don't know the difference as most people don't know anything about dogs period
 
Hope that helps!
 

ORIGINAL: cairnterriers

I don't know much about Collie and Shetland Sheepdog origins or standards, but it would enrage me (for no apparent reason) if someone were to call my sheltie (if I had one) a miniature Collie!!! 

About smooths- Malcolm is DEFINATELY an education after Wings, who I suspect spoiled me a bit. She wasn't exactly low-key, but she very much understood 'downtime' and was pretty easy to keep entertained, even as a puppy- a kong or a bone and she was content to chew on stuff under the desk. Mal wants me to play WITH him constantly- he'll try and brace the chew on my foot, or convince me that no, he can't POSSIBLY chew on that uness I am holding the other end, and wouldn't I just hold this tug toy for a minute... He's a lot of fun but BOY he can be pushy. Reminds me a lot of my Cardi, though, so I know we"ll be okay- it'll easy off as he gets a bit older (hopefully he doesn't take as long to mature as my Cardi. Indy only quit being a PITA in the last year and he's 6.)

Colliewog, I have a question!

Why are there no (or very, very few- none of my collie magazines (I have 1992-1996 of one of the breed mags that I got rom a friend and "The New Collie" and "The Collie" which are both about the dogs in the show ring, mostly in the 50s-80s) white collies in the show ring? Is it just that the color's unpopular for showing or what?

I *love* CHWs. My first collie (who was really a foster) was a CHW with blue merle markings nd he was a real love.

Cait

I went searching thru boxes last night and found my photos. Will start scanning them again and backing up to CD this time. The first pics I found were of Sasha, a little tri bitch I had.    Kim