Sheltie or a Miniature Collie - the great debate!

[ClantyreSheltie]

On an aside, I have fallen in love with smooth collies, the rare variety of the 'lassie dog'

I have one. She sheds worse than all the Shelties combined. And she's simple. I don't think she is stupid, but she has her own agenda, and doesn't really give a fig what I want.

 

[labgirl]

Collie: Timmy is in the well!

Sheltie: Hey you! Timmy's in the well! He's In The Well! Come on come on come oooonnnn! Move it, hooman, let's go get Timmy! He's in the well! We must save him! I'll show you where, let me herd you the way! Timmy! In the well! Wait, where's my ball? Does Timmy have my ball? Must get Timmy! He has the ball! Hooman, come! We must save the ball! The ball is in the well!

And then there is the labrador (or should I say Cadbury version)

Cadbury: Oh hello, there you are. I was looking for you. Timmy sent me. Yes, it was something important. Erm... I'll remember in a moment, I'm a tad distracted as on the way back I found a sandwich. Let me tell you about it, it was ham and cheese and the bread was only a little stale. I found it right on that path. Perhaps that was what I was supposed to tell you? Oh well, it will probably come to me while I have a nap, or you could just ask Timmy when he turns up. I'm sure it wasn't as important as the sandwich anyway.

 

[labgirl]

I have one. She sheds worse than all the Shelties combined. And she's simple. I don't think she is stupid, but she has her own agenda, and doesn't really give a fig what I want.

I have a feeling they were bred for looks rather than brains! They are endangered in the UK.

 

[ClantyreSheltie]

I have a feeling they were bred for looks rather than brains! They are endangered in the UK.

Because they aren't interbred with roughs like they are here. So the UK has screwed up Collies like AKC has screwed up the Belgian breeds.

What I see though is that there is a bit more latent herding instinct in Collies than in Shelties.

 

[Chris]

Collie: Timmy is in the well!

Sheltie: Hey you! Timmy's in the well! He's In The Well! Come on come on come oooonnnn! Move it, hooman, let's go get Timmy! He's in the well! We must save him! I'll show you where, let me herd you the way! Timmy! In the well! Wait, where's my ball? Does Timmy have my ball? Must get Timmy! He has the ball! Hooman, come! We must save the ball! The ball is in the well!

Annie Laurie: "Yeah, I know Timmy's in the well. I pushed him."

 

[DieDany]

Rough Collies are pretty rare here in the Czech Rep. now. They look gorgeous though and I've heard that they were calmer and more cool-headed than Shelties. Reportedly Borzois were used in creating Rough Collies and if I look at them closely I can see some similarity in their profile and face.

Love the Timmy-in-the-well method

 

[Jess041]

I've never actually met a collie. I saw one at a flyball tournament, and I've seen them at dog shows. There was even a CHW rough collie at the dog park, but we were on our way out.

I'm probably the worst about calling my own dog a "mini lassie". I resort to calling her that when someone asks what kind of dog she is, and I tell him a sheltie, and they give me a face like it's some sort of designer breed they've never heard of. I think it's the coloring that throws them off. If I had a sable, they wouldn't be so confused. In fact, we were at the dog park the other day with someone from flybal with 2 shelties, a blue merle and a sable merle. All three of the shelties were right there, a guy asked about her smerle, but didn't really associate Missy with the other two shelties .

 

[PatC]

Everywhere I go with mine, people go "oh, look--little Lassies!" I just grit my teeth and smile.

 

[labgirl]

Because they aren't interbred with roughs like they are here. So the UK has screwed up Collies like AKC has screwed up the Belgian breeds.

What I see though is that there is a bit more latent herding instinct in Collies than in Shelties.

Ah, didn't know that. The rough collie is not so common here as the border collie. That being said I know a lady with three, one of each colour and we sometimes have a giggle as Merlin looks like her old blue merle's puppy Her dogs seem nice, though she has allowed them to bark a lot.

 

[take4roll10]

I don't mind so much the mini-collie comment. I guess I just am flattered that someone is taking an interest in my dogs in the first place. My girls are such people dogs, they don't care what people call them, as long as they can get some pets and cuddles out of it, lol.

I feel the same way. I don't mind the mini-collie or mini-lassie references. If you know the breeds well like us, you know the difference in temperament, intelligence and appearance, but to someone who doesn't know much about breeds, shelties do look like mini-collies. There's no denying it.

I don't get offended, but I will tell them that she is a sheltie, which is a different breed than a collie, but yes they do look like tiny versions.