GENERAL APPEARANCE - The Collie should instantly appeal as a dog of great beauty, standing with impassive dignity, with no part out of proportion to the whole.
There is nothing mystical about the construction of the Rough Collie! It is a medium sized, conventionally constructed dog. Its instant appeal and great beauty come from its head, expression, coat and
effortless movement.
When asked to describe impassive dignity, in the Macquarie Concise Dictionary, the word “impassive” is defined as calm, serene and the word “dignity” is defined as nobility of manner or style.
“A picture is worth a thousand words”
CHARACTERISTICS - To enable the Collie to fulfil a natural bent for sheep-dog work, its physical structure should be on the lines of strength and activity, free from cloddiness and without any trace of coarseness. Expression, one of the most important points in considering relative values, is obtained by the perfect balance and combination of skull and foreface; size, shape, colour and placement of eye, correct position and carriage of ears.
The Collie is often classified as a ‘head’ breed. While the head and expression is of great importance, we must not forget that movement is characteristic of the breed. We cannot have the correct breed type if it does not possess correct structural working ability as well as the true Collie head and expression.
