Games Collies Play

Tracking

Sat, 2 Aug 2008 17:14:08 -0700

It seems that every American “of a certain age” remembers a certain heroic collie, week after week, steadfastly using her intelligence, bravery, and superior sense of smell to lead rescuers to Timmy trapped in the well. It turns out there wasn’t a single episode of Lassie that featured her young, but apparently not-too-bright, master trapped in a well. Nonetheless, the image of a collie skillfully and willingly following a person’s track is completely realistic. Tracking requires that a dog not only have the physical ability to follow scent, but that the dog also has the concentration and work ethic to stick to a specified track, and the physical and mental stamina to follow a track through to the end. Inland Empire Collie Club members have been very successful in molding the biddability, intelligence, and persistence of a well trained collie into a successful tracking dog. Members have trained over a dozen collies to successfully complete the AKC Tracking Dog Title, and three of those collies have gone on to complete the challenging requirements of the Tracking Dog Excellent title. In the process, we have had the pleasure of witnessing many sunrises as we drive to the tracking fields, gotten lots of exercise and fresh air, learned to appreciate a sensory world that is almost non-existent to humans, and done more than our share to support the rain-wear and rubber boot industry. We proudly offer the only collie specialty tracking test in the US each spring.

Conformation

Sat, 2 Aug 2008 14:24:55 -0700

Although conformation is often perceived as being merely a beauty contest, ideally it is much more than just a judge’s opinion of which dog is the prettiest. Collies, like all recognized breeds, have a written standard for what their appearance should be. Even though the majority of collies, like most breeds, live a life far removed from their original purpose, the collie standard is still based on the breed’s historic function as a versatile farm dog. The collie’s body should be well balanced and athletic, his gait smooth and efficient, to meet the requirements to be ready to work all day. The sound structure of an ideal collie is accompanied by a sweet, intelligent, inquisitive expression and an elegant head that make the collie instantly distinguishable from all other breeds. Members of the Inland Empire Collie Club are dedicated to striving for the collie that excels in meeting the physical standard as well as epitomizing the gentle temperament, willingness, and devotion to family that characterizes the breed. Our members have bred and exhibited close to a hundred collies to their conformation championships, and many of those have gone on to place in Herding Group competition, and a couple have even garnered all-breed Best In Show honors. And to top it off, many of those “beauty contest” collies have earned performance based titles as well.

Agility

Sat, 2 Aug 2008 14:24:37 -0700

The first sentence of the official collie standard describes
the collie as “a lithe, strong, responsive, active dog, carrying no useless timber, standing naturally straight and firm. The deep, moderately wide chest shows strength, the sloping shoulders and well-bent hocks indicate speed and grace, and the face shows high intelligence.” Further on in the standard the gait of the collie is described as suggesting “effortless speed combined with the dog's herding heritage, requiring it to be capable of changing its direction of travel almost instantaneously.” The fast-paced sport of dog agility provides a fun and challenging venue to showcase these critical aspects of the ideal collie. At the novice level dogs are required to negotiate jumps, weave poles, teeter-totters, tunnels, and other obstacles in a specified sequence within a minimum course time. At more advanced levels, greater and greater demands are placed on the skill of the dog and handler as the turns between obstacles become sharper, the number of “traps” to tempt the dog to go in the wrong direction increases, and the time allowed to complete the course decreases. Agility is truly a test of teamwork between owners and their collies. Inland Empire Collie Club members are proud of the athleticism, responsiveness, and enthusiasm demonstrated by our collies who have successfully and joyfully embraced the sport of agility.

Obedience

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:08:51 -0700

Herding

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:25:33 -0700

Rally

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:30:31 -0700