News

What is Happening and what has happened in 2025.

No shows for some time now but there is one at the end of the month. However, Ninja (Corydon The Baronet) had his hips Ex rayed last week, the result came through with a score of 2 2. They were near perfect, and the best score we have ever had. Then last week we had to say good bye to Mike (Corydon Winning Factor) He kept falling over and Miranda had to carry him out of his kennel. He sired just 2 litters but they produced a UK Champion and a big winning Finnish Champion. So we are now down to just 13 Collies and some of them are now getting to the veteran stage.

Corydon Winning Factor

I have altered my article on bitch lines. I originally had it as a book. But then I realised that nobody would read it. So I have put it on this site in it’s original form. I have enjoyed the research as it is very interesting and challenging.

We only had one show in November and that was just a Club Open Show. But we did quite well or at least Ch Corydon Christopher did well as he had three of his puppies from different litters entered and they all won their classes. Unusual for a dog to have three of his offspring winning first prizes at a show. Maybe someone might come and use him on their bitches.

The end of October 2025 and now we have confirmation of Ninja’s Junior Warrant. He is the first of ours to win this since Fizzy in 2014.

Thursday 23rd October was Midland Counties Ch Show. We did well with Ninja winning his class and then in the final 3 for the Dog CC. The Dog CC winner was all Corydon Bred and Best Puppy dog was by Ch Corydon Christopher.

We had 2 shows on the weekend of 6/7 September. First was Richmond Ch Show with Marion Benton of Smooth Collie fame judging the Rough Collies. Miranda took just Ninja and he came home with his first Challenge Certificate. Next day was Yorkshire Collie Club Ch Show. Ninja did well again by winning the Reserve CC. Smudge could only get third in Open Dog.

Ninja winning at Richmond Ch Show.

The weekend of 21/22/August had 4 shows for two clubs. 21st we had Driffield Ch show. 2 Shows because they had to cancel last year when the wind blew down the tents. Miranda took Ninja and Kasper. The first show was a washout for us. But the second show we fared better as Kasper won the Open Dog Class and then the Reserve CC. Ninja won both of his classes. The next day London & Provincial held two open Show. Our same two dogs went plus Christiana. They had baby puppy classes and Jo Williams asked me to handle one of her puppies. It was the first class of the day and the puppy dog I handled won first prize. He really is one to look out for. He was very much admired. His sire is our Ch Christopher, Ninja won 2 classes and got enough points for him to win the Junior Warrant. Best in show at the first was from Switzerland but had a Corydon dam. The Best in show at the second was by a Corydon and Chrissy won the award for reserve best bitch. A big surprise as she is still getting he coat back but she is a spectacular mover. She won all her classes at the 2 shows.

16th August there were 2 shows held on the same ground. They were the Welsh Kennel club show and the Collie Club of Wales Championship Show. Miranda took Ninja and Smudge. Ninja won all his classes at both shows. He earnt 3 Junior Warrant points and at the Collie show he won the Reserve Dog CC. Smudge won 2nd in the Open Dog class at the same show. So a good day.

10th August was Bournemouth Ch Show. Maxine took her new boy that she has just had from us. He won the Dog CC and Best of breed. This was the first time that Maxine had won Best of Breed with one of her own. Miranda had gone to the World Show in Finland. We had brought up and looked after Silver for nearly 4 years. But he needed to be in a town environment to improve his previous rather shy temperament. Now after 3 months with Maxine he is perfect. We do live in a rather isolated place.

27th July was the Midland Collie Clubs Open Show. We took Ninja and Kasper. Ninja (Corydon The Baronet) won both his Classes. Kasper (Corydon The Grandmaster) won the Open Dog Class. Won Best Dog and then won Best in Show. It was his first show for a while. He was unlucky in that he was a Covid baby so did not get to any puppy classes. He is looking very good so we will try and win some more with him. Oh I nearly forgot. Miranda won 2 bottles of wine in the raffle.

Tuesday the 22nd of July we had to say farewell to Taz (Ch Corydon The Ringleader). He had lost the will to live as he could mot get up on his own. He was the top dog in the UK as he was the only Group Winner. His son Ch Corydon Christopher won his title just a few days ago. So Taz went out with a bang.

Saturday 12 July Smudge (Corydon Christopher) became a Champion by winning the Dog Challenge Certificate at the National Working & Pastoral Breeds Ch Show. Corydon The Baron was placed second in the Limit Dog Class which entitles him to a Kennel club Stud Book number. So a good day.

Sunday 15th June we said good bye to Cristal. She has gone to live near Southampton. She really has die and gone to heaven. She is the first of 7 seven Rough Collies that has climbed the stairs in their house. She knows where it is best.

I am rather appalled by the very low quality of most of the exhibits I see in the ring today. Most of the winners would not have been considered or even shown 40 or 50 years ago. I have talked to many and I find that almost all of them have no idea as to what makes a good expression in the breed. So I think that it would be a good idea for people interested in the breed to be shown the difference between a wonderful expression and a poor expression. I want to do this as I am told that once someone has seen and apreciated a wonderful expression they will never forget it. When I first started in the breed, nearly 70 years ago, expression was considered the most important part of the breed. No other breed could have that sweet, alert expression. I suppose that nowadays judges do not know what they are looking for so they ignore this most basic and important feature of the breed.

I have been blessed with the gift that I can always find the animal with the best expression. For me if the animal has a good expression, whether it is a cow, pig or dog that animal will be good in all departments.

I have been reading a book on the breed written by Dr Bennett the very famous American Breeder written in 1924. He is quite scathing about the quality of some judges. So things do not improve with time. But he does come up with some ideas and for me, his best is about the Breed Standard which is a lot more informative than the UK Breed Standard. He is saying that so few judges understand expression, which is the most important part of a Rough Collie. He refers to an old English Standard that was published by the Northern Collie Club in about 1910. This Standard has the head of a Collie accounting to 50% of the total marks that they used at that time. He thought that as the head on a Rough Collie is so different from any other breed that this emphasis on the head was about right.

I am doing a lot of research into bitch lines and during this research I can find very little of anything to do with the breed in Scotland. The breed was not named until about 1876. Before that they were classes as sheepdogs. And NO Queen Victoria did not have any until about 1882 when the Rev Hans Hamilton gave her one or two that she kept at Sandringham. The Collies she had at Balmoral in Scotland were short coated and were nothing like the Rough Collie. So why is it classed as a Scottish breed? The breed was set up in the Birmingham area during the 1870- 1890 period. It is not a Scottish breed.

These were Quean Victoria’s Sheepdogs at Balmoral in the 1860’s

Miranda went with Corydon Christopher to 3 shows in Scotland and won nothing.

Much more success as Corydon Christopher won the Dog Challenge Certificate and Best of Breed at the Birmingham National Ch Show on the 10th May. He won the Reserve CC at the Manchester show and also at the WELKS Ch Shows. At the latter show our two puppies won the Dog and Bitch Puppy Classes.

Corydon Christopher Best of Breed at Birmingham National

Now we have a show and what a success. This was Edwinstowe all Breeds Open Show held at Newark Showground on the 18th April (Good Friday). Miranda took the two tricolour puppies and Kasper. Corydon Crystal Vision won the breed puppy class and then Best of Breed. She did not stop there because she want into the Best Puppy ring and won that. A very rare win for our breed. Her brother won his class and Kasper won the Open Class and was Reserve Best of Breed. So it was a good day for us.

No shows for a time but we have mated two bitches. Ch Corydon Clarissa has met Corydon The Baron. He is the sire of Corydon The Baronet that was best puppy in show at the British Collie Club Championship Show earlier this year. The Baron’s granddam has been visited by Ch Corydon Christopher. We have kept it all in the family as Christopher is out of Clarissa. They are due to whelp at the end of May. Clarissa being the first due.

The 1st March was the British Collie Club Ch Show. We took Ninja (Corydon The Baronet). He won 3 first prizes and Best Puppy in Show. Smudge (Corydon Christopher) won the Open Dog Class but got no further. The judge probably did not want us to win everything. A Ringleader son won the Reserve Dog CC. So we had a really good day when we expected nothing.

Below is Ninja after winning Best Puppy in Show at the British Collie Club Ch Show.

The less said about the Midland collie Club show held on the 13th February the better. The judging was the worst I have ever seen in the nearly 70 years that I have been showing Rough Collies. Actually we did quite well as Bruiser won the Post Grad dog Class and Crissy was placed second in the Puppy Bitch Class. But the judge did not touch the heads on either of them.

The second show of the year was Isle of Ely Open Show held on the 1st February.. Miranda worked very hard on 3 dogs she had entered They were covered in mud. Dotty (Corydon Cristal Vision) was in the first class of the day which was The Puppy Stakes with an entry of 40. She won first prize and £30. This was only her second show. She was entered in the Rough Collie Puppy Class which she won. Her brother Ninja (Corydon The Baronet) also at his second show won the Junior Class and then was placed as Best Puppy and Reserve Best of Breed. Their sire Bruiser (Corydon The Baron) won the Open Class and then Best of Breed. This has to be the most dominant we have ever been at a show. Miranda’s hard work the previous day was well rewarded.

This is Dotty winning first prize in Puppy Stakes class at Isle of Ely Show. Notice her back legs are well behind her tail. This extension is so rare in the breed today. Why?

The first show of the year was Manchester Championship Show. Corydon Christopher was placed 2nd in the Open Dog class and then won the Reserve Challenge Certificate. Corydon Christiana won 1st in the Junior Bitch Class. So a good day.

We have now been informed that Taz (Ch Corydon The Ringleader) was top sire for 2024 by siring two Champions and a CC winner. Runner up to him was Phineas (Corydon The Ringmaster who sired two CC winners. Taz has actually sired just 8 litters in the UK and now he is nearly eleven years old he is too old to use any more. Luckily we have his son Cristopher who is now siring exceptional puppies. It would seem that this dog is dominant for sable. In other words he is only going to produce sable and white puppies even if the dam is tricolour. Phineas is also dominant for sable and white.

It has always been said that the Rough Collie is Scottish Breed. Having done a considerable amount of research I have to disagree with this. The main reason that it is a supposed Scottish breed is that Queen Victoria had them at Balmoral from 1860 onwards. From my research she liked her Collies at Balmoral, but they were Working Collies. She did not have any Rough Collies until the Rev Hans Hamilton gave her one or two in the 1880’s including a dog by the name of Darnley 11.

Darnley was born on the 8^th January 1888 and lived at her English country Sandringham estate. His full brother Ch Christopher was born a year later on the 14 June 1889, and he went on to win the Best of Breed award at the first all breeds Crufts show in 1891. Darnley was entered at this show but did not get a high award.

Obviously Scottish dogs were used on English Collies, but from the names of them I have to assume that they were Working Collies. I have seen a head photograph of Marcus a dog that came from Scotland and was used on English bitches with some success. From his head photo he was a Border Collie.

But the first major sires in the breed were Trefoil from Ireland and Old Cockie born in England. The main two early bitches were Maude born in England owned by Mr Bissell. And Ruby 111 bred by Rev Hans Hamilton in England.

It was down to a group of breeders in the Birmingham area that worked on their breeding to establish the Rough Collie as a type. I suspect that until this group got together the Collies were of different types and it was not until about 1876 that a true Rough Collie was born.

From my research the first true Scottish Breeder was Mr J Agnew who had the Old Hall prefix. But he did not start in the breed until about 1892. Before that date there appears to be no other successful Scottish breeder.

Also, why is the breed called a sheepdog. From my expeince on a large farm wgere I looked after 500 cattle and 1,000 sheep my Rough Collies were much happier with the cattle. On reflection the breed is rather too big for sheep and they can be too agresive to the reluctant ones.

Below are two of Queen Victoria’s working Collies kept at Balmoral. Not exactly Rough Collies.

Maxine had a good time on the first weekend of 2024. She judged all breed stakes classes at a big Open Dog Show. What it did though was to make her realise just how unsound far too many of todays Rough Collies are. She now knows why the Group judges ignore the breed. I have to ask why so many breed judges ignore the breed standard and give major awards to exhibits that should not be getting them. Do they not realise that the precarious position the breed is now in is because of the soft wavy coats that the pet buying public cannot deal with. It might look good to some of the judges but they are not correct. The Standard is quite clear – The coat should be straight and harsh with a dense undercoat. I have looked at some of those with the soft wavy coat and all too often there is very little undercoat. Then we come to physical soundness. Why are so many Rough Collies with straight shoulders winning top awards? Why are so many in the breed with deep stops winning? I have to say that if judges want a deep stop they should change breeds and have Border Collies instead. Their standard requires a deep stop. Our Standard says the stop should slight but can be seen. I have seen far too many judges ignore the breed standard and give top awards to exhibits that have deep stops huge wavy soft coats and very straight shoulders. These people should not be judging dogs, and the Kennel Club should remove their names from the vast extended judging list. They will not because the last thing they are interested in is improving breeds. They have failed so many breeds. Wire Haired Fox Terriers are now on the endangered list. When I first started back in the 1950.s, They were right up amongst the most popular breeds. I could go on and on. The kennel Club registrations in Rough Collies is now less than 8% of what it was in the 1970’s. Finland with a population of 5 million has more Rough Collies registered than the UK with a population of over 70 million. I judged in Australia in November 2023. They were a revelation as all were sound, all could move properly and all had harsh straight coats. They were lovely.