Q: Why do some Old-Time Scotch Collies look more like modern Rough Collies and others look more like Aussies?
Short answer: Old-Time Scotch Collies are a “landrace breed”. Read on to learn what constitutes a landrace breed, how they differ from “purebred” dog breeds and how we can maintain this healthy, hearty and intelligent population.

What is a “landrace”?

Landraces are local populations of animals that are consistent enough to be considered breeds, but are more variable in appearance than are standardized breeds.
A combination of human and natural selection has shaped the evolution of landrace breeds. Natural selection and geographical isolation have created genetic consistency and adaptation to the local environment.
A Conservation Breeding Handbook
by D. Philip Sponenberg and Carolyn J. Christman
http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/CBH%20chapter%201.pdf

Many purebred dog breeds started out as a landrace and were further refined and standardized through selective breeding towards a written “breed standard”. So it was with the Scotch Collie, as breeders worked towards their arbitrary standard, the dogs evolved into the heavy-coated, long nosed, aristocratic dog we know today as the Rough Collie.

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