Collie and Lurcher?

[rbyw]

We have a 3 year old dog, we got him when he was 1 and we were told that he was a collie by his last owners. However, I *think* that they did not see the parents beforehand and he was very poorly treated there (implying lying).
Now he is 10cm larger than a collie should be, and a lot heavier. I didn't think about it until we had a collie in our dog training class. This dog was half his width and they looked nothing alike. It's not just that he is overweight (although he has gained some weight since being neutered) but his ribs are wider and his feet are much larger. Basically, he is just a bigger, heavier dog.
He eats less than our lurcher and gets twice as much exercise yet he maintains his weight. He is 33kgs (measured balanced in a dog basket on scales) but that is 10kg over the 23kg border collie weight braket...
I was interested to see what other people thought? Is he just a really overweight collie? I always look at him and think I see a little bit of something else in there...
Here are his photos;
his face





his body; I am sorry about the quality. He is a very active dog and standing still is not his thing. Also the poorer quality pictures were taken 1/2 an hour ago and he has a v. scruffy winter coat.




I would also like opinions on our lurcher, we ended up getting her from a friend; before that she was a stray. She is now 10-ish and is the lovely-ist dog ever (she has no flaws). She is taller than a whippet, smaller than a greyhound so we assumed greyhound x whippet. However her nose is wider and she isn't particularily scrawny, even when she was underweight. I know she might look a little overweight now, but at her age I think it is important to have a little extra padding. I was wondering whether people agreed with the greyhound/whippet assumption.






Thanks; he has been on a diet for a few months but he just isn't losing weight. Our vet says that while he is still active and healthy it isn't a real issue.

[Zoom]

You most likely have an Australian Shepherd, not a collie. Congrats, they're awesome dogs! Of course, I'm biased, since I have one as well.

Your sighthound, she could be a grey/whippet mix, or just a small grey. One thing though, at her age it's more important for her to NOT have extra padding, as it puts extra stress on their joints. She is very lovely though.

[~Tucker&Me~]

I agree with Aussie!

Also, I agree with Zoom. One thing you can do to make aging easier for her is too keep off any extra weight. It is really hard on an older dogs body to be carrying around 'baggage'.

[Zoom]

Although, where are you from? Your "collie' might be an English Shepherd depending on where you're at.

[colliewog]

Originally Posted by Zoom

Although, where are you from? Your "collie' might be an English Shepherd depending on where you're at.

He does look like an English Shepherd, but it sounds like you're in the UK and the English Shepherd is actually an American breed. Could be a heavier boned Border Collie x Australian Shepherd - but definitely not a Rough Collie.

Regarding the Lurcher,when I was looking into them, I found many people breeding Sighthounds to bulls (Staffordshire Bulls, Am Staffordshire, etc.) and they looked very much like that - the sighthound influence took over the bull influence in general conformation, but they had a little bit wider heads. Maybe Pops will see this and chime in -- he knows his stuff!

[rbyw]

I have a friend with an aussie who looks just like him; but ruled it out on account that we are in england (where they are pretty uncommon, and collies are everywhere) although I can imagine someone inexperienced selling one as a "collie".
About the lurcher's weight. That was what our vet said; she has only gained 1kg in the 7 years we have owned her. When we got her the vet said she needed to gain weight. And they said that she is better off with a little extra fat because she because if she gets unwell she may lose weight very quickly.

[Maura]

I think he looks like a border collie. He doesn't look like my border collie, who has a slightly more tapered muzzle. I don't know your measurement scale, but if his feet are properly sized for his body, then they are the correct size. Rough coated collies look like they have small feet because the feet are oval, and the rest of the dog looks bigger than it is because of the full double coat. My dog's sire was about 55 pounds, which is large for a border collie, but there you have it (from incredible and famous lines, so I'm sure he really is a purebred BC). I think your lurcher is a small greyhound.

[Zoom]

Aussies are gaining more popularity overseas, though they're not super common yet. Anything is possible though.

[lizzybeth727]

I'd agree, your dog is either an aussie or border collie, absolutely not a rough coated collie. Have you seen Lassie? That is a rough collie.... definately not the same breed as your dog.

[Romy]

That dog looks like a border collie to me, there is incredible variation in the breed. He sort of reminds me of Dekka's Scout, but maybe I'm just seeing things.

Welsh sheepdog is another possibility if you're from the UK. Yet another breed with a wide variation in coat, color and size because they are bred for their ability, rather than looks.

Also, lurchers are sighthounds mixed with anything else. If your dog is sighthound X sighthound that makes her a longdog. She's very cute!