Rough Collie vs Czechoslovakian Wolfdog - Breed Comparison

Many people have seen the movie ‘Lassie’, and of course this movie made the Collie popular and famous.

Apart from the Rough Collie, you also get the Smooth Collie. The Rough Collie’s origins start in the 1800’s in Scotland and Wales but unfortunately, the Rough Collie's exact origins are shrouded in lack of information.

These dogs were used as herding dogs in real-life and in movies, and it was in 1879 that the first English Rough Collie was imported to the USA, but it is the UK from whence the dog comes.

The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is a mix between a German Shepherd and a Carpathian wolf. In fact the Czechoslovakian Vlcak is another name for the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog and Vlcak is the Czech name for a German Shepard dog.

When you translate the name, it means Czechoslovakian German Shepherd. There was a biological experiment that began in 1955 and these experimental breedings went on for a decade, so that in 1965 a plan was created for the breeding of this new breed.

It was in 1982 that the Czechoslovakian Vlcak was recognized as a national breed in the former Czechoslovakian Republic and recognized by the United Kennel Club in 2006.

This attractive, intelligent looking dog won the title of ‘World Champion’ at the World Dog Show in 1990 and in 1999, the breed met all criteria of the World Canine Organization, earning full recognition of the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog breed.

The Rough Collie or Long-haired Collie is considered to be a medium to large sized dog with a long, double-layer coat.You’ll find the coat mainly as tri-colored – white, fawn and dark brown and black.

The Rough Collie stands at between 51 to 61cm in height and weighs between 18 and 30kg. The long, thin muzzled dog has semi erect, semi-floppy ears, sweet, gentle eyes and a long, plumed tail.

Temperament:

Rough collies are loving, gentle dogs who thrive on spending time with their human families. Their kindly nature makes them good therapy dogs.They don’t do well when left in the back yard on their own day after day. They’re social dogs who love playing with the children in the home and they get on well with other family pets.

The Rough Collie is highly intelligent and he is easy to train. With training and socialization he becomes so well behaved you can take him anywhere.

The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog looks like a true German Shepherd/Wolf mix with his erect ears, bushy tail and straight, muscular legs.

The eyes of the dog are slanted and brown. He stands at about 65cm in height and weighs up to 26kg. The thick coat of the dog is greyish in color but other colors come in as well such as white, cream, black, silver and yellow - all wolf colors. In fact the density of the coat as well as the color changes according to the seasons.

The coat is particularly thick in the Winter, thinning out in the Summer. The coat color may be yellow-gray or silver-gray.

Temperament:

Having a pet which has some wild animal mix can be risky and dangerous. Adding wild animal DNA means that you can get some of the behavior of the wild animal added in and this can be asking for trouble.

When the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog turns on a person, he will be blamed and put down, whereas it is the stupidity of the human to breed such dogs and bring them into their homes in the first place. You need to be careful with children in the home, especially if they don’t know how to treat a dog with respect.

Nonetheless the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is able to develop a deep relationship with his owner. He is a dog who, when training and socialized, can gets on well with his human family as well as with other pets in the family.

He has got other excellent characteristics such as being fearless and courageous. He is intelligent and learns easily.

The Rough Collie is such an intelligent dog, but he is loving and devoted too. He can slot into life in the city or countryside because all he really wants is to be close to his human family.

Wherever you live with your Rough Collie though, he will need to be well exercised. He is sweet but slightly timid and will want to be with a family that isn't too noisy in terms of lots of shouting.

People who have had Collies say these dogs make he most awesome pets, and in the right environment these wonderful intelligent dogs will make splendidly loyal, loving pets and companions,

The beautiful Czechoslavakian Wolfdog resembles a wolf and in many of these dogs, their characteristics are wolf-like too. The dog is confident and independent, but it also able to form good relationships with his human family.

Many people thrill at the idea of having a pet which has a wild side to him, but there is a price to pay for having such a pet in your home. Their wild side can suddenly come to the fore, with dangerous consequences.

There are so many dog breeds to choose from that surely it isn’t necessary to start tampering with animals from the wild?

The Rough Collie can reach 12 to 14 years of age with good care. There are always some health issues to be aware of such as hereditary eye diseases. Also, as with most larger breeds, hip dysplasia is always a concern.

Other illnesses to look out for include cancer, skin allergies, bloat and Grey Collie Syndrome. As a responsible dog owner, get your pet to the doctor when you notice a change in his behavior – tiredness, vomiting, lethargy, unusual lumps, swelling and a feeling of depression.

Gray Collie Syndrome:

This is a form of canine cyclic neutropenia which affects the Collie breed. There is a low concentration of neutrophils in the blood. It can be hereditary or it can develop because of a side effect of chemotherapy for instance. It is essentially caused by a defect in the bone marrow stem cells. Affected dog will always battle with gastrointestinal problems and infections of the eye.The life expectancy of a Collie with this ailment will be less than 3 years.

Your Czechoslovakian Wolfdog is a healthy dog who with good health care, can reach the age of 12 to 15 years. However, it is good to be forewarned about some dog sicknesses that your dog might get and which could be detrimental to your dog’s quality of life.

Hip Dysplasia:

This disease comes about when the ball and socket joint at the hip doesn’t form properly. The bones rub and chafe when the dog moves and the condition just gets worse as time goes on. Your dog can actually end up with arthritis, and worse, become lame.

Degenerative Myelopathy:

This is a progressive deterioration of the spinal cord which causes lameness in your pet’s hind legs. It is incurable and can be the end of your pet. The exact cause of this tragic illness is unknown.

Your Rough Collie does shed so he will require a good brush twice a week. The long silky hair can matt so this grooming session will be important.

Exercise:

Your film-star collie is an active, athletic dog. He has always been used to herding sheep, and instinctively he wants to be active. His bright eyes are always alert to some action, and his exercise needs go beyond just allowing him to run around in your back yard.

He is the kind of dog that wants something more energetic such as going on hikes or long walks and running after sticks or balls on the beach.

Diet:

A Collie is an energetic dog and will require the best dog food there is. If you give him commercially manufactured food make sure it is the right food for his size, his breed and his energy levels.

To add some variety, feed him some home-made food occasionally which can be added to his dry kibble twice a week. Boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta and spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots are a healthy choice for your pet. Try and feed him some raw meat occasionally. Ensure there is always a bowl of fresh, cool water for him.

Exercise:

Vlcaks have been specifically bred for stamina and if you neglect to exercise him, he’ll become bored and frustrated and possibly destructive and aggressive. He must be trained and he must be constantly provided with lots of exercise and activities.

Training and Socialization:

Because of the wolf side of this dog, Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs have a high prey drive, so he will need to be trained and socialized if you want him to get along with your other pets in the home.