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The YORKSHIRE TOFTY the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams 'Eleanor Roosevelt'
About the Yorkshire Tofty
The Yorkshire Tofty is an ongoing project to restore the homespun dignity and charm of the original 'Rough Collie' with its traditional character and values. The Tofty is bred selectively to have greater diversity in the immune system haplotypes, in the hope it can better cope with our modern world.
The Tofty Project
The name 'Tofty' emerged from the name of my home village in Yorkshire, a base from which I gathered experience enabling me to formulate plans to rebuild the Rough Collie (a breed in danger) from it roots. The Tofty 'project' began in 2018 and is history in the making, I am the founder. Interestingly the word 'Toft' means farm and comes from the old viking, another reason the name fits so well as the Tofty like its predecessor is a 'farm dog'
Some of you may have seen through the pages of old books, photos of 'Ladypark' collies, who were also raised in Yorkshire (in and around the 1950-1960 era). In the mind and hearts of many they still represent the 'ideal' Collie. 'Ladypark' exemplified impassive dignity with their size and stature. They had character and they helped form 'the picture' that captured hearts and gave the breed its original 'essence'.
Here at WICANTOFT we are returning to these roots combining our fully health tested Rough Collies with a landrace breed still in existence amongst hill shepherds, dogs very similar to those that built the breed over 100 years ago. We can experience these combination dogs in our lives and witness history unfolding as each generation evolves. The YORKSHIRE TOFTY will hopefully provide a future lifeline for the restoration of a healthier more traditional style Rough collie. It will definitely become a healthier alternative for those interested.
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The YORKSHIRE TOFTY is adaptable. We are already discovering a return to a more intelligent problem solving dog, a dog able to cope with many hobbies and pursuits whilst having an 'off' switch. The Tofty knows how to run against the wind, then fall asleep by your feet!
We plan to showcase these dogs through video, personal critiques of their owners, photographs and the written word.
Step into the world of the TOFTY and savour the experience.
A dog for all seasons. A dog for many reasons
- Breed founder, Angela Harvey
 Wicantoft Chattering Magpie |  Biscuit |  Wicantoft Dawn of the Dragons |
|---|---|---|
 Squid |  Wicantoft Rosebud |  Moss |
 Toftys |  Whisky |
Yorkshire Toftys
Genuine Tofty are registered into the offi cial database on this website, and come come with a pedigree showing lineage.
They are bred by carefully reconnecting and combining the Rough Collie with its ancient landrace lineage. The landrace used is the Welsh Sheepdog who was very likely the the dog that first introduced the sable coat colour to the show collie.
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Genetic diversity
Every dog in this program is genetically tested and carefully chosen for health and vitality.
The Rough Collie registry has been closed for many years, and therefore no new blood has been introduced. The continued use of popular sires, along with the effects of two world wars limiting breeding, has decreased the genetic pool to a dangerous level. The Tofty project carefully combines the Rough Collie with the Welsh Sheepdog and tracks their genetic diversity - the amount of homozygosity within their genetic makeup
Phenotype
The Tofty Standard is a loose description of the appearance of the breed, based first and foremost on functionality. A Tofty must have the structure that enables it to work, showing athleticism, flexibility, vigour, core body strength and muscle control.
Toftys have a double coat, which should fit the outline of the dog and be weatherproof. It should be moderate to abundand but not exaggerated.
Colour and markings are immaterial providing they are found naturally within the Welsh Sheepdog or Rough Collie gene pool.
Health
The Tofty is free from Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA), MDR1, and Degenerative Myelopathy (DM).
Tofty also enjoy far greater immune system diversity, helping to protect them from conditions such as Dermatomyositis (DMS). Almost the entire world population of Rough and Smooth Collies share just one allele in the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) named 002/01 - one of the alleles that incurs greater risk of DMS. DNA tests on Toftys have proven that they possess many more alleles, and a stronger and more diverse immune system.
Temperament
From an early age, Toftys prove different to Rough Collies. At 3 weeks they connect with humans in a focused way, making serious eye contact, and listen intently.
These traits were once abundant in the Rough Collie and I am reintroducing them to the Tofty.
Working ability
Welsh Sheepdogs are 'loose eyed' and upright workers, which is very different to the Border Collie. This is similar to how Rough Collies worked historically, making them the ideal match for reintroducing working ability.
Toftys are at work in the UK and across the world. They are proving to be useful farm dogs who can also adapt to be "a wonderful, calm, intelligent pet".
Care requirements
Toftys have a weatherproof, fitted coat which is free from exaggerations. As such, it requires less grooming than a Rough Collie.
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