Timber!  But not this kind

For as marvelous a descriptive as it is, and as often as the word appears in canine encyclopedias and dog books, it is surprising that as of this writing, only one AKC breed standard includes “timber” in its standard.

Only one out of 202 dog breeds.

So that we’re all on the same page, the use of “timber” in the context of describing a breed is an illustrative way to convey the idea of unnecessary weight or bulk. Some canine dictionaries define it as heavy boned, especially in the legs; others are more vague and refer to ‘timber’ as ‘substance.’  

While we can’t explain why other breeds don’t use the word in their respective standards, we can understand why the Collie does, and this makes it the only AKC breed standard to use the word. The first line of the standard alludes to it: ” General Character: The Collie is a lithe, strong, responsive, active dog, carrying no useless timber, standing naturally straight and firm.”

To drive home the point, we feel compelled to remind readers that the Collie is a working breed in which efficiency and functionality without excess bulk or weight is important.  Too much of the latter impacts the former.  Put another way, unnecessary bulk not only impedes the breed’s performance as a herding dog, but impacts breed type.

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