Country of Origin: Scotland
Life Span: 8-12 years
Bred For: Sheep herder
Coat: Rough, straight, harsh, long.
Color: Sable & white, tricolor, blue merle, white.
Height: Male: 24-26" Female: 22-24"
Weight: Male: 60-75lbs Female: 50-65lbs
Family Rating:
History
The Collie had its origins in the Scottish highlands, where they were sheepdogs for centuries and assisted their owners with guarding and herding the flock of sheep. Back then, they were barely known outside of Scotland, unlike today's popularity of the breed worldwide. It is believed that the Collie received its name because of the Colley sheep they used to help tend. These sheep had black faces. Queen Victoria loved Collies and used to keep them in Scotland at the Balmoral Castle. In fact, her love and fondness for these dogs helped make them popular worldwide. Today's version of the breed was developed in the later 1800s in England and were known as the "Scottish Collies" throughout the 19th century to the early part of the 20th century. Those Collies had broad heads and were petite with shorter muzzles when compared to today's smooth and rough Collies. The Collies were first shown under the name of "Scotch Sheepdogs" at a dog show at Birmingham, England in the 1860s. Then the Collies were imported by England in the year 1879 where they continued to be bred into today's version of the dog.
Temperament
Collies are extremely sharp-thinking dogs with a gentle temperament. These dogs are very easy to train because of the intelligence and are quick to catch on. They are not only great working dogs as in herding but make good family pets too. They have such a friendly personality that they can tolerate other pets and animals too. They are very caring, protective, and loving of their family and others they love. Collies are great with children and love playing with them. They make an obedient, gentle pet for the whole family. Collies will even play hide and seek, and the ever favorite tug of war. The Collies have such a sensitive nature that if they do something wrong, the owner should gently correct the dog by showing them what they should do. They will pick it up quickly. They are very social too and enjoy being around other animals and people. They get bored easily when left alone. Owners should be prepared to spend time with Collies. The Collies are lively and happy when given the right attention and care. Collies normally are cautious of people they do not know. They will bark at a stranger and can leash out if they fear danger. Collies are always on alert with what is happening in their surrounding area. You may need to train them to not bark so much because they can over bark in certain situations.
Upkeep and Grooming
The smooth Collies do not need the same type of care as the rough Collies do. They have a hard coat, which sheds filth and mud quite regularly, and need to be brushed and cleaned weekly to make sure their coats look nice and stay healthy. The smooth Collies are easily groomed but they do need bathing and brushing once every week or two.
Health Concerns
Collies are basically healthy but they can suffer from a few diseases such as:
- PRA (Progressive Retinal Aatrophy)
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