Origins
Collies became popular in the 1860's, when Queen Victoria became infatuated with them after seeing them herd sheep during a visit to her estates in Balmoral, Scotland, and brought several back to Windsor Castle. The collie had been used as a herding dog in the border counties of northern England and Scotland. Its earliest ancestors may have been the herding dogs that accompanied the Romans across what is now Britain around 500 B.C.
Overview
The collie's temperament makes it one of the finest family dogs. These are highly responsive dogs that want to please their owners. Collies excel in obedience training when handled gently and with positive reinforcement, as long as the sessions are varied (repetitive activities bore these intelligent dogs) and interspersed with retrieving and jumping. Collies are affectionate with children, family members, and other familiar adults, and are generally friendly with other animals. Collies can be reserved with strangers without behaving aggressively, although they may bark when they feel they are needed as watchdogs or when they want attention.
During the first or second world war, the military attempted to train collies as protection and attack dogs. More than 90% fo them failed. They just wanted to be friendly.
Appearance
The Collie's coat comes in two varieties. It can be rough or smooth. The coat of the rough variety is abundant except on the head and legs. The outercoat is long, straight and harsh to the touch; the undercoat is soft, furry, and so dense that it is difficult to see the skin. The smooth variety has a less abundant, hard, dense, and short coat. The Collie is bred in four colors: sable and white, tricolor, blue merle, and white. The head shape is a lean, blunt wedge.
Breed Group: Herding
Height: 22-24 inches for female and 24-26 inches for males
Weight: 50-65 lbs for females and 60 to75 lbs for males
Life Span: 10-14 yrs
Attention
Collies require daily attention and time in the house with their people. Dogs who do not get enough attention often become vigorous barkers. These dogs have also been known to chew and become diggers. Collies who receive a daily dose of love and attention are often seen as wonderful house companions.
Grooming
The amount of care the Collie requires depends on the amount of coat the Collie has and the time of year. The rough's coat requires weekly brushing when in full winter coat, and daily brushing when the coat is being shed or it will become severely matted and will need to be clipped. The Collie typically sheds once a year in the spring, when a shedding rake is needed to remove the dense undercoat. The smooth Collie requires only an occasional brushing when not shedding, but daily brushing while the coat is falling out. Bathing is generally recommended at the time the coat begins to fall out for the summer with occasional baths throughout the year to keep the dog from becoming matted with dirt. For those who are not interested in grooming a Collie we recommend the dog be taken to a professional groomer when the coat begins to shed.
Exercise
Collies do not need vigorous exercise, even though they are a herding breed. A daily brisk walk around the block and ten to fifteen minutes of play are sufficient.
Health
It is often heard that mixed breed dogs are healthier than purebred dogs, but any ethical, responsible breeder of purebred dogs will tell you that simply is not true. When you combine two totally separate breeds, the puppies can inherit problems from either or both breeds.
The two most commonly found health issues in the Collie are Collie Eye Anomaly and Drug Sensitivity. The Collie Club of Colorado highly recommends Collie owners familiarize themselves and their vet with the list of Problem Drugs in order to avoid unnecessary health issues.
In order to fully understand the health issues that can be found in the Collie breed we recommend you visit the Collie Health Foundation web site. Although this site was designed with the responsible Collie breeder in mind, it is the most comprehensive source on Collie health issues.
Another important issue for pet owners to become familiar with are the newest recommendations by researchers on puppy vaccination schedules. Ongoing research has recently changed long term beliefs and has created a very controversial topic in the dog world. Along with self education we recommend discussing the new schedules with your vet.
Diet
Although the Collie Club of Colorado does not endorse nor promote any specific brand of dog food, we do recommend feeding a quality premium food of your choice. The following document was constructed by a Friend of the Collie Club, Michael Jacobs. It is a guide to canine nutrition, not an advertisement. Additional brands will be added to the document upon request.
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Welcome
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ABOUT COLLIES
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