Height: 22-25 inches
Weight: 50-75 lbs.
Life Span: 12-14 yrs.
Breed Group: Herding Dogs
Overview
The collie's temperament makes it one of the finest family pets. These are
highly responsive dogs that want to please their owners.
They 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.
Appearance
The collie's coat can be rough or smooth. The coat of the rough variety
is abundant except on the head and legs. The outercoat is 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
smooth coat.
The collie is bred in four colors: sable and white, tricolor, blue merle,
and white. While collies do not change color from birth, it may take several
years for their coats to reach maximum pigmentation.
The head shape is a lean, blunt wedge.
Grooming & Exercise Needs
The rough collie's coat requires a considerable time commitment: it needs
to be brushed every day when shedding and several times a week at other
times 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.
Collies don't need vigorous exercise, even though they are a herding breed.
A few daily brisk walks around the block and ten to fifteen minutes of play
are sufficient.
Origins
Collies became popular in the 1860s, 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.
Breed-related health concerns: collie eye anomaly (a congenital defect
that occasionally causes blindness), progressive retinal atrophy.
Reference: AKC - American Kennel Club |
