Rough Collie
The long-coated Scottish herding dog made famous by Lassie. Sensitive, highly trainable and gentle, but a serious shedder and quick to bark at movement.
- Weight
- 20–34 kg
- Lifespan
- 12–14 years
Weight and lifespan are reference ranges from the breed guide. They vary by sex, lineage and individual dog and do not predict your dog’s ideal weight or lifespan. Read the care descriptions alongside the individual dog’s history.
Background and characteristics
The Rough Collie was developed to move sheep across the hills of Scotland and northern England, work that required a dog to read a situation on its own and pick up a handler's signals from a distance. That history explains the modern temperament almost completely. Collies are unusually attuned to human tone and body language, they wilt under harsh handling, and they learn quickly when taught with praise and food.
Owners often describe them as soft, in the best sense.
Temperament and living together
The rest of the herding package comes along too. Movement triggers a response, and in this breed the response is frequently vocal. Motorbikes, joggers, the neighbour's door, a child running across the yard, all of it draws barking.
If you live in an attached home, treat bark management as a first-week project rather than something to fix later.
Exercise and play
An hour of daily exercise covers the physical side, but Collies need something to think about as well. Training, scent games, tricks and structured play with a person satisfy them in a way that a longer walk alone does not.
Coat and everyday care
The coat is the practical cost of the breed. A long harsh outer coat over dense undercoat needs thorough brushing to the skin two or three times a week, with extra attention behind the ears, in the armpits and around the trousers. Twice a year the undercoat comes out in clumps.
Resist the urge to shave a Collie in summer: the double coat also shields against sun and heat, and shaved coats often grow back poorly.
Home environment and care planning
One health item is non-negotiable. The MDR1 gene mutation is common in Collies and causes severe reactions to ivermectin and several other drugs. Test for it and put the result in the dog's file where any vet, including an emergency clinic, will see it.
Also ask breeders about Collie eye anomaly, progressive retinal atrophy, dermatomyositis and hip dysplasia.