dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup dog-popup
hero

Collie

For their beautiful looks and fantastic personality, Collies are loved everywhere. They’re highly intelligent, dedicated, loyal, and adept watchdog.

icon
Animalia Team
  • basic-info

    Country of Origin

    United States of America

  • basic-info

    Breed Group

    Herding dogs

  • basic-info

    Height

    Male 22-24 In

    Female 24-26 In

  • basic-info

    Weight

    Male 50-65 Ib

    Female 60-75 Ib

  • basic-info

    Life Span

    12-14 years

In a Nutshell

Known to be highly sensitive and rather vocal, collies are loved and considered the standard of measurement for purebreds. They are devoted, and many develop human-like personalities. Thanks to these innate qualities, Collies make good companions as they will be in tune with you as the owner.

Life With a Collie

Low (1) High (5)
icon

Energy level

3

icon

Trainability Level

5

icon

Amount of Shedding

3

icon

Tendency of Barking

5

icon

Exercise Needs

4

icon

Kid Friendly

1

icon

Pet Friendly

1

Looks & Personality

looks-personality

Bred to be herders, they are well-proportionate with a lean, muscular, and athletic physique. With medium-sized oval eyes and large ears that fold on the top frontward, Collies have a proud appeal and noble stance. Collies have multiple colors, often a combination of sable being dominant and black, tan, merle, or mahogany with white chests and random patterns. 

 

They tend to be very intelligent and display fierce devotion but have excellent temperaments and highly developed personalities. A collie will consider you their shepherd and create a deep, loyal relationship with you, but they tend to get bored when left alone and bark incessantly. 

 

Rough collies boast a more laid-back persona, whereas Smooth collies are more energetic and outgoing, although both varieties display high-strung tendencies. This dog is not aggressive and, as such, makes a great family member and a natural people pleaser, as well as being very kid-friendly. 

 

Collies make for good therapy dogs and guide dogs for blind people as they are innately intelligent. Due to their protective nature, collies are good pet-sitters and are instinctively curious.

Common Health Problems

anatomy-lesson-class-img
anatomy-lesson-img

While it is considered a healthy breed overall, Collies are prone to some health issues like eye problems or increased sensitivity to different medicines.

Did you know?

Enrolling in Animalia Pet Insurance
while your pet is healthy is a wise decision.

Waiting until a disease develops means it won't be covered.

icon

A tip from a vet

Your Border Collie should be brushed every one or two days, removing debris and dead fur. On top of this, clean out their ears every few weeks with an ear cleaner. While Border Collies aren’t prone to ear infections, their pendulous ears can become filled with wax.
icon

A tip from a trainer

Training a collie is a life-long event that should begin with early socialization and positive obedience training. As a people pleaser, your Collie is always eager to learn new tricks. However, collies get bored quickly and resort to excessive barking and digging. As a result of their versatility and athleticism, Collies enjoy agility training as a sport.

Did You Know

    did-you-know-12

    Collies are among the most intelligent dogs; some have broken world records such as dog skateboarding and balancing

    did-you-know-19

    Their name comes from their home region in Scotland and loosely translates to “sheepdog” for their prowess as champion herders.

    did-you-know-8

    Queen Victoria just loved Collies! in the early 1860s she even became an active Border Collie enthusiast.

In The News

banner

Since Collies are widely loved for their beauty, intelligence, and excellent companionship, they have been featured in numerous movies and shows. The most famous Collie in popular culture is ‘Lassie,’ a female Rough Collie based on Eric Knight’s novel that has been featured in movies. After her family sells her due to a financial crisis, Lassie escapes and sets out on her journey home.

The History Behind the Breed

Although it is not well established, it is believed that the existence of Collies in the United Kingdom extends way back to the reign of the Romans. Roman dogs were interbred with local herding dogs to manage their livestock. English breeders crossed the large and aggressive Scottish sheepdogs with the small, fast, and friendlier Welsh sheepdogs to get different types of the Collie.

 

Collie popularity grew as a result of Queen Victoria’s fascination with them as she fell in love with them as a fashionable pet. In 1878 she entered some collies in the Westminster Dog Show after bringing them to England from her Balmoral Castle. Collie popularity in America is attributed to Albert Payson Terhune, who bred and wrote books about his dogs.

 

The American Kennel Club recognized the collie breed in 1885. Today, Collies are a popular working dog worldwide and are even used in search and rescue operations.

Famous Collie Owners

Queen Victoria, Robert Burns, Bon Jovi, Ethan Hawke, James Franco, Tiger Woods

Get a free quote on pet insurance for
your Collie today!

Suggested Breeds

All breeds