Description

Collies are medium sized dogs having a well-proportioned body. The head of collies is lean, blunted and wedge shaped which makes it appear light instead of heavy. The top of the head is flat. They have a well-formed, long, soft and round muzzle, which tapers to a black nose. The ears are in proportion to the size of their head and are 3/4 quarters ahead with the tips tilting forward. This breed has medium sized, dark, almond shaped eyes with the exception of blue merles that have blue or merle eyes. Collies have a stiff, muscular, and stout body, which is long in ratio to their height. The chest is broad and deep extending towards the elbows.

They have strong back portion, which has the powerful backing of hips and thighs. The forelegs are straight and brawny with the hind legs, which are quite slender. The stifles and hocks are twisted well. They have comparatively small feet, which are nicely shaped and are closely placed together. These dogs have long tail with the bone reaching to the hock joint. The neck is very strong, clean and rigid and it makes the dog look physically powerful.

Coat Description

The rough Collies have a tight, extensive; double coat which is rough in texture. They have rich and bountiful coat with mane around their neck and chest. Their coat needs to be taken care of very well. Brushing them regularly is required especially during the spring season when their undercoat is shed.

They also have smooth and short hairs on the face and on the front portion of their legs. Whereas, on the neck, tail, thighs and at the back portion of front legs they have long and abundant hairs. Their tail is frilly with lots of hairs. These dogs have gentle and hairy undercoat.

The Smooth Collies are easy to groom in contrast to Rough Collies. Smooth Collies also have double coat. It is short, stiff, plane and dense coat, which is smooth to touch. Their undercoat is very hairy that it is generally quite difficult to see their skin.

The sable colour can be a blend of various colours. It can vary from a light blonde colour to a reddish brown colour. Tri colours are mostly a mix of black, white with the tan markings over the body. However, out of all these colours, Blue Merle has been regarded as beast colour. Collies who are tri coloured are generally preffered by the people.

History

This breed originated in the highlands of Scotland where for centuries they were used as sheepdog and helped their master in herding and guarding the flock. Earlier they were barely known except in Scotland but now they are popular all over the world. It is generally believed that these dogs got their name from the work they used to do i.e. the Scottish Black faced Sheep known as Colley.

Queen Victoria liked Collies very much and she kept them at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Her fondness and love for Collies helped them in gaining recognition and made them popular all over the world.

The modern type of breed basically developed in England in the late 1800s and popularly called as Scottish collie in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Collies at that time used to be petite, had broad heads and shorter muzzles as compared to present rough and smooth collies. Collies were first presented as "Scotch Sheep-Dogs" at Birmingham (England) in a dog show in 1860s. The ancestors of the modern Collie were first exhibited as "Scotch Sheep-Dogs" in the 1860 Birmingham (England) dog show.

Collies are imported to England in 1879 for the very first time. It is from here, they developed and today known to be as very lovable and wonderful breed capable to perform multiple functions in return of just good care and desired attention.

Temperament

Collies are very polite, quick, and sharp minded dogs with a sweet temperament. It is quite easy to train these dogs as they are smart and have great grasping power. They can serve as outstanding herding dogs and family pet. Due to their friendly nature, they get along with other animals very well. They are possessive, caring, and very defensive of people whom he/ she love. This breed is completely devoted to his/her master. Besides being an amazing family pet, Collies also makes a wonderful companion of children. This is a gentle, obedient pet that simply loves to play around especially with children. They like playing games such as tug of war, hide and seek.

Collies are highly sensitive dogs. If at any point of time they have done something wrong then they should not be shown rude behavior by their master. What is required at that time is, to show them what they were supposed to do and they will understand. These dogs are very social and love to be surrounded with people or with other animals. They shouldn\'t be left alone, as they get bored easily. Collies require proper time and attention of their master. These dogs become very happy and lively when they get proper care and attention of their master.

Collies are generally very cautious of strangers. These dogs love to bark at strangers who look suspicious and can behave violently at certain situations. They are always alert of everything happening around in their environment. Sometimes, they can bark too much making the situation uncomfortable so they should be trained to bark less.

Thyroid Disease - Low Risk

The Collie ranks #80 among all breeds for autoimmune thyroiditis prevalence. This is considered a low risk breed so your chances of obtaining a dog with the disease is small. It is still suggested that dogs meant for breeding still be tested to help bring the incidence of disease even lower (or even eliminate it). 

You can download the full report (on all breeds) by the Michigan State University Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. Here

Other Health Problems

Though Collies are known to be a very healthy breed but they are prone to some serious and common diseases. Some of the severe kinds of problems, which collies can suffer from, are:

PRA (progressive retinal atrophy), which means a stage where the cells of the retina, starts dying at a faster rate. PRA occurs to those collies who are suffering from genetic disorders. If not treated upon then it can lead to loss of vision.

They can also suffer from Hip Dysplasia which can lead to arthritis.