Rough Collie

The Collie is a beautiful-looking dog that became popular and well-known in the United States from the television series “Lassie”. Just as the show portrays the Collie, this purebred dog is extremely loyal to its owners and can perform heroic acts. These pups are devoted to their families and would move mountains to protect their loved ones. The Collie is also known to be a sensitive dog, and this trait, combined with their extreme loyalty to their owners, allows them to excel as assistance/therapy dogs.

This mid-large sized dog typically weighs between 50-70 pounds, and they originate from Scotland. They were bred to be farm dogs, and their primary tasks were herding and guarding sheep. Many historians believe that the name Collie derives from “Colley”, which was the type of sheep that the Collies used to watch after. While they are rarely found on a farm anymore, the Collie’s herding instincts remained. They will still try and herd kids that are running around, they will chase after cars, and will bark a lot. Their barking makes them excellent watchdogs, but they are so sweet-natured that they would never behave aggressively.

The Collie comes in two varieties; the Smooth Collie and the Rough Collie. The only difference between the two is their coats; The rough variety has a dense, coarse overcoat as well as a soft undercoat, while the Smooth variety has a soft undercoat but does not have an overcoat. The Collie breed is highly intelligent and learns at a rapid rate. They are easy to train and will love learning new things. In addition to being intelligent, the Collie is known to have a unique characteristic that not many dogs possess. They have an uncanny ability to know when something is wrong with a certain situation. They will quickly realize when one of their family members is not feeling their best and shower them with as much affection as possible to try and help!

These dogs are considered among the best family dogs and are a friend to all. They love to play with humans and dogs alike and will always be excited to meet someone new. One of the main challenges with owning a Collie is their need to exercise daily. These dogs will be more than happy to relax at home after their daily run, with emphasis on the 'after'. As long as you can meet this requirement, your Collie will be a happy doggo that will quickly become a best friend to everyone in the family!

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