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Twice a year Rough Collies “molt” their undercoat. As with many long haired breeds, you must rake/brush this fur out. If you are a very neat person, then you had better know how to use a vacuum cleaner! (They are not a good house pet if someone in the family has allergies ..get a poodle if you want a
hypoallergenic doggy). If the “tons of hair” molting bothers you, you might prefer a Smooth Collie. However, when it comes to year round shedding, collie owners say that the Smooths actually have a bigger problem than the Roughs in that aspect! Either way, you must brush both kinds of collies frequently to keep their coat beautiful. - Collies must be kept well groomed. A good brushing every day will keep your collie beautiful! If you are a busy person, you should figure in at least half an hour to an hour a week if you want your dog to look good and, at bare minimum, a monthly brushing is essential to at least prevent matting (where the hair bunches together in knots… this can lead to serious health problems). Bathing a Collie (needed perhaps a couple of times a year for a regular pet collie) is a fair amount of work, and unless you have a special high-power doggy blow dryer, they can take hours to dry. More frequent bathing will make him smell fresher, ease brushing, and reduce the chance of problems from allergy. You should NEVER bathe a collie if he is matted–a wet mat turns to harsh felt, and you’ll never get it out then! (Well, short of shaving the poor thing!)
- Collies bark. Bored collies bark even more! Some collies may stand in your yard and bark almost unendingly. He may not even be barking at anything- he’s barking because he’s a Collie. They are not usually noisy in the house, however, because they have a
tendency to be very low-active when indoors. - Collies herd — everything! Kids… ducks… and almost near anything that will move. Some Collies even nip at the heels of the ‘herd.’ They won’t hurt anything, but if there is a nearby mom who has the
tendency to call her lawyer whenever her kid cries, a Collie (or any other of the herding breeds) may not be the best choice! - In the warmer parts of the country, summers are too hot for a Collie. An air conditioned home with brief outings is okay, though. Some people advise to clip collies’ coats shorter in the summer — but others state that you should never clip a collie because their fur provides protection against the heat as well! Others say that keeping them thoroughly brushed out removes enough hair to make them comfortable. Remember to always provide shade and cool, fresh water anytime your collie is outdoors.
- Collies are very sensitive and will ask for attention. They don’t do well in families that treat a dog like a pet rock with fur. They must be provided with plenty of attention and loving–every day of the week!
- Collies are partners. A Collie will meet you, look into your eyes, accept your introductory rub of his chest and chin, and decide you’re his for life. Feed him, care for him, and you’ll never be alone while he lives.
- Collies are smart. Make that extremely smart… more like
genius!! They make mistakes but generally not the same mistake twice. Just one look into their gorgeous eyes will let anyone know how brilliant a collie is! - Collies are extremely trainable. They were bred specifically to be obedient to man. Most don’t need too much training because they’ll figure out what you want almost before you ask (some puppies nearly housetrain themselves!)… but if you should get the training urge, your Collie is willing and ready!
- Collies are athletic and make good outdoor companions. Just be sure not to over-exert them in hot weather, however!
Collies (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals)This popular working dog also makes a fine pet. In addition to pet-care information, this manual presents a list of Collie organizations in the United... Read More >
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15 Responses to Top Ten Facts about Rough & Smooth Collie Dogs
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is there anyway you can do to shorten their shedding time? Well, not shorten, more like, sort of prevent the tons of hair from getting all over your furniture…???
Theres a new grooming tool that you can buy from a petshop, called a furminator, it a shedding tool. It is expensive, but well worth it. I have a male and female 6 month age difference, the male hides his moulting better than the female. I used to have a c.k.charles spaniel and found that it was harder to keep-grooming wise. I find both my rough collies a joy to have and they more or less keep them selves clean, they hate being dirty! I also give them either a little evapourated milk and half a tin of creamed rice, or mix some tuna into their food once a week, apparently this helps to reduce moulting. Good luck
I have 2 collies, an 8 month old male sable, and a 17 month old blue merle female. Ella is currently blowing her coat…I mean blowing! She looks like she lost 5 pounds. I have been brushing her, and pulling out the clumps (which is addictive) but it just keep coming. I had a male previous to these two and I don’t remember him being so bad, do the females blow their coat worse then the males? Charlie’s coat is wavy and and thick, it so Ella looks so willowy and sparse. She seems to be scratching and gnawing at herself a little bit, do you think this is normal during this molting period? I am religious about the frontline so I know it is not fleas. Thanks for any insight. Kate
My S&W rough collie is 1 1/2 years old. I found that the furminator tool was a bit too much for me to handle properly.
I take him to a reputable groomer every 4 to six weeks and have “the works” done on him from the furminator to the sanitary clip to nails to teeth brushing. It is very much worth it for me. All I have to do is regular brushing and removing the sticks, twigs, and other debris he picks up while running around in the yard.
He also enjoys his “beauty appointment” outing which lasts from 4-6 hours because of all the attention he gets from everyone – workers and their clients alike!
It really helped with my dog Spot
Hi, how long do you think I should walk my collie for each day, what is the minimum would you say.
I have a 2 collies, there so sweet, playful, and just want love and attention, i have one long haired lassie named bow, and I black and white and brown short haired named Jasper, we got them from the houston collie rescue!!! I love them so much!! there calm, but fun!! THERE SO EASY TO TRAIN!!! i taught them how to sit, roll over, sit pretty, shake, and twirl in the 3 weeks!!! Short haired collies shed ALOT! LONG HIARED believe it or not dont really shed at all! barely… They will bark sometimes for attention! aLL THEY WANT IS A LOVING FAMILY WHO WILL CARE, FEED, AND PLAY WITH THEM!!!
I don’t think I’m the exception, but my rough collie sheds a LOT – I bet you could make a blanket from the fur! This is my first collie and though I brush every day still picking up furballs. It’s been going on for weeks now.
Do they really bark that often? I mean, all dogs bark, but is the collie “worse” than others?
I have my third collie, a Blue Merle and I, like another poster, simply take her to Petsmart for grooming/bath every six weeks. They use the furminator on her sometimes and a low-shed shampoo. It makes world of difference. Then I simply brush at least once a week, more if she gets into seeds/bark/etc. I told myself I’d go with a short-haired breed before I got this third collie, but, in the end, I couldn’t go with an unknown breed that might have been harder to train. Collies do not like to have people raise their voices. My husband yelled at a previous one (1st) for chewing on kids toys and not only did she never chew on another kid toy, but for several weeks afterwards, she’d slink into hiding when he came home. I have never had trouble with the herding/nipping, a most reputable breeder with lots of experience is optimum and well worth your money. Ours is in the house a great deal but also likes it outside. We live in the Seattle area so not too hot, not too cold most of the time. I do walk her every day for 30-45 minutes, but this is as much for me as for her. Collies pick up language very well and do seem to anticipate what you might want from them. Just an excellent all around dog. Current one does not chase squirrels, cats, or react to any distraction, stands her ground and watches with interest. Barking also has never been a problem…much depends on training.
I take my collie to the trails twice a day normally. He gets to explore, run and walk along with his border collie mix brother. The length of our walks depends on the elements and the dogs themselves. If you find your dog is constantly lagging behind, heavy panting and/or sitting frequently it’s time to head for home.
His favorite time to walk is during a nice rain. I have learned to enjoy the rain falling on my head as well. If you can’t beat em, join em.
My six month old is very stubborn about the “come” command. I have been working with her on this since I got her at 3 months. She will stand there and look away or run around and it takes many tries to get her to come. I’ve raised tons of pups of many breeds and never had this problem. I don’t get it because she’s not had a bad experience and gets much praise when she obeys. She has plenty of exercise too. Even treats won’t help. I put her on a rope so I can easily bring her to me.
Any ideas?
I have a smooth blue merle female named Clover. She hates being brushed! She barks at me a runs away when I get out the brush or furminator. She has also eaten one furminator so it is unusable. I take her to a groomer every six weeks or so, and she’s not fond of that either. Any suggestions? thanks, and Clover thanks you too.
Our welsh border collies need (8 and 2 years) at least 2 hour long walks per day as well as a 20 minute run in the evening. Having said that, they would happily stay out for double the time if we could manage it. Between times they sleep after exercise but still need stimulation and interaction or they get bored and almost depressed. Definitely worth getting in a dog walker if you don’t have enough time.
Collies are super intelligent, gracious, highly empathetic dogs who don’t shed anywhere in the realm of OMG hair like shorter hair breeds. Have you rubbed up against a lab lately?? Your clothes look like they’re made of fur. Uck. And they are extremely low maintenance. My S&W 2 year old girl seems only to shed once a year (and she’s my second pure bred collie) and I brush her gently one every week or two. And my house is very clean and squared away – and without much in dog hair hanging around ever. As far as walking, I walk her daily in good weather because I love to walk. She has a big backyard and if she’s bored and when none of her neighbor dog buddies are out I catch her running full out in huge circles in the yard until she has expended her energy. She’s always a good natured, loving, sweet, sweet dog and can be taught just about anything she needs to do. She knows all of her toys by name and will go and get them on command – knowing which is which – and that’s about 10 different toys. You can’t have a better dog with other dogs, cats and certainly kids. She adores children. OK – I love collies and for good reason. They offer the best you could ask.