Collie Temperament

The collie dog has a very wonderful calm, even temperament. Original collies were used to herd sheep, and they were highly trusted to gather the flock and bring them in without causing any harm to the animals. Therefore, shepherds needed dogs that had keen hearing (to listen to signals from their master across the hills), a willing attitude, an obedient nature, and, most of all, the ability to be near the sheep without attacking them. Throughout the years, the ones that exhibited the best herding traits were kept and bred, resulting in the unique temperament of today's collie.

When bred correctly by knowledgeable breeders, their self-assured, gentle, obedient personality will always shine though. Their bred-in instincts of wanting to obey their shepherd masters have made the collie of today prized as one of the most easiest to train breeds in the dog world. Because of this gentle, obedient nature, collies also make excellent family pets. However, even though they can be used as watch dogs, they rarely make good guard dogs simply because the attack gene has been bred out of the majority of the breed.

Below are traits that collie owners use when describing their own collies:

Loyal Loving Sweet Self-assured

Trustworthy Charming Intelligent

Obedient Eager to Please Protective Proud

Finally, you must remember that even though the traits listed are natural traits that collies should have, their home environment plays heavily on how well these traits actually develop in each individual dog. Responsibility must be taken to make sure you provide a safe, healthy, spacious environment for these active creatures.

DO.. Take time to train them properly. Work on obedience a few minutes each day. Socialize them with people and other animals early on in life. Read plenty of books about collies and dogs in general. Learn how dogs communicate with each other so you can understand their quirks. Give them lots of love each and every day.

DON'T.. Yell at them or hit them with your hand. Leave them in the backyard tied on a chain. This is an actual life form with feelings and consciousness! Expect them to get potty trained in 24 hours. Expect them to know how to "sit" after you give the command for the 3rd time - It takes patience! Forget to brush them daily, or at least a few times a week (especially the rough coats.)