Collie

The friendly dog became really popular when the series Lassie went on TV screens all over the world. But even before that, the beautiful dog has been popular with many families precisely because it is so lovable and playful. There are two species of Collie dogs – one is a long-haired Collie and the other is a short-haired Collie. Both are good dogs for families because they still have their protective sides from being herding dogs.

The Collie is the classic herding dog

The dog breed can be traced back to the Scottish Highlands. It was a close companion of the shepherds in the highlands. Originally, the dog breed was bred for its good abilities as a herding dog, but later this changed in favor of the dog's appearance with its large, beautiful coat. When the Queen of England acquired a Collie in 1880, it became really popular among the rest of the people. Thanks to the dog's abilities as a shepherd, it also proved to be particularly well suited for aid during war.

The two different types of Collie that have later been bred from the original are the English, which many consider the classic, and the American. Breeding took a big leap with the popularity of the TV series Lassie back in the 1960s. This meant that there were periods with questionable breeding practices of the dog breed, which unfortunately affected the dogs that came from this period. Fortunately the Collie is once again the calm and family-friendly dog that everyone knows and loves.

The active companion dog

As a starting point, the breed is extremely fond of people, and is relatively easy to deal with. If it becomes part of a family with children, it will prove to be protective of the children, which is a developed trait from its time as a sheepdog. The younger a Collie you have, the more exercise it needs. A Collie is really good at collaborating and easily accepts instructions for tasks. Therefore, it can also be a good idea to start dog training quite early. That way, you get good habits right from the start.

The playfulness of this dog does not change much from puppy to adult. Even an adult Collie is happy to play, and you can therefore look forward to many active hours with your Collie. This is another good reason to provide the right dog training right from the puppy stage. Some Collie dogs can be sensitive to loud noises, and you should always train it for the environment your family has.

How to take care of the Collie's beautiful coat

There is no doubt that many will see the beautiful coat of the big dog and be frightened by how much care it may require. Though it requires more care than many other breeds, it's not as much as most would think. In fact, it is at least once a week that you should set aside a good hour to brush and style the coat of a Collie. When you make sure to do it once a week, you will also find that your dog sheds much less than anticipated.

The dog breed comes in three different colors, all of which are equally beautiful. The colors are sable, which is the brown that most people recognize the breed from, tricolor, where the back is somewhat darker than the rest of the coat, and blue merle, where there are many more white markings than in the other types. An adult Collie dog will weigh between 20 and 34 kg on average, while males grow to be somewhere between 56 and 61 cm tall and bitches grow to between 51 and 56 cm in height.

Because it is a relatively tall dog compared to other breeds, you should also be aware that it has a risk of developing hip dysplasia or intestinal loop. You can help take care of this with the right training and the right diet.

How to train your family dog

Very few Collie dogs are used as shepherd dogs these days. Therefore, you must come up with other activities that keep your dog busy. The original need to herd sheep will still be in many of these dogs, which you can easily transfer to certain games or dog sports. Agility will be an obvious choice to train with your best friend, because not only will the dog's physicality be put to the test, it will also be allowed to work mentally together with you.

There is no doubt that a Collie dog is a good choice for a family dog. It is friendly to the vast majority of people, and it protects its family, just as it has always protected sheep from predators. It may be a large dog, but it has an appropriate temperament for its size, making it a lovable dog with almost everyone who comes into contact with it.