Collie (More...)

Appearance The collie's coat can be rough or smooth. The coat of the rough variety is abundant except on the head and legs. The outercoat is straight and harsh to the touch; the undercoat is soft, furry, and so dense that it is difficult to see the skin. The smooth variety has a less abundant, hard, dense, and smooth coat. The collie is bred in four colors: sable and white, tricolor, blue merle, and white. While collies do not change color from birth, it may take several years for their coats to reach maximum pigmentation. The head shape is a lean, blunt wedge.Grooming & Exercise NeedsThe rough collie's coat requires a considerable time commitment: it needs to be brushed every day when shedding and several times a week at other times or it will become severely matted and will need to be clipped. The collie typically sheds once a year in the spring, when a shedding rake is needed to remove the dense undercoat. The smooth collie requires only an occasional brushing. Collies don't need vigorous exercise, even though they are a herding breed. A few daily brisk walks around the block and ten to fifteen minutes of play are sufficient. OriginsCollies became popular in the 1860s, when Queen Victoria became infatuated with them after seeing them herd sheep during a visit to her estates in Balmoral, Scotland, and brought several back to Windsor Castle. The collie had been used as a herding dog in the border counties of northern England and Scotland. Its earliest ancestors may have been the herding dogs that accompanied the Romans across what is now Britain around 500 B.C. Special AlertsBreed-related health concerns: collie eye anomaly (a congenital defect that occasionally causes blindness), progressive retinal atrophy.