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Your Pet, Our Passion.

Collie (Rough)

The Rough Collie is undeniably, a glamorous, eye-catching dog, with their abundant sweeping coat, chiselled head and alert expression of dignity. A medium to large dog, Rough Collie coats should be dense, harsh to touch and with an abundant mane and frill. Ears are expressive and attractively tipped forward when alert.

Lifespan
14 – 16 years
Weight
Males should weigh around 27-34kg and females a little less at 23-30kg
Height
Males stand 56-61cm tall and 51-56cm for females
Colours
Sable, sable and white, tricolour and blue merle
Size
Large
UK Kennel Club Groups
Pastoral
The need-to-know
  • Dogs suitable for experienced owners
  • Extra training required
  • Need to be aware of potential health issues
  • Enjoys active walks
  • Enjoys one to two hours of walking a day
  • Large dog
  • Minimum drool
  • Requires grooming daily
  • Chatty and vocal dog
  • Barks and alerts to visitors/anything unusual
  • Could have issues with unknown dogs but gets along with known dogs
  • May need additional training to live with other pets
  • May need additional supervision to live with children
  • Needs a large garden
  • Can live in semi-rural areas
  • Can be left occasionally with training
This breed may encounter health problems

As with many dog breeds the Rough Collie can suffer from:
- Hip Dysplasia
- Collie eye anomaly which is an inherited condition where the eye does not develop properly and can potentially lead to blindness.
- Progressive retinal atrophy which is an inherited disorder where part of the eye degenerates and wastes away which can result in blindness.
- Retinal pigment epithelial dystrophy which is where deposits form in the eye which can cause damage to the eye and blindness in dim light.
- Multi drug resistance gene which is an inherited condition that makes a dog sensitive to particular drugs.

Priority Kennel Club health schemes and testing: 
- Hip dysplasia screening scheme 
- Eye screening scheme 
 

Personality

Friendly and affectionate with family and those known or introduced as friends, the Rough Collie bonds closely and is a loyal companion. Inclined to bark to alert to the presence of strangers, the Rough Collie can make a good watch dog, but will back down quickly when asked to do so, as they are not inclined towards aggression.

Rough Collies are quick learners and will thrive when both their bodies and minds are kept exercised and entertained.

Did You Know?

  • Almost everyone will recognise the Rough Collie as ‘Lassie’ the famous film character, as played by Pal, owned and trained by Rudd Weatherwax (and in fact all the Lassies in the film franchise were male dogs, descended from Pal), however Pal was not the first film-star Rough Collie.
  • The first Rough Collie to star on film, in fact the first of any breed of dog, was Blair, an English bred Rough Collie belonging to the British Film-maker Cecil Hepworth.
  • Blair first featured in a film (albeit briefly) in 1903 (Alice in Wonderland), and then in 1905 had the lead role in ‘Rescued by Rover’.
  • He featured in 15 films between 1903 and 1912, and was the first British movie star of any species!