Collie (Smooth) Dogs

History

The Smooth Collie has a similar history to the Rough Collie, and originated in Scotland. The Smooth coated breed as we know it today emerged late in the 19th century, although its exact history is not known. Most organisations consider the Rough and Smooth Collie to be the same breed. In the UK, however, they are classed as separate breeds and shown accordingly.

Behaviour

Friendly, calm and easy to train, the Smooth Collie is a great family pet. Their herding instincts need training out of them, but their intelligence makes them quite easy to train. They love children, and can easily be socialized to live happily with pets and other dogs and are rarely aggressive – their habit of nipping ankles is not aggression, but a herding instinct, and needs to be addressed in training. Their big sin is barking excessively, and they need to be taught from puppyhood that this is not acceptable behavior. They are great watch dogs, always on the lookout.

See the page on the Rough Collie for more details.

Temperament

Collies have sensitive and cheerful temperaments. They are very intelligent and love human company. Barking can become a problem in Collies who are left alone for long periods and are not sufficiently trained early on. They need companions, and that can be either humans or other dogs.

Health Problems

Collies were bred as working dogs, so they are hardy and rarely suffer health issues. However, possible issues include Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA, an inherited disorder that can lead to blindness), progressive retinal atrophy (PRA: degeneration of the retina which can also lead to blindness), Gastric Torsion (bloat), epilepsy, grey Collie syndrome (an immune disorder that is usually fatal in puppyhood), and Canine Hip Dysplasia.