General Appearance
The Collie is a lithe, strong, responsive, active dog, carrying no useless timber, standing naturally straight and firm. The deep, moderately wide chest shows strength, the sloping shoulders and well-bent hocks indicate speed and grace, and the face shows high intelligence. The Collie presents an impressive, proud picture of true balance, each part being in harmonious proportion to every other part and to the whole. Timidity, frailness, sullenness, viciousness, lack of animation, cumbersome appearance and lack of over-all balance impair the general character.
Characteristics
Dogs are from 24 to 26 inches at the shoulder and weigh from 60 to 75 pounds. Bitches are from 22 to 24 inches at the shoulder, weighing from 50 to 65 pounds.
Owning
The Collie is an alert watchdog, quick to sound alarm and very protective of his family, although he is not an aggressive dog. Both rough and smooth coats require thorough weekly brushings to keep the coat clean and free of mats. Renowned for his loyalty and his reliability, the Collie makes a great companion and friend.
Did You Know
The Collie's parent club, The Collie Club of America, was organized in 1886, two years after the establishment of the American Kennel Club and was the second parent club to join the AKC. The Collie was first shown in the United States in May of 1877, at the second show of the Westminster Kennel Club in New York. The collie comes in two varieties, the longhaired Rough and the shorthaired Smooth.