The Collie is the Lassie dog — a 22-to-26-inch herding breed weighing 50-75 pounds, and the single most important fact about owning one is not in any breed standard: roughly three out of four Collies carry the MDR1 gene mutation, which makes common, otherwise-safe drugs neurotoxic. That detail decides who should own this breed and who should not. If you will not spend $60 on a one-time cheek-swab MDR1 test and hand the result to every vet your dog ever sees, the Collie is the wrong dog for you. Collies come in two coat types. The rough Collie carries the famous long, harsh outer coat with a dense undercoat; the smooth Collie has a short, flat coat with the same temperament and health profile but a fraction of the grooming. Colors are sable-and-white, tricolor, blue merle, and white. Both varieties share a fine, wedge-shaped head and almond eyes that read as gentle rather than sharp — and they are gentle. This is a soft, sensitive, people-focused herder, not a hard-edged working dog. Temperament is the breed's strongest selling point. Collies are famously good with children, biddable, sensitive to tone, and quick to learn — they crumble under harsh corrections and bloom under positive, consistent training. They are alert barkers (a herding-watchdog inheritance you will hear) and can be reserved with strangers but rarely aggressive. They need real daily exercise and a job to think about, or the barking and pacing escalate. Who the Collie is right for: an active family that wants a sensitive, trainable, child-safe companion AND will test for MDR1, brush a rough coat weekly, and tolerate a vocal dog. Who it is wrong for: anyone who wants a low-maintenance, silent, low-engagement pet, or who will skip the genetic test that defines safe veterinary care for this breed.
Life Span
12–14 years
Weight
22.7–34 kg
Height
55.9–66 cm
moderate
Exercise
moderate
Grooming
moderate
Shedding
Yes
Good with Kids
Yes
Good with Pets
Friendly
Apartment
The Collie was developed in the rugged uplands of Scotland and northern England as a working sheepdog — agile enough to gather flocks across hill country and biddable enough to take direction at distance. The rough and smooth varieties were historically interbred and selected for stamina, intelligence, and a soft mouth around livestock. The breed was relatively obscure until Queen Victoria took an interest after seeing Collies at Balmoral in the …
Collie dog breed portrait
The Collie belongs to the Herding Group.
The average lifespan of a Collie is 12 to 14 years.
Collie dogs are valued for their devoted, graceful, proud nature.
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The Collie's day-to-day care splits into three levers you actually control: the MDR1 card, the coat, and the brain. MDR1: test once (cheek swab, about $60), record the result, and put it on the dog's file at every clinic and emergency vet. MDR1-affected Collies can have severe or fatal reactions to standard doses of ivermectin (some heartworm and mange products), loperamide (anti-diarrheal), and several anesthetics and chemotherapy agents. This is the cheapest, highest-impact thing you will ever do for this dog. Coat: brush the rough Collie 2-3 times a week, 15-20 minutes, focusing behind the ears, the elbows, and the 'pants' where mats form. During the twice-yearly heavy shed, go to every other day for 3-4 weeks or you will be vacuuming daily. The smooth Collie needs a weekly 10-minute brush. Neither needs frequent bathing — every 6-8 weeks or when dirty. Exercise: budget 60-90 minutes a day across walks plus a thinking task — fetch, training games, herding-ball, or scent work. An under-exercised Collie does not get destructive so much as anxious and noisy. Weight: keep a visible waist; feed two measured meals. Cut portions 10% and recheck in four weeks if the waist disappears. Decision rule: before any drug, sedation, or surgery, state out loud to the vet, "This is a Collie — has the MDR1 status been checked?" If it has not, that is a same-day call to test or to dose conservatively, not a wait-and-see.
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Collie Care Guide
## Collie Care Overview This Collie care guide gives owners a practical plan for daily life with...
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