Long-haired Collie: Dog Breed Information, Facts and Pictures

Life span: 14 – 16 years
Temperament: Friendly, Loyal, Gentle, Intelligent, Active, Protective
Colors: Blue Merle, White, Tri-color, Sable & White, Sable Merle, Sable
Weight: Male: 20–29 kg, Female: 18–25 kg
Height: Male: 56–61 cm, Female: 51–56 cm
Origin: Scotland, United Kingdom

The collie is a dog with a friendly disposition, who watches over his family attentively. His roots as a herding dog have endowed him with a pronounced protective instinct that wants to be guided in the right direction. Since the shepherd dog carries the guarding of other animals in his genes, one must teach him early, who belongs to the herd and who does not. His education should be consistent but gentle. A harsh treatment takes the optimistic and happy dog ​​his optimism.

Also, one should take into account that the Collie, since he had to guard in past times, really without guidance, has his own head and sometimes tends to stubbornness. Its owner should be able to understand these peculiarities.

Promoted in the right way, the Collie is an attentive and faithful companion who always stands by its owner. Even with children, the friendly dog ​​copes well. 

The Collie is a very social dog and very tolerant in dealing with his conspecifics. He is a very active dog, for whom it is important to get enough exercise and speech.

The Collie was formerly used as a herding dog in Scotland and showed extraordinary talent in this area. Due to his intelligence and his pronounced protective instinct, the Collie is excellently suited as a blind or protective dog. Also as a family and companion dog, the elegant dog is well suited. Because of his urge to move and his quick mind, the Collie is ideal for dog sports.

Although there are several collier breeds, it is only the long-haired collie commonly referred to as the "collie". He is also the best known among them, as the breed in the 40s by the television dog "Lassie" in popularity won. The Kurzhaarcollie is very similar to this and differs especially in the hair length of his long-haired relative. 

The Scotland-born collie is believed to be a mixture of a native herd of dogs and the dogs that the Romans brought to the British Isles in the 5th century BC. Already in the 13th century the collie is attested. At that time, the breed was much smaller and had a broader head. In the 19th century, one wanted to refine the herding skills of the Collie and therefore crossed it with the Borzoi. So the shape of the dog became bigger and slimmer. His coat was also silkier and finer. In 1840, the collie was recognized as a purebred dog and first standards were set.

The coat of the long-haired collie is very dense and of particularly soft undercoat, the short-haired collie makes the coat shorter. The color of the coat may be tricolor, blue-armored or even sable.