Dog breed

Rough Collie

The Rough Collie is an elegant herding dog from Scotland, known the world over as Lassie. Under the FCI standard, males stand 56–61 cm at the shoulder. It has a luxuriant long coat in sable, tricolor or blue merle. It is a gentle, sensitive and very family-oriented dog that learns quickly, but it likes to bark and needs regular brushing.

FCI Group I · Sheepdogs · standard no. 156

Weight: 22.7–34 kg
Height: 51–61 cm
Lifespan: 12–14 years
Origin: United Kingdom

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Photo: Yasu w, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Temperament

The Collie is a people dog. The AKC stresses that it wants above all to be with its family and shouldn't spend long hours alone in the yard, because boredom makes it bark. The breed has the AKC's top rating for being good with children and the highest possible rating for barking, which sums up daily life with a Collie well: gentle with the family, but happy to comment out loud on everything happening outside the window. With strangers, it is polite but reserved rather than effusive. It usually lives peacefully with other dogs and household cats. It is sensitive, so it reacts badly to yelling and harsh methods, but cooperates eagerly when training is reward-based. The AKC notes that a well-raised Collie can be ready for action when it's time to be active and settle down when it's time to rest.

Energy: calmvery energetic
Affection: independentvelcro pet
With children: not idealgreat
With other pets: difficultgreat
Trainability: stubborneager to learn
For first-time owners: for experienced ownersyes
With strangers: waryoutgoing
Playfulness: dignifiedeternal puppy
Shedding: minimalheavy
Grooming: easydemanding
Being left alone: strugglescopes well
Apartment living: needs a house and yardgreat in a flat
Barking: quietvocal
With other dogs: difficultgreat
Protectiveness: lowhigh
Drooling: hardly anya lot
Cold tolerance: feels the coldexcellent
Heat tolerance: strugglescopes well

Scores of 1–5 compare the breed with other breeds of the same species, based on the sources at the bottom of the page. Every animal is different. How we score traits

Who is the Rough Collie for?

The Collie is a good choice for a family with children, first-time owners looking for a gentle family dog, and people who enjoy walks and low-key dog sports. It can live in an apartment if the neighbors aren't sensitive to barking. We don't recommend it for people who want a quiet dog, don't want to brush a long coat, or are away all day.

Pros

gentle and great with children
learns quickly
usually gets along with other animals
long-lived

Challenges

very barky
lots of hair during shedding season
sensitive to harsh handling
risk of the MDR1 mutation and eye diseases

Size and looks

Size and looks: Rough Collie
Height at the withers	males 56–61 cm, females 51–56 cm
Weight	males 27–34 kg, females 22.7–29.5 kg
Lifespan	12–14 years
Coat	long
Colors	sable and white (gold to mahogany), tricolor, blue merle
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Classification	Group I: Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs)
Also known as	Collie, Collie Rough, Scottish Collie, Lassie dog

Care and exercise

60–90minof exercise a day

3/5grooming needs

3/5shedding

The Kennel Club recommends up to an hour of exercise a day for a Collie, and the AKC adds that the breed needs a chance to run freely and play, for example by fetching. It does very well in obedience, agility and herding. The long double coat looks like hard work, but a thorough brushing down to the skin once a week is enough, paying attention to the areas behind the ears and at the elbows, where mats form most easily. The AKC explains that unspayed females blow their undercoat about three months after a heat cycle, and males around their birthday, and brushing increases then. Don't shave a Collie, because the coat protects it from cold and sun. In summer, walk during cooler parts of the day. Before giving parasite treatments, tell your vet whether the dog carries the MDR1 mutation.

How much should the Rough Collie eat?The calculator starts from this breed’s typical weight: calories and grams a day.

Health and breed-related conditions

Collies live relatively long lives: the AKC gives 12–14 years, and in the British McMillan et al. (2024) study the median was 13.3 years. According to the AKC, the minimum is an eye exam of every puppy at 6–8 weeks by a veterinary ophthalmologist for collie eye anomaly, an inherited defect that in mild form doesn't affect the dog but in severe form can lead to blindness. Some Collies carry the MDR1 mutation, which makes certain drugs, including common parasite treatments, toxic to them. Breeding two blue merle dogs risks deafness and eye defects in the puppies, which is why the UK Kennel Club hasn't registered such litters since 2013.

collie eye anomaly (CEA)An inherited developmental eye defect; the AKC recommends examining every puppy at 6–8 weeks of age.
drug sensitivity (MDR1 mutation)Some common drugs, including certain parasite treatments, can cause severe neurological symptoms in dogs with the mutation.
effects of merle-to-merle breedingPuppies from two blue merle parents are at risk of deafness and eye defects; the Kennel Club has not registered such litters since 2013.

Health tests to ask the breeder about

puppy eye exam (CEA) by an ophthalmologist
MDR1 DNA test
CEA DNA test
parents' eye exam (ECVO)

This is general breed information, not a diagnosis. If something worries you, talk to your veterinarian.

Breed history

The Collie descends from the herding dogs of Scotland. The Kennel Club notes that the first Collies were smaller than today's and most often black and white, tricolor or black and tan. A real sensation came with Old Cockie, born in 1868, the first known sable dog, after which that color became the most popular. From 1870, the rough and smooth varieties were shown separately. Queen Victoria sparked a craze for the breed after meeting Collies at Balmoral and taking them to her estates. Worldwide fame came with the 1943 film “Lassie Come Home,” in which a dog named Pal played the title role. The FCI recognized the breed in 1955.

Fun facts

Blue merle was once called “tortoiseshell,” which the AKC mentions among its fun facts about the breed.
The first known sable Collie was Old Cockie, born in 1868.
In the 1943 film “Lassie Come Home,” Lassie was played by a dog named Pal.
The Collie Club of America, founded in 1886, was the second breed club to join the AKC.

Frequently asked questions

Do Collies bark a lot?

Yes, it's one of the noisier breeds: the AKC gives it the highest possible barking rating. Collies bark out of boredom, out of excitement and to warn of strangers. Exercise, company and early training to stay calm noticeably reduce the problem.

How much does a Rough Collie weigh?

The FCI standard gives only height: 56–61 cm for males and 51–56 cm for females. The AKC gives 27–34 kg for males and 23–30 kg for females, but American Collies are noticeably taller than European ones, so European dogs usually weigh less.

Do Rough Collies shed?

Yes, moderately year-round and very heavily during the coat change. The AKC rates shedding 3 on a 1–5 scale. At that time, brushing every few days removes the dead undercoat before it turns into mats.

How long do Collies live?

The AKC gives 12–14 years, and in a large 2024 British study the median was 13.3 years. That's a good result for a dog of this size.