When it comes to selecting a new dog to bring into your home, it is important to make sure that you are taking a look at all of the information that you can find about the breeds you are interested in. You simply can’t base your decision on whether or not a puppy is cute. The more information you have about the breed you are interested in, the more likely you will be able to make the best decision for your home and family.
If you are interested in the Collie, it is important to know that the Collie is a dog of medium size and that has a very well-proportioned body, with a head that is of a wedge shape and very lean. Their muzzle is long and round and it tapers down to a nice black nose. You will find that the chest of the collie is deep and broad and the body of the collie is stout, muscular and stiff. As far as the length of their body, it is well in ratio to their height.
As far as the coat of the Collie, it is extensive and sort of rough in texture. They also have the trademark mane around their chest and next, which is one of the features people look for when they are trying to determine exactly what the breed is. Now, as far as the care of the coat, it needs more care than other breeds. Since the collie has a double coat, there is extra care that is needed during Spring, when the under coat is shedding. Regular brushing is always needed.
The hairs on the neck, the thighs and the tail are extra long, the hairs on the face are on the short end and are fairly smooth. Another feature you will notice with the collie coat is that the hairs on the front of their legs are short and smooth but the hairs on the back of the legs are longer and denser.
When looking for a collie, you will find that there are a few different color choices. There are tri-color collies that will generally be a mix of tan, white and black markings. There are some collie’s though that will have different color variations or simply have two colors ranging anywhere from a light blonde to a darker reddish brown. Generally speaking, the tri color collies seem to be more preferred by pet lovers.
Beyond what the collie looks like, you will want to know a little about it’s health in order to determine whether or not it will be a truly good fit for your home. In general, the collie is known to be a fairly healthy breed, although there are some things that you will want to keep an eye out for. Such things include, Gastric torsion, Dermatomyositis, Collie Eye Anomaly and something called grey Collie syndrome.
The collie is also going to be a breed that is going to need a lot of exercise. Frequent long walks will do wonders for the collie, keeping him both healthy and fairly happy. Since the collie breed does great with children, it would be easy to get some of their exercise time in by having the kids run around the yard with the collie.
Another consideration of the collie is how well it can be trained. Generally, the happy and healthy collie is easy to train and is a very agile dog. This makes the collie breed a great addition to any home that wants a dog that will be able to take to simple and maybe even some complex commands.
