How to Identify a Collie

Note the general character of the collie. This breed is a strong, responsive breed that is quite active. No part of the collie is out of proportion with any other part. This breed should not show timidity, frailness, sullenness, viciousness or lack of animation.

Look at the head of the collie. The head should never appear massive, but should have a smooth, clean outline. The end of the muzzle is blunt, but not square. Collies have good sized teeth and they should meet in a scissors bite. The skull sports arched eyebrows above a chiseled foreface. The eyes should be matched in color, unless the collie is a blue merle. They are almond-shaped and should be medium sized and the dark eye does not show a yellow ring. They have a bright appearance that expresses this breed’s intelligence. The ears are in proportion with the head and should neither be too large or too small. When the dog is alert, the ears will be carried ¾ erect, with the top ¼ of the ear tipping forward.

Make sure the body is firm and muscular. It should be a bit longer than the dog is high. The firm neck is muscular and sinewy, but you may not be able to see that through the heavy frills. It is a long neck, and is carried upright with a bit of an arch at the nape. The neck leads into well-sloped shoulders and a deep chest, which extends to the elbows. The loin is powerful, as are the hips and thighs. The front legs have a fair amount of bone, even for the size of this breed. Both front and rear legs are muscular, with the front legs having more flesh than the rear. The dog should not be cowhocked and should not have straight stifles. The feet are small in size and are oval-shaped. The toes are arched and positioned close together. The tail is moderately long and the vertebrae should reach the hock or just below the hock. It is generally carried low, except when the dog is excited—but never be carried over the back. The males are 24 to 26 inches at the shoulder and the females are 22 to 24 inches at the shoulder. The males should weigh 60 to 75 pounds, and the females should weight 50 to 65 pounds.

Feel the well-fit, textured coat. On the rough collie, it is the signature of this breed. The hair is quite long, except on the head and legs. The straight outer coat is harsh to the touch and should not be soft or curly. The undercoat is soft and furry, and makes it difficult to see the skin when the hair is parted. The hair on the mane and frill is quite abundant. The face and forelegs are smooth, with the forelegs being well-feathered on the back of the pasterns. The hair on the hips is long and bushy, and the tail hair is very profuse.

Look at the color of the collie. There are four acceptable colors: sable and white, tri-color, blue merle and white. The sable and white should be mostly sable. The sable can be a fawn sable or varying shades that go from light gold to dark mahogany. White markings are usually on the chest, feet, legs, neck and the tip of the tail. There may be a blaze on the foreface. The tri-color is mostly black and has the same markings as a sable and white, but also has tan shadings on and around the head and legs. The blue merle is a marbled color that is mostly blue-gray and black with the same white markings as a sable and white. The blue merle usually has tan shadings like the tri-color. The white Collie is mostly white, and may have sable, tri-color or blue merle markings.