The Collie is a medium to large breed dog who is intelligent, lithe and balanced and known for their kind nature and beautiful expression. Their incredible beauty inside and out has found admirers world wide.

Originally from the British Isles the Rough coated collie was used mainly for herding while the Smooth coated collie was moreso a drover's dog.  

Dogs are from 60-66 cm (24-26 in) at the shoulder and weigh from 27-34 kg (60-75 lb). Females are from 56-61 cm (22-24 in) at the shoulder, weighing from 22-29.5 kg (50-65 lb). 

Both coats can occur in the same litter - the Rough though traditionally more popular and recognized, is actually a recessive coat.  The Smooth (albeit more rarely seen) is the dominant coat for the breed.  

The Collie comes in several colours including sable, sable merle, tri, blue merle, and colour headed whites.

The Collie is eager to please, easily trained and a very intelligent dog known for their gentleness and excellence as a family dog including with children and other animals.

The breed can be fairly vocal and should receive regular exercise and stimulation   The coat on a rough requires regular (minimum weekly) brushing/grooming and both breeds require regular nail trims as well.  

The Collie is a larger breed dog however they are an exceptional family dog and frequently one of the top breeds for starting out especially for children or new to owning a dog families.  The Smooth does not have the same grooming requirements for busy homes - but the same easily trained, (occasionally vocal) sweet natured personality.  

The Canadian Kennel Club has a breed standard which outlines the expectations for the ideal Collie below:

Collie Standard

The Collie, though a relatively active and healthy breed - has a few health concerns to watch for.  

Collie Eye Anomaly known as CEA is actually an umbrella term encompassing alteration to the eye itself which may include CRC or choroidal hypoplasia (graded in severity due to the prevalence in the breed) and may also encompass other health issues with the eye such as micropthalmia, coloboma, PPM, etc. As such, due to how common eye conditions present in the breed; a CAER health test completed by a certified ophthalmologist is expected to be completed for every puppy before sale and all breeding dogs will be tested prior to being bred. Even those inheriting "normal" eyes may have other eye concerns which need this testing - a gene or two genes for normal eyes does not preclude cataracts or other concerns such as distichia, etc. 

PRA - Progressive Retinal Atrophy - largely eliminated from the Collie gene pool, but still a test actively run to ensure there are no more carriers out there who may still be around.

MDR1 (now called the ABCB1 gene) - a p-glycoprotein gene which predisposes the breed to sensitivity for certain drugs due to how they cross the blood brain barrier - Washington State University contains a list of most common drugs which should be used cautiously within the breed here.

DMS - Dermatomyositis - an autoimmune inflammatory illness of the skin and muscle which causes lesions and fur loss as well as muscle wasting.  The gene has not been isolated yet but a risk factor test exists for Collies and other affected breeds.

Other testing can and may be run which can include DM, CN, OFA hips and elbows, thyroid and cardiac all of which give valuable information about the health of breeding dogs and their progeny.