# Rough Collie?



## JMME

My fiance and I have been talking about getting another dog sometime in the next few years. We are in no hurry, but we have been discussing whether we will get another golden or a rough collie. I was wondering if anyone here has experience with rough collies as well? I absolutely LOVE my golden and at some point will def get another, but I thought it could be fun to also experience another great breed while we have Ripley. I have an older corgi, so I have some experience with a herding dog and I've been doing quite a bit of research, but I would love to hear opinions from people who have owned both a golden and a rough collie! Which would you recommend? From your experiences, what were the pros and cons of a collie versus a golden? Thank you so much for your help! Like I said, it likely won't be super soon that we get another puppy, but we are starting to put some feelers out there so that we can plan and prepare. Thanks again!!


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## Elvis

I have a Smooth Collie named Jack and a Golden named Gunther. Smoothies are considered the same breed in America as Roughs. Aside from the Smooths having short, easy to care for coats, they're almost identical. Smoothies do tend to be a bit more energetic. 

Anyway, I think a Rough Collie would be a great choice for a second dog. Both Collies and Goldens get along well with other dogs and enjoy canine companionship. It's also nice that they're roughly the same size for rough play so no one gets hurt. 

Trying to compare the two for you, I think Collies are more loyal. Goldens love everyone. Collies love their owners and they'll quickly learn to like other humans once they get to know them. Collies are more protective and territorial as a whole. They're very good watch dogs but absolutely *not* an aggressive breed. Collies are more alert and more skeptical of situations which they believe could lead to danger. Information you'll read about Collies being scarily empathic is true. They'll try to cheer up anyone feeling bad. If you're feeling tired, they'll take a nap by you instead of begging for a walk.

One more thing I can think of which makes Collies and Goldens good together are that they have similar exercise needs. 

Good luck finding the right puppy or dog for you. Hope I could help a little bit.


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## Megora

Ok.... first, we love rough collies. But temperament and play habits are completely different than golden temperament and play habits.  

Their way of play is chasing, barking and nipping... goldens way of play is wrestling and mouthing. 

If you look in their mouths, you would think they are missing a lot of teeth compared to retrievers! But being nipped by a collie hurts and leaves holes in your clothes.  

They are the control freaks of the dog world - and generally every play session has something to do with rounding up the other dogs. Or you. 

The hair is difficult to keep clean and untangled. You have to be dedicated to grooming every day or at least every other day to prevent mats. Because if you do not groom - They Will Mat. 

Basically every time Arthur goes outside, even twigs and leaves can cause tangles that need to be sorted out. 

They are not the same weight scale as goldens, even though they are taller. Our collie is generally about 50 pounds to the goldens' 70+ pound weights. He's basically all fur. 

Our collie is adopted, so that may be a factor... but in general, I do not think they are as bondy or one-person as goldens are. Golden retrievers love everyone, but they can get very dedicated and needy of one special person in their lives. They will visit everyone else but blow them off to follow their person. 

Collies tend to form relationships with all their people. And if other people pass inspection, they are in the "inner circle of trust". First greetings, they will bark and stare down first while trying to decide if the other person is trustworthy. This is a reserved temperament - but not the same as shy or unfriendly. They should not be shy or fearful. These should be brave and confident dogs. Assertive. 

Because they are sensitive dogs, they are very perceptive of changes to their routine and emotions of their owners. 

They love children and will generally elect themselves to be their watcher and herder. 

With other dogs - if these are "their dogs", generally you can expect they will be companions, playmates.... and the collie will keep them in order. Arthur bordertrained and helped manners train and raise two goldens now. If the puppies strayed too far, Arthur would be sent out to herd them back to the house. <- They LOVE having jobs to do. A bored and ignored rough collie is a very sad thing.

Health is a huge deal. They have eye problems (a lot of them), are prone to nasal cancer (those long noses), and prone to colitis issues. The colitis especially can be very expensive to treat, especially if it becomes chronic.


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## Elvis

Megora said:


> Ok.... first, we love rough collies. But temperament and play habits are completely different than golden temperament and play habits.
> 
> Their way of play is chasing, barking and nipping... goldens way of play is wrestling and mouthing.
> 
> If you look in their mouths, you would think they are missing a lot of teeth compared to retrievers! But being nipped by a collie hurts and leaves holes in your clothes.
> 
> They are the control freaks of the dog world - and generally every play session has something to do with rounding up the other dogs. Or you.
> 
> The hair is difficult to keep clean and untangled. You have to be dedicated to grooming every day or at least every other day to prevent mats. Because if you do not groom - They Will Mat.
> 
> Basically every time Arthur goes outside, even twigs and leaves can cause tangles that need to be sorted out.
> 
> They are not the same weight scale as goldens, even though they are taller. Our collie is generally about 50 pounds to the goldens' 70+ pound weights. He's basically all fur.
> 
> Our collie is adopted, so that may be a factor... but in general, I do not think they are as bondy or one-person as goldens are. Golden retrievers love everyone, but they can get very dedicated and needy of one special person in their lives. They will visit everyone else but blow them off to follow their person.
> 
> Collies tend to form relationships with all their people. And if other people pass inspection, they are in the "inner circle of trust". First greetings, they will bark and stare down first while trying to decide if the other person is trustworthy. This is a reserved temperament - but not the same as shy or unfriendly. They should not be shy or fearful. These should be brave and confident dogs. Assertive.
> 
> Because they are sensitive dogs, they are very perceptive of changes to their routine and emotions of their owners.
> 
> They love children and will generally elect themselves to be their watcher and herder.
> 
> With other dogs - if these are "their dogs", generally you can expect they will be companions, playmates.... and the collie will keep them in order. Arthur bordertrained and helped manners train and raise two goldens now. If the puppies strayed too far, Arthur would be sent out to herd them back to the house. <- They LOVE having jobs to do. A bored and ignored rough collie is a very sad thing.
> 
> Health is a huge deal. They have eye problems (a lot of them), are prone to nasal cancer (those long noses), and prone to colitis issues. The colitis especially can be very expensive to treat, especially if it becomes chronic.


I wouldn't disagree too much. Except to say that generally they are roughly the same size. My Golden is 75 lbs and my Collie 70 lbs. The breed standard for male Goldens is 65-75 and Collies 60-75. I think just going by the breed that Collies are generally more of one-person dogs than Goldens. I, like a lot of people, consider Collies one-family dogs instead of one-person, though. Of course, Jack my Collie is my velcro dog and my GSD acts more like my Golden than my Golden does. It's all about the specific dog's personality and temperament.

One point you made really needs to be reiterated.

Learn everything you can about CEA. It's extremely important to find an experienced breeder trying to improve the breed rather than make money off of it. Grandparents still on site would be a good first sign.


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## nolefan

Megora said:


> Ok.... first, we love rough collies. But temperament and play habits are completely different than golden temperament and play habits.  "...
> 
> Because they are sensitive dogs, they are very perceptive of changes to their routine and emotions of their owners.
> 
> They love children and will generally elect themselves to be their watcher and herder. "
> 
> "Health is a huge deal. They have eye problems (a lot of them), are prone to nasal cancer (those long noses), and prone to colitis issues. The colitis especially can be very expensive to treat, especially if it becomes chronic."



Yes and Yes  I think this breed is sadly underrepresented in the pet population. They are absolutely wonderful family pets, if they are exercised and trained, just like Goldens 

That being said, I will probably never have another because my rough male, age two, has a gorgeous coat that should be brushed daily, which I can't seem to discipline myself to do. As a result I am in a perpetual battle with matting around his 'armpit' area around all 4 legs and behind his ears. The shedding is not as bad as a Golden, the commitment to brushing him is a big one.

I honestly adore this dog but herding dogs are totally different than Retrievers. My Collie Mack came home to me at 12 weeks. Collie breeders will grown their puppies out longer to see which one they want to keep for show. It's nice in a way because Mack came home from a loving breeder, raised in her home, stayed with his siblings and interacted with her older dogs and he is perfect with other dogs, excellent bite inhibition and just a well-adjusted easy going personality. He is the 'boss' dog at our house but is so laid back that he will let Ellie and Sailor take just about anything from him anytime. Very occasionally he will decline and he does it without curling a lip or making a sound. It is a fascinating lesson on dog behavior. 

My Mack is very 'delicate' in his manners and is a gentleman in every way. He adores children and has never met a stranger. HOWEVER, he is always on 'patrol' and takes his job of guarding our yard very seriously. He barks more than any dog I've ever had. He is pretty vocal and when he's excited and playing he barks and 'talks' quite a bit. 

And did I mention the brushing???

The delicate digestive tract is definitely true at our house. His system gets upset and he has a bout of vomiting and diarrhea (always in the middle of the night :uhoh every couple of months so that I still have him sleep in his crate in my room at night to minimize clean up issues and so I know if he has to go out. 

We take agility classes together and he is very bright, but it is not that intense desire to please that my Goldens have all had. I thought I had become a pretty decent dog trainer until Mack had come along and took me down a peg. 

I agree with Megora that they tend to be sensitive. I hope you would be careful with your breeder research and make every effort to find someone who is doing a good job. Be sure to read up on the breed and their health issues. I found that most of the breeders who are 'old school' do very minimal health testing of their breeding dogs and there is a very different attitude than what I've found with reputable Golden breeders.


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## Megora

> The delicate digestive tract is definitely true at our house. His system gets upset and he has a bout of vomiting and diarrhea (always in the middle of the night :uhoh every couple of months so that I still have him sleep in his crate in my room at night to minimize clean up issues and so I know if he has to go out.


Sounds EXACTLY like Arth.  

I have to mention.... I nearly adopted a female a few weeks ago. She was the same age as Arthur and the owner had some health issues and had to give her up. I thought about it really hard and was enchanted with the idea of two shaggy dogs running around the yard after the goldens every day.... what made me back off though is the colitis issues that Arth has. It makes you respect the cast iron stomachs that the goldens generally have.


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## JMME

Thank you so much for your replies. The one thing I will for sure be doing is making sure that whatever pup we decide on will be from a reputable breeder that does their clearances. It's always good to hear people's personal experiences. Ripley has a very sensitive digestive system as well and that has not been fun, so that's a very important point to consider. I also own a corgi that Is very vocal, and I've always loved how Ripley has never had much of a desire to bark, so that is another thing we will need to think about. From your experiences, how are collies around water? Do you think they could be trained to enjoy it if given the correct socialization? I've read some conflicting things about this. Also, would the coat need to be blow dried after swimming because of house dense and thick it is? Thanks again


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## Megora

Speaking from the experience of owning just 1 collie and having training friends with roughs.... 

They are not water dogs. At. All. 

Arthur doesn't even approve going out in the rain. LOL.


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## ssohara

*My collie loves to swim*

I think it depends on the collie. My first dog was a collie, and she would enjoy getting in the water once in a while. My current collie loves the water, when we go for hikes she ALWAYS wants to go into the water if there are any creeks, lakes, etc. 

So I keep towels in the car, and a tarp...


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