Collie
A Scottish sheepdog that became famous through one fictional dog. It comes rough coated or smooth, and both are sensitive to a raised voice.
Overview
The Collie is the Scottish sheepdog that Lassie made famous, and it comes in rough and smooth coated varieties that differ only in coat. It was a working herder before Queen Victoria took an interest in the 1860s and turned it into a fashionable dog.
It is also the breed at the centre of the MDR1 story: about 75 percent of Collies in the United States, France and Australia carry at least one copy of the drug sensitivity variant, which is the highest rate of any breed.
Temperament
Gentle, sensitive and eager to please. Collies are among the softest of the herding breeds, good with children, and famously responsive to their people.
They are noise sensitive and they bark, sometimes a great deal. The herding instinct shows as circling and gathering rather than nipping, which makes them easier with children than a Cattle Dog. They are also sensitive enough that a harsh household genuinely distresses them.
Care and grooming
The rough coat needs thorough brushing two or three times a week and daily during the two heavy moults, right down to the dense undercoat. The smooth coat needs weekly brushing.
MDR1 is the essential test, and it matters practically: an affected Collie can be seriously harmed or killed by ordinary doses of several common drugs including some wormers and sedatives. Collie eye anomaly, progressive retinal atrophy and degenerative myelopathy also have DNA tests.
Living and exercise
An hour and a half a day plus mental work. They are excellent at obedience, herding and agility.
The MDR1 result should be on the dog's file at the vet, and a card in the collar is not excessive. Twelve to fourteen years is normal.
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