This large sheepdog is known to everyone who has ever watched the series "Lassie", where the collie showed its mind and devotion, grace and become friendly and calm. Initially, the breed was bred for protection of sheep pastures and received its name from the breed of sheep collies, although the dog was first called the Scottish sheepdog. Queen Victoria, having accidentally seen the guards with luxurious long wool and unusual narrow muzzles, was pleasantly surprised and wished the collies to appear in her Scottish residence. After that, the breed began to rapidly gain popularity and today you can find long-haired or short-haired collie dogs of different colors.
Collie: description of the breed
This dog is an excellent family man, intelligent and calm, she perfectly gets along with the children. The character of the collie is distinguished by devotion and affection, concern for the younger, calm attitude towards other animals. The desire to please the owner and excellent diligence make it possible to train dogs of this breed with pleasure, and the royal appearance and good nature will quickly make the animal a universal favorite.
The congenital security instinct of the collie, combined with a lively mind and incredible intelligence, led to the fact that the breed was used not only to protect sheep, but also to serve in the police, sapper troops, and with the role of guide dogs, collies cope better than most other dogs.
How to care for a collie?
Care for the collie involves, in the first place, long walks, filled with activity for the animal. Do not start a dog like that if you can not walk with it or hope to sit on the bench while the pet is running. No! She needs your participation, throwing a stick or frisbee, jogging together and other physical activities. Collie will be an excellent companion athlete, if he can add a pet to his training.
It is worth noting that the smooth-haired breed is distinguished by a pronounced guardian instinct and distrust of new people, so it is better for a family to choose a dog with a long coat. It is not difficult to care for a pet, it is necessary to comb hair regularly, periodically to bathe a dog. Most of the collies like to swim, with pleasure standing in the bathroom under the streams of water from the shower, so that the big problem of caring for the beautiful dog hair does not represent.
The eyes and ears of the collie require special attention. Growing in the ears of hair can clog the ear canals, so it must be regularly removed. A special powder, which can be bought at a pet store, gives the hair in the dog ears a fragility, after which they can easily be pulled out by a sharp movement in the direction of growth. Ears need to be cleaned with cotton buds, for example, before bathing, for a better cleaning, use a special lotion. Inadequate care of the auricles of an animal can lead to a collie like otitis, so keep an eye on their condition. An indication of the development of the disease may become an unpleasant smell,
Eyes of a collie may have small discharge, which must be cleaned with a cotton swab dipped in a lotion for the eyes. In case the allocation is abundant, it will not be superfluous to show the animal to the veterinarian for the diagnosis of diseases at an early stage. The mode of feeding the dog is better done by the hour, calculating the time so that between meals there is an interval of 3-4 hours for its digestion. Choosing what to feed the collie, try to refrain from "human" food, the best solution will be dry and wet food, designed specifically for this breed of dogs, taking into account the age and activity of the pet.