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LargeHerding Group

Collie

The Collie is the Scottish-origin herding breed popularized globally through the 'Lassie' film and television franchise.

Calculate Collie age
Lifespan13.3 yrrange 13–14
SizeLargeHerding Group
Weight50–75 lb22.7–34 kg
Senior at6 yrgeriatric at 10

Gallery (3)

About

About the Collie

The Collie is the Scottish-origin herding breed popularized globally through the 'Lassie' film and television franchise. Both rough (long) and smooth (short) coat varieties exist within the single AKC breed; other registries split them into two breeds.

Aging

How Collies age

RVC VetCompass places median lifespan at 13.3 years (n=3,275). Collie-eye-anomaly is the defining inherited risk — carrier frequency is near-universal in some lines — alongside MDR1 drug sensitivity, which causes severe reactions to ivermectin.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 13.3 yr · range 13–14Senior careSenior at 6 · geriatric at 10Common health issues11 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
50–75 lb(22.7–34 kg)
Height
22–26 in(55.9–66 cm)
Coat type
Long
Colors
Black White & TanBlue MerleBlue Merle & WhiteBlue Merle White & TanSableSable & WhiteSable MerleSable Merle & WhiteWhiteWhite Merle
Temperament

Temperament

How Collies tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

devotedgracefulproudintelligent
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • High prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • High prevalencetypical onset ~1 yr

    MDR1 Drug Sensitivity

    Description and veterinary guidance for MDR1 Drug Sensitivity land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • High prevalencetypical onset ~1 yr

    Collie Eye Anomaly

    Description and veterinary guidance for Collie Eye Anomaly land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
45min
per day

Collies are satisfied by around 45 minutes of daily activity (energy level 3/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.