Collie Pups On Your Mind?
Most puppies are adorable little animals, and collie pups are no exception. When very young, collie pups don't always tend to look like collies, but that changes after a few months. The cuteness starts to go away, but the playfulness remains, at least for awhile. After a year or so, the adorable collie pups become affectionate and loyal pets, and given proper obedience training, easy pets to keep.
Collies have always been a popular breed. Movies such as "Lassie" and "Lassie Come Home", together with the television series centered on the somewhat heroic collie, made the breed even more popular, especially in the postwar years. One has to realize however, that the Lassies of movie and television fame were extremely well trained animals. All grown collies tend to be very intelligent, but not all are well trained. It's not a well known fact, but the movie and TV versions portray a collie especially bred to be larger than the standard size. One might be disappointed if upon purchasing a collie pup, it doesn't grow up to be quite as large as the movie or TV version. Lassie as it turns out, would be penalized in an American Kennel Club sanctioned dog show as being too large. Most collie pups sold by responsible breeders would likely be an accepted size.
Loyal, Affectionate, And Loud - When purchasing collie pups, there's more to be taken into consideration than how to take care of a puppy. It's a smart thing to know ahead of time what kind of a dog that puppy is going to grow up to be. On the positive side, as we've said, collie pups normally grow up to be loyal and affectionate. Adult collie dogs also have a reputation of being very good with and around children. Collies require attention to the extent they don't become bored. One of the drawbacks of the collie breed is that they are considered to be a barking breed, which means they are quite capable of barking loud and constantly, which they are apt to do, if left alone outside for lengthy periods.
Collie puppies can grow up to be indoor dogs, but only if they are allowed some time out of doors or are taken for a good daily walk. If confined indoors too long, a collie, normally a working dog, can easily become a content couch potato, which can lead to health problems. On a more positive note, the collie isn't usually a problem indoors since it doesn't seem to have the usual "doggie odor", and in spite of its long coat, if it's a "rough" collie, it sheds very little, and only needs a weekly and not a daily brushing.
Ask The Breeder - You may have other questions to ask when considering the purchase of a collie. A responsible breeder of collie pups will invariably try to make a good match between the puppy and those purchasing it. It can become a sad situation when a puppy grows into something other that anticipated, or simply doesn't remain a puppy forever, and eventually becomes unwanted.
Color And Size - As far as what collie puppies tend to look like when they grow up, they will normally be Tri-color, black with white markings and tan shadings, Sable and White, sable being a fawn color, Blue Merle, a mottled blue gray appearance with black and white markings, and pure White. When fully grown, the collie will usually weigh in the vicinity of 70 pounds, and stand about 24 inches at the shoulder, with the male typically being about 2 inches taller than the female. All in all, a very handsome dog.