All About Collies
Common Questions
Q: Are Collies good with children?
A: Yes, Rough and Smooth coat collies are known for being good with kids. They instinctively protect the little ones in their family and are remarkably gentle. They are loyal and sensitive to their people.
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Q: Are Collies noisy?
A: Sometimes. Many people claim that collies are very noisy, but that has not been my experience. Collies like to talk. one of mine will find a comfortable spot and lay there moaning and groaning contentedly. I find the little sounds rather endearing. but normally full-on barking means there is a reason to be barking.
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Q: Are Collies easy to train?
A:Yes! Collies are very intelligent and have a desire to please their human(s). They respond best to gentle but firm training.
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Q: What is the difference between the rough coat and smooth coat collie?
A: Both variety of collie has what is called a double coat. this means that they have a short, thick, and soft undercoat next to the skin and a coarse and more protective outercoat. The smooth collies' outercoat is short and almost hard, whereas the rough collies' outercoat is long and very luxurious. Some people say that the smooth collie is higher energy but I find that energy levels depend more on the individual than the coat type.
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Q: Do collies have genetic disorders?
A: Yes, there are some genetic phenomena to be aware of when you are looking at a Collie.
The big 3 are CEA (Collie Eye Anomaly), MDR1 (Multidrug Sensitivity), and PRA-2 (Progressive Retinal Atrophy). Both PRA-2 and CEA can lead to complete blindness or degenerated sight. However, it takes two copies of each respective gene for the dog to be affected by it.
The MDR1 is a common genetic mutation in many herding breeds. Even those dogs with only one copy of the gene are affected by it. However, issues caused by MDR1 are avoidable. there are several drugs to avoid if your dog has 1 or 2 copies of this gene. Always avoid Ivermectin! Other examples of drugs to look out for are loperamide, cyclosporine and many chemotherapeutic agents
If you want more in-depth discussions on any collie health topic the Collie Health Foundation is an excellent source.
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Q: Are your collies health tested?
A: Yes! The main tests I do are CEA, PRA2, MDR1, DM, and DMS. All puppies from Blue Flannel are guaranteed clear for PRA2 and CEA!
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Q: What do you feed your collies?
A: I feed Life's Abundance Dog Food, All Life Stages, to both adult dogs and puppies! They also enjoy the lamb and venison treats and buffalo lung chews! Of course you can find your's here by clicking the link. ;-) lifesabundance.com/blueflannelpantry
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Q: How much does a puppy from you cost?
A: For a pet only puppy (with limited AKC registration) the price is $1000. If you are looking for a potential breeding and/or show puppy (with full AKC registration) the price starts at $1500.
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Q: So, what happens when I am put on the Waitlist?
A: You will get notified by phone or email when a litter is expected and/or when a litter has arrived. Once the pups are 2 weeks old, we start accepting non-refundable reserve payments of $250. The reserve is non-refundable but it is transferable to a different puppy if available in the same litter or to a puppy in a different litter.
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Q: When can I bring my puppy home?
A: Puppies can start joining their forever families at 8 weeks old!
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Q: Can I come and meet my puppy before they are 8 weeks old?
A: Yes, visits to the kennel are by appointment only. And never before the puppies are 2 weeks old.
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Q: Do I have to sign an adoption contract if I choose to adopt from Blue Flannel?
A: Yes. All of my puppy families are asked to sign a simple adoption contract.
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Q: Any Collie book recommendations?
A: Yes! "The New Collie." put out by the Collie Club of America. "Collie Concept" (Mrs. George H "Bobbee" Roos) is great book geared more toward breeders. "How to Raise and Train a Collie" (Sara M. Barbaresi) is a good book for all Collie fanciers.
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Q: What is the Collie Conformation Standard?
A: I shall add a button for you to click and discover. Learn it and love it! I found this document by simply typing the question into the search engine so you didn't have to. ​
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If you have any other questions that I can help you with please reach out! I love talking about my Collies!
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