7 Things You Didn’t Know about the Miniature Collie

The miniature Collie is a gorgeous breed of a dog, however, you may be surprised to know that they are not actually Collies at all. The Mini Collie is a fun-loving, highly energetic breed that is considered to be one of the most loyal of all dog breeds and do not necessarily do extremely well with strangers.

They tend to be a more shy with people they do not know and may not preferred to be approached by strangers. They have long fur that sheds its undercoat semi-annually to annually and will need routine grooming.

Because of their long coats and small stature, it is difficult for these dogs to be in the outdoor elements for any length of time and should be kept indoors. If you have ever been interested in this breed, keep reading to find out seven things you didn’t know about the miniature Collie.

1. Not really Mini Collies

Miniature Collies aren’t really Collies at all. These are actually Shetland Sheepdogs that are descendants of the Border Collies of Scotland. They resemble Collies, just smaller and are also referred to as Shelties.

Border Collies were transported to the Shetland Islands where they were bred with other, smaller purebred dogs until the ultimate result was a smaller dog than their cousin, the Border Collie.

2. Their original purpose

Mini Collies, or Shelties, were originally bred for farm herding. They were small and spunky with a lot of energy for running the farm with the farmers and keeping herds in order.

This breed did not tire easily, were very tenacious and they are extremely loyal dogs. They love to bark – big barkers – which was a positive trait for helping farmers keep control over their herds.

3. Excellent athletes

These dogs are known for being fast, agile, smart, easy to train, loyal, and loving but shy. All of these qualities are what make them excellent sports contenders and for them to excel in agility tasks competitions.

They are also highly trainable. While some breeds are easier to train in certain areas of behavior and tasks and not in others, the Shelties, or mini Collies, are easily trained in just about any area.

4.  How are Mini Collies with children?

Mini Collies are not necessarily the best breed of dog with children. While they are known to be very loving dogs, they tend to get a little nervous around kids and should be socialized at a very young age, how to behave, tolerate, and interact with children.

If Mini’s are raised with children from puppyhood and monitored when around children, they should do just fine, however, children should be taught how to treat dogs and good behavior around dogs, such as, no pulling tails, ears, hitting, screaming, and other behaviors that can cause aggression or nervousness in a dog.

5. No couch potato

Because this is a small breed, you can take this dog home to your apartment and he’d be perfectly happy there. However, just because he is happy living in small places, it doesn’t mean that he’s content just lying around on the couch all day.

These dogs like to perform tasks and have jobs to do, which usually includes some form of exercise. If you want a couch potato type of dog, this isn’t the best breed for you. But if you love to get out and run or play Frisbee, this dog will be a great fit for the active lifestyle, owner. A mini Collie needs a couple hours of exercise each day in order to stay fit, happy, and healthy.

6. A healthy breed

This is a fairly healthy breed of dog. While all dogs are prone to, or at risk of developing certain health issues, especially ones that are common among their breed, this particular breed has fewer health risks that run in its lineage.

The most common health risks are problems with the eyes, and displaced patellas (knee caps). They are also hyper-sensitive to certain canine medications, such as some heart worm preventative medications.

7. Colors of the breed

The mini Collie comes in a variety of colors, including, sable, golden to dark brown, black, and blue merle. The blue merle is a bluish-silver color and is one of the less common of the others.

All mini Collies have some white in their coat, however, the American Kennel Club, or AKC, sees a mini Collie with too much white on him, as a breed fault. The coloring pattern should flow throughout their long, straight and flowing coat, while the undercoat is short and curly.

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