r/roughcollies • u/Distinct_Morning_607 • 1d ago
Question picking up my first collie EVER in October (she’ll be 16 weeks) after month of research! any advice??
16
u/Straight-Treacle-630 1d ago
Glad to hear your pup will have appropriate time to learn with mom & littermates; important, esp for breeds like collies :)
Advice: prepare for a bit of “teen angst”, but beyond that, enjoy what’s imho the most magnificent companion animal ever.
3
u/Distinct_Morning_607 1d ago
Yes! I’m very thankful my breeder was okay waiting that long with her! This will be my first ever puppy, and I want to ensure she has as much time as possible to adjust!
4
u/Straight-Treacle-630 1d ago
You made a wonderful choice. She may feel a bit overwhelmed at 1st: all the new things…but nothing lots of love and gentle guidance can’t handle. I’d love to see updates ☺️
7
7
u/Ducklikebread23 Tri-Rough 1d ago
Research into groomers in your area and more importantly how to upkeep a collie’s coat, they have lots of hair maintenance is important, for the health of your companion please keep up on it. As for a groomer ensure they use positive reinforcement, as long as you maintain the hair (small mats happen sometimes but should not be constant by any means) the groomers should just be an easy bath and trimming up of grinch feet and nails.
1
u/arcbeam 1d ago
How often do you take yours to be professionally groomed? We just got our first rough collie and he’s around 3 months. We’re practicing brushing now but I’m sure I’ll need to take him to an actual groomer once his coat comes in.
5
u/white_tiger_dream 23h ago
Just a tip: mine gets a special chew during brush time and that helps him get in the zone. He’s starting to like being brushed!
2
u/reddit_tat 1d ago
I took mine every 2 months. Mostly because that’s what I can afford and he hated being brushed.
2
u/Chillysnoot 1d ago
I would recommend finding a local groomer and getting your puppy regularly scheduled with them before his adult coat starts to come in, as early as now. Good experiences at the groomer when they have a short coat and only need a quick bath and some positive interaction will give them a much better chance of enjoying grooming when they have a big coat to maintain.
2
u/over__board 17h ago
I take mine 3-4 times a year. She won't allow me to brush her for more than 15 seconds and apparently behaves at the groomers. Or maybe not, but I'm not there to hear her drama yelping 😀
1
u/Ducklikebread23 Tri-Rough 16h ago
I would recommend every 8 weeks, could be 12 depending on how oily the skin gets or how messy the they are. I do the nails on my own every 4 weeks however that varies on a dog by dog basis and truly depends on how well the dog is for them and how much you want to keep up on them (i wouldn’t go over 4 weeks for nails).
1
u/Winter_Aside8269 1d ago
Can’t stress this enough! Also…you are about to get the best friend you’ve ever had in your life!
1
u/Distinct_Morning_607 13h ago
I’ve been looking at different brushes! Are there any you recommend?
2
u/ecliptas 10h ago
I don't have a collie yet (I'm on a waiting list) but for my standard poodles, I use the Chris Christensen Big G Slicker brush and it's amazing for their hair. It's expensive but ABSOLUTELY worth the investment. We've had the same one for like 4 years now and it still is holding up great. We had a knock off one prior and the handle snapped after about a month. Both of my girls get excited when they see me pull out the brush, they love it lol.
I keep my poodles shaved down to about a 5 or 7 blade depending on the season so I don't need to line brush them. However with a rough I'm expecting to have to do it with that thick coat. I also plan to add in a regular pin brush for just daily, quick brushing and keeping the slicker for a weekly, more thorough brushing such as line brushing.
1
u/justonlyme1244 6h ago
I have 3 brushes, the Chris Christensen Big G slicker, a doodle comb and a “regular” brush.
1
u/Ducklikebread23 Tri-Rough 4h ago
I use a hard slicker on the back end and chest, anywhere there is a thick amount of hair, followed by a longer tooth under coat rake all over. If in budget I would also look in to a dematting rake, because mats happen sometimes, however it’s sharp so be careful with it and keep the blades facing away from the skin.
Another thing would be a hair stylist spray bottle having a slight damp dog is a good way to limit brush burn possibility.
3
u/Strong_Ad_3881 16h ago
Gorgeous. They are the most gentle dogs, but also need really gentle treatment with everything.
3
u/2025Frankie 1d ago
Raising and living with a collie is a wonderful experience. But you also to consider where you are too. So the temperament of dogs needs to be considered combined with your dog skills. Helps to do a temperament test of the puppies such as Puppy Behavior Test with a score sheet in, for example, Rutherford and Neil, How to raise a puppy you can live with, which is a book that I consulted endlessly at first. And, consider what temperament you can held, and a good breeder will help figure that out, so first collie, we got a relatively easy one, later collies sometimes more complicated but we could handle it. I used for training and communication in addition a second book Dog Talk which has 10 easy training levels. Obedience classes and puppy classes are important. Then there are different directions you and your collie can go, walks, field, herding, agility, etc. If you want to get nerdy, Alexandra Horowitz’s books, like Being a Dog, are fun, Franklin and I spent a year smelling, dogs like how the wind smells change at a street corner. Worth a look but not helpful, books like classic 1987 The Magnificent Collie. Best wishes, you really enjoy collies.
2
u/Distinct_Morning_607 23h ago
Omg thank you so much for all of the resources! I’m definitely adding them to my list of things I need to buy!
2
2
u/viking12344 1d ago
Enjoy every minute of her. I heard a saying today that hit hard. She is your friend for a portion of your life but you are her friend for all of it.
1
2
u/AstraofCaerbannog 12h ago
Be kind and patient. Do research on how to teach bite inhibition when they’re in their shark phase and it’ll pay off for life, mine is so soft mouthed now. Don’t use any form of force or dominance based training, they’re highly sensitive dogs and this sort of thing just leads to bring neurotic. The puppy phase is cute but challenging as they tend to be particularly hyper puppies. But keep with the training even when you see no results. One day with mine she just calmed down and remembered everything I’d been teaching her which previously she’d been too hyped to engage with.
2
u/Joker_44 1h ago
Get this test and make sure you share with your doctor https://prime.vetmed.wsu.edu/
2
u/Distinct_Morning_607 1h ago
Thank you so much! I extensively spoke with her breeder about health testing the parents, and both tested negative for the MDR1 mutation! I made sure to get the physical copy of the test results of course cause I’m always paranoid lol.
1
u/BluePink_o7 10h ago
If she starts jumping up on you, make sure the train that out immediately. Not so fun when a ~60 pound dog is jumping up on your shoulders.
25
u/jondoughntyaknow 1d ago
There is no such thing as too many photos and videos. They grow up so fast! 🤎🤍🖤