Collie Coats:  There are two variety of coats found in the Collie - the Rough coat and the Smooth coat.  People who don't know the breed often mistake a Smooth Collie for a mix of some kind, remarking how similar it looks to a Rough Collie.  The Smooth Coat and the Rough Coat Collie are, in fact, the same breed and there very well even may be both varieties born into the same litter!  The Rough Collie is the typical long-haired dog in which most people are familiar.  The Smooth Collie is exactly the same in conformation, personality and colour with the only difference being the length of the coat.  The Smooth Collie has a short, dense, flat coat.  Both the Rough Collie and the Smooth Collie have a thick, soft undercoat and both varieties will shed and need regular grooming with the Smooth Collie needing a full groom less often. 

                                                            

 

 

Collie Colours:  There are 5 accepted colours that the Collie comes in.

Sable and White:  Sable and white can range from light browns to dark mahogany.  It also includes an almost yellow to the orange or red sable browns.  The sable and white always has white markings (legs, collar, tip of the tail, etc.).

                  

 

 

Tricolour:  Tricolours are predominantly black with tan markings over their eyes, on their cheeks and the sides of their muzzles and under the tail.  Tan may also appear on the legs and feet.  The Tricolour always has white markings (legs, collar, tip of the tail, etc.).

              

 

 

Blue Merle and White:  Blue Merles have a similar colour pattern as the Tricolour Cololie (tan over their eyes, on their cheeks and sides of the muzzle and under the tail) but the black area of a Tricolour are replaced by a grey mottled colour in the Blue Merle, ranging from a clear silvery blue to a dark matte grey with black merling or spotting distributed throughout their coat.

               

 

Sable Merle and White:  The Sable Merle is similar to the Sable and White, but are usually a lighter shade of sable colouring with darker sable mottling or spotting through the coat, often with grey tipping on the ears and always with white markings (legs, collar, tip of the tail, etc.).

 

White:  A White is basically an all-white Collie with a coloured head and ideally no more than 20% colour on the body.  The secondary colour, the colour on their head, may be any of the above colours or colour combinations.  So a "sable-headed white" would be a Collie who is predominantly or all white on the body with sable markings on the head.