Most important facts
- Group
- Pastoral
- Size
- Medium
- Weight
- 18–29.5 kg
- Lifespan
- 12–14 years
- Coat
- Short, flat
- Energy
- High
- Height
- 51–61 cm
- Colours
- Sable and white, tricolour or blue merle
- Shedding
- Heavy
- Est. feeding cost
- ~£40/mo
- Gear to consider
- Slow-feeder bowl, joint supplement chews, long-line lead for recall training
Typical dry food, adult
About the Smooth Collie
The Smooth Collie shares its roots with the Rough Collie in the herding dogs of Scotland, favoured by drovers who wanted the same brains without the coat. Queen Victoria kept both varieties, and the two were shown as one breed for a century until the Kennel Club separated them, with interbreeding ending in 1993. The Smooth remains by far the rarer of the pair.
Friendly, alert and even-tempered, the Smooth Collie is built for work as a herding dog and retains that drive today, even in a family setting. It's typically affectionate and biddable with its own household, but can be reserved with strangers and sensitive to a chaotic environment, so a calm, consistent routine suits it well.
This is an intelligent breed that thrives on having a job to do, whether formal training, agility or structured daily walks and games. Left under-stimulated, Smooth Collies can become vocal or anxious, so exercise and enrichment go hand in hand with feeding routine, and a predictable schedule for both keeps this sensitive, watchful breed settled.
Common health conditions
Things Smooth Collie owners commonly watch for. Guidance, not veterinary advice.
Hip dysplasia
A structural joint condition common in medium-to-large pastoral breeds. Keep puppies lean, feed controlled calcium during growth, and add joint support in adulthood.
Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA)
An inherited eye condition affecting the retina's development. Choose DNA-tested breeding lines, and keep up routine eye checks.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
The retina deteriorates slowly in this inherited condition, and blindness can follow. Choose breeders who DNA-test their lines.
MDR1 gene mutation (drug sensitivity)
Many Collies carry this mutation, which can cause severe reactions to certain wormers and medications. Always tell your vet you own a Collie type, and consider DNA testing.
Feeding a Smooth Collie
Smooth Collies are active, medium-to-large dogs that do best on a diet with enough energy density to fuel two or more hours of daily activity without oversized portions that strain the joints. Look for a complete food with good-quality protein to support lean muscle, and glucosamine or chondroitin for the joints given the breed's predisposition to hip dysplasia.
Portion control matters more once exercise drops off, such as after neutering or into the senior years, as this breed can quietly gain weight if feeding isn't adjusted. The double coat benefits from a good balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and as with all Collie types, flag the MDR1 mutation to your vet before any new medication or parasite treatment.
Every dog is different — weight, age and activity all shift what a Smooth Collie needs. The turns these breed tendencies into a shortlist matched to your dog’s age, size, budget and needs.
Typical adult weight
18–29.5 kg
Est. daily calories
730–1,590 kcal
A broad guide for an average-activity adult in good body condition — not veterinary advice. Real needs vary with age, neutering, activity, health and body condition, so no two Smooth Collies eat exactly the same. Get a personalised estimate or estimate feeding costs.
- Per day
- ~£1.32
- Per month
- ~£40
- Per year
- ~£482
A broad typical monthly budget guide, not a live price quote. Food format, calorie density, pack size and retailer pricing all change the real cost.
Find the right food for your Smooth Collie
Foods ranked to your dog
Answer a few quick questions and the Food Finder ranks foods to your Smooth Collie by score, price, life stage and fit.
Breed at a glance
- Exercise needs8/10
- Appetite6/10
- Trainability8/10
- Good with children6/10
- Shedding7/10
- Tolerates being alone4/10
The good & the worth-knowing
The good
- Intelligent and eager to please, making training straightforward for a consistent owner
- Short, flat coat is considerably easier to maintain than the Rough Collie's
- Gentle, loyal and affectionate with its family once properly exercised
Worth knowing
- Needs a genuine two hours or more of daily exercise plus mental stimulation
- Prone to inherited eye conditions and hip dysplasia, so health-tested parentage matters
- Sensitive by nature and can become vocal or anxious without careful socialisation
Best matched accessories
All accessories →The collections that suit the breed, judged by the same independent standard.
Common owner questions
How much exercise does a Smooth Collie actually need?
Plan on two hours a day at least, covering walks, off-lead time and mental work such as training or scent games. This is a working pastoral breed at heart, and under-exercising it tends to show up as restlessness or excessive barking.
Is the Smooth Collie prone to weight gain?
It can be, particularly once exercise reduces with age or after neutering. Feed to the dog's body condition rather than strictly to pack guidelines, and use the Food Finder to find a formula matched to its current activity and life stage.
Do Smooth Collies need a special diet for their joints?
Given the breed's known risk of hip dysplasia, a complete food containing glucosamine and chondroitin is a sensible everyday choice, alongside keeping the dog lean throughout its life, particularly during the growth period.
Are Smooth Collies good with children?
They're generally gentle and loyal, but tend to suit families with older, calmer children rather than toddlers, owing to their herding instinct and sensitivity to noise and chaos.