Smooth versus rough collie

zippys · #1 10-13-2008, 09:10 PM

Can anyone tell me how the shedding of the smooth collie compares with the rough? I mean do you notice the hair everywhere more with the smooth. I had a rough for years and loss her recently. We are getting another collie and I am considering a smooth. Thanks.

DogstarAcademy · #2 10-13-2008, 09:31 PM

The number of hairs is probably about the same, but the grooming itself is MUCH less and the tumbleweeds are smaller, since the hairs are less fuzzy.

Smooths rock!

Romy · #3 10-14-2008, 02:11 AM

Some collie breeders will tell you that smooths shed more....but some collie breeders feed Pedigree.

Anyway, a good friend of mine has had three smooths, currently has two. She grooms collies for extra money, and most of her clients have roughs. If fed high quality food, the smooths do not shed as much. Hers are fed Solid Gold Wolf Pup, and get Showstopper and brewers yeast supplements. Honestly though, if a rough is kept groomed, bathed and brushed you will not see so much in the way of "tumbleweeds" (ha ha, I love that expression).

What she hates about roughs is that sometimes they get poo stuck in their pants if they have loose stools, and they usually get a little poo stuck on their bottoms which she ends up having to wash off. The smooths don't have that problem. She has told me that some day she would like to have a rough. She just hasn't found the right one yet.

zippys · #4 10-14-2008, 11:49 AM

I think we are going to get a smooth. My rough we had was injured at the groomers and died from complications. A smooth's coat would be so much easier to care for.

corgi_love · #5 10-14-2008, 03:05 PM

Smooth Collies' coats are very easy to care for- but it requires grooming(that can be done yourself). During shedding season, my smooth needed a 15 minute daily brushing to avoid too much hair everywhere. If you keep up with this, they do not shed A LOT, but they do shed(and we fed Innova).

I would not call them mild shedders, then again Kyrie(my newf) hasn't really started shedding yet, so maybe that will change! But until then, I would call them(at least mine) a heavy shedder.

If you can't handle the long hair, smooth is the way to go. But if you can't handle hair at all Collies might not be the way to go. Smooth's obviously won't tangle, but they need daily brushing to keep up with the shedding.

This is just in my experience though- I've only owned one Smooth

zippys · #6 10-14-2008, 03:24 PM

I don't mind hair. Just wanted to compare. We currently have a Golden so I know all about hair. You just learn to live with it.

TheGoldenRetriever · #7 10-14-2008, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zippys

We currently have a Golden so I know all about hair. You just learn to live with it.

Goldens shed far less with:

a.) A good quality food
b.) Adding a little flax oil and/or fish oil (preferably salmon oil) to their food
c.) 3 brushings/combings per week, done outside. Using a shed'n blade in addition to the brush/comb works well for the heavy shedding seasons.
d.) Gentle shampoo and a good moisturizing conditioner when bathing ... so as not to dry out the skin which makes shedding worse.

I did the above with my Golden Retriever and although she still shed, she was not at all a heavy shedder. Imagine the same would work for rough Collies or other shedding dogs.

For the hair that does still shed, I HIGHLY recommend a Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner (the purple one with the special attachments) ... best one I've ever used if you have shedding dogs. Much better than the Rainbow!

colliewog · #8 10-14-2008, 06:23 PM

I've had both coats my entire life (well, I've been "pure for smooth" since the late 90s) and find that the roughs don't necessarily shed more, but differently. Smoothie hair brushes off easily with a lint roller or a brisk rubbing, while rough hair has been known to weave into clothing and furniture, depending upon the fabric.

As far as grooming, I brush mine every week in the summer to remove the shedding undercoat, but otherwise only brush with a pin brush about every few weeks or so, and this isn't to control hair shedding, but to stimulate the natural oils in the skin to keep the coats/skin healthy. As someone else stated, a high quality diet (high in Omega 6:3) seems to help a lot. I've brought in horrible shedders (rescues), changed their food and they were very easy maintenance after that.

Sorry about your loss, but good luck with your future Collie.

lizzybeth727 · #9 10-14-2008, 06:36 PM

I"m training a smooth collie right now (first one I've ever met, and I LOVE her!) as well as a golden, and the collie definately sheds more. They're on the same food and get brushed several times a week (although the collie definately needs more brushing).