What's the Best Dog Food for Collies?

Collies are one of the most beautiful and recognizable dog breeds, but how do you keep them healthy with the best nutrition possible? We’ll share details of their breed traits, health issues to look out for, and what foods will help them thrive.

AKC Classification: Herding
Exercise Required: 2 hours/day


Ideal Weight
Healthy Male Weight: 60-75 lbs
Healthy Female Weight: 50-65 lbs


Breed Summary

Collies have long been a famous and easily recognizable dog breed, thanks to pop culture references like Lassie. Collies come in two varieties, the familiar long rough coat and a smooth, sleeker coat. Colors for both varieties can include sable and white, tricolor, blue merle, or all white. They have distinctive wedge-shaped heads, highly mobile ears, and beautiful almond-shaped eyes that allow them to show many different facial expressions.

Collies are athletic herding dogs with tons of energy, so they need regular exercise. They are excellent with children and highly trainable, loyal, and intelligent. Collies can weigh up to 75 pounds and they need space to run, so a house with a yard or a country setting is usually best for this breed. Collies also excel in pursuits like agility training and, of course, actual herding of stock animals.

Physical Traits
Beautiful flowing coats, wedge-shaped head, athletic build

Personality Traits
Loyal, intelligent, easy to train



Health Considerations for Collies

Many of the health problems that collies face are genetic in nature, such as seizures, eye disorders, Grey Collie Syndrome, and hip dysplasia. Collies can suffer from Central Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) which essentially erodes the layers of the retina, causing a dog to lose its sight over time, or from Collie Eye Anomaly, where the eye blood vessels do not develop properly after a collie is born, leaving it with diminished sight as as adult. Neither of these conditions are curable since they are genetic, although there are steps you can take to help alleviate stress and symptoms.

While there’s not much to do about genetic conditions in dogs except choose a reputable breeder, there are some health issues that you can treat:


Osteochondritis Dissecans

Collies can also face Osteochondritis Dissecans, which is when the dog’s bones grow so fast that its cartilage can’t keep up. This requires surgery to correct, but this can generally be prevented by allowing collie puppies to grow at a natural rate by not overfeeding or supplementing them.


Hip Dysplasia

Hip Dysplasia can also be an issue for collies, and although it is genetic in nature, it can be managed with proper diet and care. We look for foods that contain:


Bloat

Collies can unfortunately suffer from Bloat, where their stomachs fill with air, cutting off circulation between their front and back halves. This can result in shock and can be fatal. To minimize risk, try the following recommendations for your collie:


Complete a nutritional assessment to view individualized diet recommendations specifically for your pet.



Foods We Recommend: Collie Puppies

When do collies grow out of the puppy stage?
2 years old

Collies need high calorie food as puppies since they expend a lot of energy growing, playing, and running. Here are some foods we really like for young collie pups:


Foods We Recommend: Collie Adults

When do collies become adults?
2 years old

As collies mature into adults, they may need a lower calorie food since they are no longer growing, although working collies do need a significant amount of calories to keep up their muscle mass. We recommend foods like:


Foods We Recommend: Collie Seniors

When do collies become seniors?
9 years old

Collies may slow down a bit in their old age, which means they need fewer calories to keep them at a healthy weight. Some foods we recommend for senior collies include:


Affiliate Disclosure
We do not accept money to recommend pet foods. However, we do receive referral fees from online retailers (such as Chewy or Amazon) on qualifying purchases. Our recommendations are neutral, and diet recommendations are made without considering whether we will receive a referral fee.

Danny Schumann