Coat care entries for a heavy double coat
A Collie's care log needs a grooming section most breeds can skip. That long double coat mats quickly, especially behind the ears, under the collar, in the armpits, and through the feathering on the legs and tail, so the sitter records each brush-through with its date and what was found: loose undercoat coming out, a mat teased apart, or a knot building that needs your attention when home. If he is bathed during the stay, the log notes it, along with how thoroughly he was dried, because a Collie coat left damp against the skin invites hot spots. Note any scratching, skin redness found while brushing, or sensitivity around the nose — a pale Collie nose can catch the sun on bright days, and a sitter who logs a pink, sore nose has caught it early.
The nothing-extra rule, written and signed off daily
One line in a Collie's log matters more than it would for most breeds: a daily confirmation that he received only the food, chews, and care items on the agreed list, and nothing else. Collies are known to carry a gene variant that makes certain common medicines genuinely risky for them, so well-meaning improvisation — a neighbour's leftover tablet, an unfamiliar wormer, a borrowed treatment — must never happen, and the log proves it did not. If he needs anything beyond the list, the sitter phones you first and records the conversation, what was agreed, and the time. This single disciplined entry turns a breed-specific vulnerability into a non-event.
Meals, walks, and herding behaviour
Feeding entries record times, amounts, and appetite, with treats listed, because a Collie's routine steadiness is part of his calm. Walk entries should cover route, duration, and off-lead time, plus his behaviour around livestock if you live near fields — a Collie near sheep is a dog on duty in his own mind, and the sitter notes whether he stayed settled on the lead or fixed and strained. Herding behaviour gets logged at home too: circling the children, shadowing guests from room to room, or trying to round up the cat. None of it is misbehaviour, but the pattern tells you whether he is relaxed or quietly stressed, and it tells the next sitter what an ordinary evening looks like.
Eyes, rest, and general observations
Daily observations for a Collie should include his eyes — clear and bright, or any discharge, cloudiness, or squinting, noted with the time, since eye health is watched carefully in this breed. Record sleep and settling: whether nights were calm, whether he barked at sounds outside, and how he greeted the mornings. Appetite, water, and toilet entries complete the set, with stools described plainly and any vomiting or grass-eating spree written down rather than shrugged off. Collies are sensitive readers of household mood, so a line about his general demeanour — bright, clingy, subdued — is real data in this breed, not filler, and a run of subdued days is worth raising with you before the stay ends.
Keeping the log in step with the sitter's day
Agree the rhythm before you leave: grooming entries on the days brushing happens, the nothing-extra confirmation signed off every evening, and a brief daily summary of food, walks, coat, and mood. A long stay gets a photo of the coat's trouble spots midway, so you can judge a mat from wherever you are. Setting those duties up in KinsLe's Care Teams puts each brush-through, feed, and evening check on the sitter's assigned list, and every completed duty is stamped with its time — so your Collie's care is not just promised, it is visibly done.