A Rough Collie's home-care session is really a coat expedition with four smaller jobs riding along. The ears, teeth, paws and claws each take minutes; the dense double coat, with its lion-like mane, full skirt and feathered trousers, takes the rest of the hour if it is done properly. Lay the dog on one side on the floor, do the quick checks first while patience is fresh, then comb that side's coat before rolling your Collie over to repeat the process. You will need ear wipes, a dog toothbrush, claw clippers, a slicker brush, an undercoat rake and a steel comb.
Ears That Tip Forward on a Collie
A Collie's ears stand semi-erect with the tips folding forward, which leaves the canal reasonably aired but tucks a hidden crease under each folded tip. Lift the tip, check that crease and the inner ear for redness or debris, and wipe the visible surfaces with a damp pad. Collies are sensitive, observant dogs who dislike surprises, so show the wipe, let the dog sniff it, and work quietly. An ear that smells, a dog shaking its head repeatedly after walks, or scratching concentrated on one side should be seen by a vet, especially since long ear feathering can hide the early scratching from a casual glance.
Teeth Along the Long Collie Muzzle
A Collie's long, narrow head gives you good access down the sides of the mouth, and the teeth to prioritise are the large rear molars and the canines, where plaque builds in visible bands. Lift the lip one side at a time and brush along the gumline in steady strokes, then check the front teeth and the roofline of the gums for swelling. This breed is typically stoic about discomfort, so look rather than waiting to be told: a Collie quietly shifting to chew on one side, or leaving hard food it normally finishes, is information that belongs in a vet conversation, not something to brush through.
Paws Buried in Feathering
Collie feet are upholstered in hair, and the feathering between the toes collects mud, seeds and ice-season grit that the dog then worries at with its teeth. Part every toe, clear what is lodged there, and comb the foot hair out straight; trim hair that grows past the pads in a mat-forming curtain, since packed hair between pads changes how this athletic dog places its feet. Trim the claws in small bites, remembering that a Collie's abundant leg feathering also hides the dewclaws, which keep growing unseen and are the claws most often found curled.
The Main Event: Combing Out a Double Coat
A Collie's coat has two distinct layers — a harsh, straight outer coat and a soft, dense undercoat — and brushing the surface alone leaves the undercoat to felt into mats against the skin. Work in small sections with the undercoat rake down to the skin, then follow with the slicker, then prove the section clear by passing the steel comb through it. Concentrate where friction and moisture conspire: behind the ears, under the collar line of the mane, in the armpits, and through the trousers at the back of the thighs. Tease mats apart with fingers and the comb's end teeth; never haul a rake through a solid mat, and never cut one out blindly against skin you cannot see under all that hair.
A Sensitive Dog Sets the Session's Pace
Collies cooperate beautifully until they quietly do not, and the signals are subtle: a turned head, a paw placed over your hand, a dog who simply rises and leaves. Honour those signals and split the coat work across sittings rather than cornering the dog for the last section. Recording the session's progress in KinsLe through Care Teams, with the undercoat of one side marked complete and time-stamped and the other side left as an open assigned duty, means a Collie's marathon grooming resumes exactly where the dog asked to stop, with no section combed twice and none forgotten.