Breed family · UK guide · Original sources
Rough Collie or Smooth Collie: what is the difference?
The Royal Kennel Club and the FCI each publish a separate standard for the Rough and the Smooth Collie. The two standards give the same heights and the same three colours; the clearest difference is the coat. The FCI's Rough Collie standard goes further and describes the two as the same apart from coat length. The standards still differ in smaller details: the Royal Kennel Club describes the Rough's ears as small and the Smooth's as moderately large, and only the Smooth standards give weights. These are show-ring descriptions and registry categories, not predictions about an individual dog, so read both profiles and meet the dog before you decide.
Consulted : Royal Kennel Club Rough Collie standard, Smooth Collie standard, the Rough and Smooth breed listings, and the separate FCI standards N° 156 and N° 296.
Rough Collie and Smooth Collie: the published guidance
Figures are the registries' ideals or listed categories. The Royal Kennel Club's note for puppy buyers says its size figures are a guide to the ideal, so an individual dog may be larger or smaller, in height or weight.
| Measure | Rough Collie | Smooth Collie |
|---|---|---|
| Height (RKC and FCI) | Dogs and males 56–61 cm, bitches and females 51–56 cm | Dogs and males 56–61 cm, bitches and females 51–56 cm |
| Weight in the standards | Neither the RKC nor the FCI standard gives a weight | RKC and FCI: dogs and males 20.5–29.5 kg, bitches and females 18–25 kg |
| Coat | Very dense, straight and harsh outer coat over a soft, furry undercoat, with an abundant mane and frill, feathered legs and a very profuse tail | Short, flat, harsh topcoat over a very dense undercoat; not trimmed or clipped |
| Colours (RKC) | Sable and white, tricolour, blue merle | Sable and white, tricolour, blue merle |
| Country of origin (FCI) | Great Britain (standard 156) | Great Britain (standard 296) |
| RKC listing: size, exercise | Large · Up to 1 hour per day | Large · Up to 1 hour per day |
| RKC listing: grooming, coat length | Every day · Medium | Once a week · Short |
| RKC listing: lifespan, vulnerable native breed | Over 12 years · No | Over 10 years · Yes |
The lifespan and vulnerable-native-breed entries are the registry's listing categories. They are not measurements of any individual dog's life or health, and this guide draws no conclusion from the difference.
Is a Smooth Collie just a Rough Collie with a short coat?
The FCI's Rough Collie standard says the two are the same apart from coat length and that they derived very recently from the same stock. The Royal Kennel Club's Smooth listing says that the two look almost identical apart from the coat and that they could be interbred until 1994. It dates the first Kennel Club challenge certificates for the Smooth as a separate breed to 1979, and its Rough listing says that separate classes for rough and smooth sheepdogs began in 1870.
The Kennel Club also says that the parents of one coat may produce puppies of the other in a litter, and that these puppies are registered by post on a litter application form. If you are shown a litter, ask which coat each puppy has, how it will be registered and what the parents' own records show.
Which one needs more grooming?
The Royal Kennel Club's listing categories differ: every day for the Rough Collie and once a week for the Smooth Collie. Both listings say the breed sheds. The Smooth standard says the coat is not trimmed or clipped. A category cannot tell you how much brushing a particular dog needs, so ask about the actual coat, shedding and the routine you would have to keep up.
Colour, merle and health tests: what the registry says
The Royal Kennel Club standards and FCI 296 list sable and white, tricolour and blue merle; FCI 156 lists sable, tricolour and blue merle. The Rough standards say a dog should carry typical white Collie markings, the Smooth standards say it may, and all four call an all-white or mostly white dog highly undesirable. For both breeds the Royal Kennel Club says puppies whose parents are both merle will not be registered if born on or after 1 January 2013, citing risks to sight and hearing linked to the merle gene.
Both listings also name the same pre-breeding tests: the BVA/KC/ISDS eye scheme, the BVA/KC hip scheme and DNA tests for collie eye anomaly (CEA/CH), degenerative myelopathy, MDR1 and progressive retinal atrophy (PRA-rcd2). The Rough listing places the eye and hip schemes under Good Practice and the four DNA tests under Best Practice; the Smooth listing places all six under Best Practice. A test being named is not a result for a particular dog: ask a breeder for the actual results, which the Kennel Club publishes through its Health Test Results Finder for dogs on its registers.
What about Border Collies and Bearded Collies?
The Royal Kennel Club lists the Border Collie and the Bearded Collie as separate breeds with their own standards. This guide does not compare them; read their own profiles: Border Collie and Bearded Collie.
Read the separate profiles
Compare activity, coat upkeep and household support in the profiles, then ask a rescue or responsible breeder what is known about the specific dog and its health records. Explore Your Doggy Match or compare the two profiles; neither is a validated prediction of how an individual dog will fit your life.
Sources and limits: Royal Kennel Club breed standards for the Collie (Rough) and Collie (Smooth), both updated 1 April 2025; Royal Kennel Club breed listings; FCI standards 156 and 296, both dated 6 October 2026 with the official valid standards published 8 September 2026. Pages checked 22 October 2026. Registries use different classifications; these are show-ring ideals and general care categories, not medical or behaviour evidence, local availability or an individual dog's needs.