Border Collie vs Rough Collie (Collie)

Photo: Horacio Cambeiro

Photo: Yasu w

Side by side

Border Collie

Rough Collie

Adult weight

Males 14–25 kg (31–55 lb); females 12–19 kg (26–42 lb) (breed club figure)1

Males 20.5–29.5 kg (45–65 lb); females 18–25 kg (40–55 lb)2

Lifespan

Median 13.1 years3

Median 13.3 years3

Fully grown

11 months, both sexes4

Group

Sheepdogs & cattledogs5

Sheepdogs & cattledogs6

Coat

Long coat or short coat5

Double coat6

Shedding

Moults most as the seasons change

Grooming

No sourced figure

A brush once a week

Exercise

Plenty

Health

Balance disorder (more likely); Joint wear-and-tear arthritis in the limbs (slightly more likely)7,8

Blood-vessel cancer of the spleen (much more likely); Bone cancer (much more likely)9

Class

Working

Family

Which suits you

Size

The Rough Collie is larger on average: about 23 kg (51 lb) as an adult, against 18 kg (39 lb) for the Border Collie.

Temperament

They differ most on affection (Border Collie: likes its own space; Rough Collie: affectionate on its own terms) and on intelligence (Border Collie: needs daily brain work; Rough Collie: learns readily, likes games).

Alike

Both are rated the same on independence: keen to work with you.

Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.

Take the breed matcher

What they're like

Border Collie

Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium

In temperament it learns quickly, concentrates hard and pays close attention to its handler.

Rough Collie

Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium

Rough Collies are gentle, affectionate and sensitive, attached to their household and often reserved with strangers. They are alert and readily bark at anything unusual.

The Border Collie page →The Rough Collie page →

Breed traits

Day to day

Border Collie

Rough Collie

Activity

Differs

Needs lots of exercise

A good daily walk and play

Intelligence

Differs

Needs daily brain work

Learns readily, likes games

Handler demand

Differs

Needs an experienced owner

Needs steady training

With people

Border Collie

Rough Collie

Affection

Differs

Likes its own space

Affectionate on its own terms

Loyalty

Sticks close to its people

Independence

Keen to work with you

Around the home

Border Collie

Rough Collie

Sensitivity

Needs a calm, predictable home

Voice

Differs

Barks to alert, then settles

Very vocal

Prey drive

Differs

Chases; needs managing

Usually fine with small pets

Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour10. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home11,12.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes

Summary

Detail

The Rough Collie grows to the heavier adult, about 24 kg against the Border Collie's 19 kg.

Border Collie

Rough Collie

More comparisons

Compare the Border Collie with

Rough Collie (Collie) vs Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie)Australian Shepherd vs Border Collie Border Collie vs Miniature American Shepherd Australian Shepherd vs Rough Collie (Collie)Border Collie vs Golden Retriever Border Collie vs Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie)All breed comparisons →

Sources

1
American Kennel Club. Border Collie breed page. ↑
2
The Kennel Club. Smooth Collie breed standard. ↑
3
McMillan et al., 2024. Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531 (VetCompass). CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w
4
Hawthorne et al., 2004. Body-weight changes during growth in puppies of different breeds. Journal of Nutrition 134(8 Suppl): 2027S–2030S (WALTHAM). ↑
doi.org/10.1093/jn/134.8.2027S
5
FCI. Breed standard no. 297. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. © FCI. ↑
www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/297g01-en.pdf
6
FCI. Breed standard no. 156. Fédération Cynologique Internationale. © FCI. ↑
www.fci.be/Nomenclature/Standards/156g01-en.pdf
7
Radulescu et al., 2020. Vestibular disease in dogs under UK primary veterinary care: Epidemiology and clinical management. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15869
8
Anderson et al., 2018. Prevalence, duration and risk factors for appendicular osteoarthritis in a UK dog population under primary veterinary care. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23940-z
9
Rodríguez et al., 2026. Epidemiology of Four Major Canine Tumours in the UK: Insights From a National Pathology Registry With Comparative Oncology Perspectives. CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1111/vco.70056
10
Morrill et al., 2022. Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science 376: eabk0639 (Darwin's Ark). ↑
doi.org/10.1126/science.abk0639
11
Dogs Trust. Finding a good, responsible breeder. ↑
www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/getting-dog/choosing-dog/finding-a-breeder
12
American Kennel Club. Screening puppy buyers: how top breeders find the best homes. ↑
www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeding/screening-puppy-buyers-how-top-breeders-find-the-best-homes/
13
Salt et al., 2017. Growth standard charts for monitoring bodyweight in dogs of different sizes. PLoS ONE 12(9): e0182064 (WALTHAM). CC BY 4.0. ↑
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182064

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