Collies vs Shelties

Never owned a collie but all the folks that I have talked to that have collies or both collies and shelties tell me that collies are much more laid back then shelties.  The smooths seem to be more charged up than the roughs though.  Collies I've seen in the agility ring seems to support that.  Maybe Colliewog will chime in as she is familiar with the smooths.
 

I would say that collies are generally a calmer breed, and generally a bit more outgoing toward strangers. They have less of a tendency to be shy with strangers, and don't tend to require quite such intense socialization as puppies to develop into outgoing adults. Collies can be plenty barky, but on average I would say they are a bit quieter than shelties. And collies in general are less inclined to zoom around just for the sake of zooming. Although they can be plenty fast and energetic when motivated, they generally aren't perpetual motion machines, and they are less inclined to run full out just for the heck of it. For this reason, they are often decent agility dogs, but if agility was a priority of mine I would improve my odds by going with a sheltie or bc or aussie. Although many collie people claim that smooths are more energetic than roughs, I haven't observed any consistent difference myself. There are presently 10 collies that have earned MACH's, and all but one of them is a rough. In herding, collies seem to have a more self controlled and methodical approach to stock, while shelties often seem to depend on running really fast to induce stock to move.

There are presently 10 collies that have earned MACH's, and all but one of them is a rough.

I know one of those MACH collies xD And he's the SMOOTH!  I do believe he just completed his MACH 2!
 
And yes, Collies are much more laid back than the Shelties, and (slightly) less barky.  Like any herding dog, exercise is a must, but they can go a few days with little more than a ball chuck and be fine.

my sister had a standard rough collie. she was outgoing, my sister hated that too.. she and i should have swapped dogs. i had the served anti-social sheltie/collie and she had the bouncy happy fun loving collie that would chase the spray from the garden hose.... which is where the two were switched personalities. my sheltie(collie mix, truth be told) was laid back and easy going... had a lazy streak at times... but her collie was turbo charged, and full of energy... probably because she was a backyard lawn orniment.

I've fostered a couple of collies in rescue and of course I've known plenty. I think of them as the Golden retrievers of the herding dog world. Very people oriented. As far as comparing to Shelties - I feel like Shelties are more out to please themselves than the average collie. The original stock that Shelties came from was a spitz herding breed like the Valhund, and it does seem to come out in that slight difference in attitude.

Collies are extremely plain working dogs that control stock by convincing them that they are anticipating their moves. You won't see a collie use a lot of contact while working, but rather a lot of "containment" type movement - a mature dog will scan the group for potential trouble and then flank over to block escape. This results in a sort of zig-zaggy style of moving, whereas you'll see a BC stay on line and just look scarier if he senses trouble.

Shelties, in spite of their physical resemblance to collies, have a completely different working heritage. They were farmyard dogs, and so their forte was pushing unwilling stock into tight places, and then watching the yard. While collies were bred to be very obedient to the shepherd when needed, farmyard dogs almost completely call their own shots. Unlike Aussies and some European breeds, they were not guarding dogs, but alert dogs. The crossbreeding with collies means that modern Shelties have a wide variety of working styles, but their historical style was similar to Corgis and Valhunds, using dashes in at the stock to press their point when needed, but hanging back with just an occasional bark to keep the movement going.

From what I've known, collies seem a bit more laid back and calmer than shelties.  But that's about all I know.  The collies I've known have barked a lot too. 

This topic is a little near and dear to my heart, because I absolutely worshiped my Rough Collie. Sadi was a female, sable & white darling, who was quite honestly one of the best dogs I have ever had the pleasure of owning. During her time with me, she embodied the grace and pleasant disposition that is innate in the breed. In general, collies are more calm than Shelties. They have a very even temperament, and strongly embrace the need to care for something. Sadi befriended creatures of every type, from my siblings to our cats to baby birds. I think her mellow, friendly temperament was what made her an excellent member of my family.

I still think the most profound aspect of Sadi was her intelligence. As a herding breed, collies are bred to think intelligently, and you'll often get the impression that a collie is "reading your mind". The breed's drive to please also made Sadi an excellent obedience dog, although you have to make training challenging, for they can be easily bored (collies just catch on too quick!). I'm sure you've noticed this from your Shelties. []

My neighbor had a Sheltie, and we often had the dogs play together, which enabled good observations. In short, their Sheltie was much more active and verbal than Sadi. However, both showed the same capacity for learning, as well as the drive to "herd" the kids in the yard. Both breeds are wonderful, and as the others have said, you'll probably find the most noticeable differences in their activity level.

In the US, the difference between the smooth and rough is often merely bloodlines.  My roughs were/are as rough and tumble as my smooths.  But there are people who breed strictly roughs who want a more laid back dog, and there are people who breed strictly smooths who want a more "pushy" dog.  We have some pretty high energy roughs and some laid back smooths in the guide dog school, all related, so you really can't say that coat factor has all too much to do with it.


Personally, my smooths are very high energy, but I breed for that.  They are high energy workers, can go all day long without getting tired, and it is my lack of money and time that is holding them back from MACH and herding titles, not their abilities!  When they get a chance to show their abilities, they always shine, but that is always in such rare instances, with an instinct test here and there, and limited agility trials due to my physical abilities.  One of these days I'll be able to keep up with them and get them up to the level they deserve!!

As for the comparison to Shelties, I'd agree that they probably don't require the intense socialization of the shelties and may not be quite as sensitive, but other than that, they are both herding dogs and do share some similar intelligence traits that make you sit back and wonder "Darn these smart dogs are planning something!!"

i say a sheltie because they r smaller if u r looking for a small dog because i have a sheltie ginger and she if perfect becuase i have neborhood it is all little kids and they love her so they always come over to see her.. so it always works out with little kids