Duchess
5 years old · Kennebunkport
A sable rough Collie with a mane worth the effort. Her spring blow-out fills a full bag every year.
Breed Grooming Guide 5.0 · Southern Maine
Collie Dog Grooming.
A Rough Collie carries one of the most impressive double coats in the dog world, and it takes real equipment to care for it properly. Standard shop dryers rarely get a Collie dry to the skin. K-Pup grooms Collies mobile, with a high-velocity dryer, the time to work through the mane and skirt, and no crate-drying at any point in the process.
Rough, Smooth & Everything Under It
Two coat varieties, two grooming plans.
The Collie standard covers both rough and smooth varieties, which need very different sessions. For breed background, see the AKC Collie breed page.
The Rough Collie
A long, harsh outer coat over a dense woolly undercoat, with a full mane and heavy skirt. The undercoat is what mats, and it does it invisibly underneath a coat that still looks fine from the outside.
The Smooth Collie
Same dog, short coat — and still a full double coat that sheds enormously. Smooth Collies need deshedding baths just as much as their rough cousins, they just need no scissor work.
Mane, Skirt & Britches
Behind the ears, around the ruff and on the rear britches is where Collie mats live. Those three areas take the majority of the session on a rough coat.
Puppies & Seniors
Collie puppies should meet a high-velocity dryer before the adult coat comes in. Older Collies get shorter sessions with support under the hindquarters.
Built For A Working Double Coat
Undercoat out, guard coat left alone.
Never shaved — always deshedded
Shaving a Collie damages the guard coat that protects against sun and cold, and it often grows back patchy. We remove the dead undercoat instead, which is what actually reduces shedding.
Dry to the skin, every time
A Collie coat that stays damp at the skin gets hot spots. High-velocity drying blows water and loose undercoat out together, which is why it's non-negotiable on this breed.
Mat checks behind the ears
The soft hair behind a Collie's ears felts faster than anywhere else on the dog. We check and clear it at every visit before it becomes a tight pad against the skin.
Feet, hocks and sanitary
Trimming the hair between the pads and tidying the hocks and sanitary area keeps a Collie cleaner through mud season and prevents ice balls in winter.
The Collie Club of America publishes breed health information, including guidance on the MDR1 gene worth discussing with your vet.
Services
Collie grooming services.
01
Full Deshed & Groom
Bath, deshedding treatment, high-velocity dry, full mane and skirt brush-out, feet and sanitary tidy, ears and nails.
02
Seasonal Blow-Out
A spring or fall session dedicated to removing the coat blow before it ends up all over your house.
03
Smooth Collie Bath
Deshedding bath, curry work and high-velocity dry for smooth coats, plus ears, nails and a sanitary tidy.
Our Process
How we groom a Collie.
Every collie appointment follows the same order, start to finish, in the trailer in your driveway. Typical appointment time: about 2 hr, one dog at a time.
Pre-groom mat check
We work through the mane, behind the ears and the britches to find mats hiding under a coat that looks fine on the surface.
Deshedding bath
A deshedding shampoo and conditioner loosen the dead undercoat throughout the mane, skirt and body.
High-velocity dry to the skin
The most important step on a Collie — high-velocity air blows water and loose undercoat out together, all the way to the skin.
Undercoat rake and brush-out
Rake and slicker work through the mane, skirt and britches removes what the dryer loosened.
Feet, hocks and sanitary tidy
Pad hair trimmed, hocks neatened and the sanitary area cleaned up — no body shaving at any point.
Ears, nails and finish
Ears cleaned, nails ground smooth and a final comb through the ruff before your Collie is turned loose.
This is the full step-by-step process K-Pup Dog Grooming uses for Collies in southern Maine.
Client Spotlight
Our favorite Collies.
A few of the Collies we look forward to seeing on the schedule — regulars from around southern Maine who hop up on the table like they own the trailer.
Scout
3 years old · Biddeford
A smooth Collie who proves short coats still shed. He gets a deshedding bath every eight weeks.
Willa
10 years old · York
A blue merle senior. Shorter sessions, hindquarter support during nails, and a lot of chin scratches.
Fun Facts
The best things about Collies.
We groom a lot of Collies, and every one of them reminds us why the breed has such a loyal following. Here's what we love about the collie.
Lassie made them famous
The Rough Collie became a household name through Lassie — and every Lassie on screen was actually played by a male Collie.
Two coats, one breed
Rough and Smooth Collies are the same breed with different coat lengths, and both carry the same heavy undercoat.
Scottish herding roots
Collies were developed in Scotland and northern England to move sheep over rough country in punishing weather.
Sensitive and switched-on
Collies read a room fast, which is exactly why a quiet, one-dog trailer suits them better than a busy shop.
Ask your vet about MDR1
Collies commonly carry the MDR1 gene variant, which affects sensitivity to certain medications — worth a conversation with your vet.
Related Breeds
Similar coats we groom.
Collies share brushing, drying, and trimming needs with these breeds — each guide covers coat care, timing, and pricing for mobile grooming in southern Maine.
Alaskan Malamute Dog Grooming
Double-coat deshedding
Australian Shepherd Dog Grooming
Double-coat deshedding
Border Collie Dog Grooming
Double-coat deshedding
Cardigan Welsh Corgi Dog Grooming
Double-coat deshedding
Chow Chow Dog Grooming
Double-coat deshedding
German Shepherd Dog Grooming
Double-coat deshedding
Where We Groom Collies
Collie grooming across southern Maine.
Looking for a Collie groomer near you? K-Pup's mobile trailer covers southern Maine — pick your town and book a driveway appointment. See all our locations →
Kennebunkport Collie GroomingKennebunk Collie GroomingCape Porpoise Collie GroomingGoose Rocks Beach Collie GroomingArundel Collie GroomingBiddeford Collie GroomingSaco Collie GroomingWells Collie GroomingOgunquit Collie GroomingYork Collie GroomingOld Orchard Beach Collie GroomingScarborough Collie Grooming
Collie Grooming FAQ
Questions Collies owners ask us.
How often should a Rough Collie be groomed?
Every 8 weeks for a full deshedding groom, and more often in spring and fall when the coat blows. Brushing at home two or three times a week keeps the mane and skirt manageable.
Should I ever shave my Collie?
No. Shaving removes the protective guard coat, can permanently change the texture, and doesn't help with heat. Deshedding is the correct answer.
Do Smooth Collies need professional grooming?
Yes. They carry the same dense undercoat and shed heavily; they simply don't need the scissor work a rough coat does.
Why does my Collie mat behind the ears?
That hair is finer and softer than the rest of the coat and rubs constantly. A quick daily comb of that spot prevents nearly all of it.
Can a mobile trailer handle a full Collie coat?
Yes — the trailer runs a professional high-velocity dryer and there's no crate drying, which is exactly what a heavy double coat needs.