Probably the most famous collie in history is Lassie. I doubt seriously that there is anybody who hasn't heard of Lassie. In the Lassie Come Home movie and in the TV series, Lassie was so smart that she appeared to be a thinking and reasoning human in a dog suit. Everybody who has ever seen the movie or a series episode probably wishes that they could have a dog just like Lassie. Lassie must have saved Tommy's life a hundred times!
Like every other collie ever born, however, Lassie was born into this world without any skills at all. She wasn't housebroken, and she had no idea what obedience was. She certainly didn't know any tricks, who Tommy was, or how to save him on camera. She was trained! Everything that you see Lassie do on the screen, she is doing because she is being TOLD what to do. She does it because she has been trained.
Collies really are a smart breed of dogs. Because they are so smart, collies are easily trained. The training that you choose to give your collie puppy will be the determining factor of just how well behaved and how many commands that your collie understands. You can have a wonderful and loving pet that is well trained without spending 24 hours a day for two years on training. You can even have a dog like Lassie - IF you have the time, patience, and techniques to train your collie.
Most collie owners are perfectly happy to have a dog that just knows basic obedience, but other collie owners are drawn to the show ring, agility, rally, obedience, therapy work in hospitals, and more! What your collie can do is limited only by the time, patience, and training that you provide!
The AKC version of a collie is not the same as the collie that you know as Lassie. The dogs that play Lassie are bred to be bigger than the AKC standard. The AKC Collie breed is smaller and lighter by 10 to 15 pounds, and the standard for markings is different as well.
