Rough Collie Tosa Mix

The Rough Collie Tosa Mix, is a mixed breed dog resulting from breeding the Rough Collie and the Tosa. Both of these dogs can be friendly but personalities differ, so you never know. The Rough Collie is known for being friendly, intelligent, and loyal. All dogs need proper socialization and that will be a big factor in how they interact with others. What does this mixed breed look and act like? Is it more like the Rough Collie or the Tosa? Those are the questions we will try and answer below. Continue reading below to see pictures, videos, and learn more about the beautiful Rough Collie Tosa Mix.

While we really recommend that you acquire all animals through a rescue, we understand that some people might go through a breeder to get their Rough Collie Tosa Mix puppy. That is, if they have any Rough Collie Tosa Mix puppies for sale.

If you are interested in helping animal rescues raise money, please play our quiz. Each correct answer donates to help feed shelter animals.

Rough Collie Tosa Mix History

All hybrid or designer dogs are tough to get a good read on as there isn’t much history to them. Breeding specific dogs like this has become common in the last twenty years or so even though I am sure that this mixed breed found it’s share of dogs to the shelter due to accidental breeding. We will take a closer look at the history of both parent breeds below. If you are looking at breeders for new, designer dogs please beware of Puppy Mills. These are places that mass produce puppies, specifically for profit and don’t care at all about the dogs. If you have a few minutes, please sign our petition to stop puppy mills.

Rough Collie History

Both Rough and Smooth collies origins can be traced back to a variety of herding dogs that originate in Scotland and Wales. This brought on two varieties - the one from Scotland was a bigger, strong, and more aggressive dog. They were bred to herd highland sheep. The variety from Wales was smaller and more nimble. They were friendlier and primarily herded goats. It wasn’t long until Shepherds started to interbreed the two. This created a mix of short and long haired varieties. For the fashionable aspect of dog ownership (as opposed to the practical), these Collies were bred with Russian Wolfhound to get the longer muzzle - which is one of their defining characteristics today. Once Queen Victoria had a Rough Collie as her pet, they became very in vogue and were not used for herding and working purposes as much. However, they are a very tough and sturdy dog capable of covering nearly one hundred miles in a single day and are still a great working dog.

Tosa History

The Tosa has many nicknames. It is sometimes called the Tosa Inu, Tosa Ken, Tosa Token, Japanese Fighting Dog, Japanese Mastiff, Tosa Fighting Dog, among others. They don’t seem to be a very old breed, originating in the second half of the 19th century. They are a cross between the Great Dane, Bull Terrier, Saint Bernard, English Mastiff, Shikoku-Inu, among others. The goal was to breed a larger, sturdier, and all around more powerful dog. They vary considerably in size, the larger ones seemed to have been bred outside of Japan. This is a very powerful and pretty breed of dog.

Rough Collie Tosa Mix Size and Weight

Rough Collie
Height: 21 - 26 inches at the shoulder
Weight: 50 - 75 lb.
Lifespan: 14 - 16 years

Tosa
Height: 24 - 31 inches at the shoulder
Weight: 80 - 130 lb.
Lifespan: 10 - 12 years

Rough Collie Tosa Mix Personality

The Rough Collie and the Tosa might be a little bit spunky. They can be an inquisitive little fella so keep on the lookout for that behavior! All dogs need attention and don't want to be left alone. That's why you have a pet, right? Plan on putting forth effort to socialize her as this will reap dividends in the long run. Please use always use positive reinforcement even though they can have a mind of their own. Enjoy being with your new mixed breed and love the relationship you will have with them.

Rough Collie Tosa Mix Health

All dogs have the potential to develop genetic health problems as all breeds are susceptible to some things more than others. However, the one positive thing about getting a puppy is that you can avoid this as much as possible. A breeder should absolutely offer a health guarantee on puppies. If they won’t do this, then look no more and don’t consider that breeder at all. A reputable breeder will be honest and open about health problems in the breed and the incidence with which they occur. We obviously recommend that you look for a reputable animal rescue in your area to find your new mixed breed. Health clearances prove that a dog has been tested for and cleared of a particular condition.

The Rough Collie mixed with the Tosa might be prone to hip dysplasia, eye problems, collie eye anomaly, skin problems, among others.

Note that these are just common problems in both breeds.

Rough Collie Tosa Mix Care

What are the grooming requirements?

Even if you know the breed, sometimes it is hard to tell if it will be a heavy shedder or a light shedder. Either way, Get ready to invest in a good vacuum if you want to keep your floors clean! Give them baths as needed, but not so much that you dry out their skin.

What are the exercise requirements?

Plan on taking them for extremely long walks and hikes to keep their energy level down. This mix will more than likely have a high energy level. This exercise will keep them from being destructive. A tired dog is a good dog. A tired dog is a good dog though. Never tie your dog up outside - that is inhumane and not fair to him.

What are the training requirements?

This is an intelligent dog that will be a little bit challenging to train. They are going to want to take the alpha position and need someone with a firm, strong, hand that can let them know their place. The best thing you can do is break the sessions into shorter daily sessions to keep their attention span higher. It might have a prey drive and be disposed to running for and chasing small prey, but if handled properly this can be managed. All dogs respond best to positive reinforcement. So make sure to praise her when she does well. She is an intelligent dog who loves to please, and loves a physical challenge. The more exercise she gets the easier she will be to train. Proper socialization is imperative to all dogs and puppies. Make sure to take her to the park and doggy day care to get her around as many people and dogs as possible.

Rough Collie Tosa Mix Feeding

"A lot of times diet is done on a per-dog basis. Each one is unique and has different dietary requirements. Most dogs in the U.S. are overweight. A mix like this one that is prone to hip and elbow dysplasia should really be on fish oil and glucosamine and chondroitin supplements as soon as possible. A good diet to look into is Raw Food Diet. A raw food diet will be especially good for the Wolf background.

Overfeeding any dog is not a good idea as that can really exacerbate health problems such as elbow and hip dysplasia.

I good diet to look into is Raw Food Diet. A raw food diet will be especially good for the Wolf background."

Rough Collie Links

Links to other breeds you might be interested in