All you smooth-coated collie owners can smile during this entry!
Grooming the rough-coated collie should be a weekly experience. If you wait longer between sessions, even for the pet collie, you will pay for it with the additional time (and marred looks) needed to cut out mats.
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It it best for your back if you put your dog on a table where his lead can be fastened. (Yes, that sounds like a "grooming table"! Just lift the dog's front paws to the table top, then lift the dogs rear-end up, so that he is standing on the table. Use a long-wire-pin brush and brush the dog against the grain. You will hear that grooming is a wonderful "bonding" experience between human and dog, but I disagree. The dog would love you to scratch his back, but when you take out the comb, he would prefer to be else-where!
Use your hand to sift the hair behind the ears and under the "arm-pits", unless you are already familiar with these areas, you will come upon some felted mats. Rather than pull these out with a comb (very painful for your dog), use a de-matting comb or thinning sissors to disect these hair-balls!. Be careful not to cut into the skin, or your collie will not allow you a second chance! Remember, TANGLED HAIR can be removed with cream rinse and a comb, while MATTED HAIR should be cut out as inauspiciously as possible. By the way, grooming is an excellent time to evaluate your dog for parasites, cuts and weight.