Bearded Collie
AKC Registrable
Bearded Collie
A boisterous and charismatic droving dog from Scotland, the shaggy-coated Bearded Collie (“Beardie” to his friends) enjoys outdoor exercise in all weather. Bred to be independent decision-makers, they can be willful but are always friendly.
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Size
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Grooming
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Energy
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Trainability
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Disposition
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Puppy Knowledge
Breed Standard
General Appearance
The Bearded Collie is a medium sized dog with a medium length coat that follows the natural lines of the body and allows plenty of daylight under the body. The body is long and lean, and, though strongly made, does not appear heavy. A bright inquiring expression is a distinctive feature of the breed. The Bearded Collie should be shown in a natural stance.
Characteristics
The Bearded Collie is hardy and active, with an aura of strength and agility characteristic of a real working dog. Bred for centuries as a companion and servant of man, the Bearded Collie is a devoted and intelligent member of the family. He is stable and self-confident, showing no signs of shyness or aggression. This is a natural and unspoiled breed.
Head
The head is in proportion to the size of the dog. The skull is broad and flat; the stop is moderate; the cheeks are well filled beneath the eyes; the muzzle is strong and full; the foreface is equal in length to the distance between the stop and occiput. The nose is large and squarish. A snipy muzzle is to be penalized. (See Color section for pigmentation.) Eyes - The eyes are large, expressive, soft and affectionate, but not round nor protruding, and are set widely apart. The eyebrows are arched to the sides to frame the eyes and are long enough to blend smoothly into the coat on the sides of the head. (See Color section for eye color.) Ears - The ears are medium sized, hanging and covered with long hair. They are set level with the eyes. When the dog is alert, the ears have a slight lift at the base. Teeth - The teeth are strong and white, meeting in a scissors bite. Full dentition is desirable.
Neck
The neck is in proportion to the length of the body, strong and slightly arched, blending smoothly into the shoulders.
Forequarters
The shoulders are well laid back at an angle of approximately 45 degrees; a line drawn from the highest point of the shoulder blade to the forward point of articulation approximates a right angle with a line from the forward point of articulation to the point of the elbow. The tops of the shoulder blades lie in against the withers, but they slope outwards from there sufficiently to accommodate the desired spring of ribs. The legs are straight and vertical, with substantial, but not heavy, bone and are covered with shaggy hair all around. The pasternsare flexible without weakness.
Body
The body is longer than it is high in an approximate ratio of 5 to 4, length measured from point of chest to point of buttocks, height measured at the highest point of the withers. The length of the back comes from the length of the ribcage and not that of the loin. The back is level. The ribs are well sprung from the spine but are flat at the sides. The chest is deep, reaching at least to the elbows. The loins are strong. The level back line blends smoothly into the curve of the rump. A flat croup or a steep croup is to be severely p
Hindquarters
The hind legs are powerful and muscular at the thighs with well bent stifles. The hocks are low. In normal stance, the bones below the hocks are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other when viewed from the rear; the hind feet fall just behind a perpendicular line from the point of buttocks when viewed from the side. The legs are covered with shaggy hair all around. Tail - The tail is set low and is long enough for the end of the bone to reach at least the point of the hocks. It is normally carried low with an upward swirl at the tip while the dog is standing. When the dog is excited or in motion, the curve is accentuated and the tail may be raised but is never carried beyond a vertical line. The tail is covered with abundant hair.
Feet
The feet are oval in shape with the soles well padded. The toes are arched and close together, and well covered with hair including between the pads.
Coat
The coat is double with the undercoat soft, furry and close. The outercoat is flat, harsh, strong and shaggy, free from wooliness and curl, although a slight wave is permissible. The coat falls naturally to either side but must never be artificially parted. The length and density of the hair are sufficient to provide a protective coat and to enhance the shape of the dog, but not so profuse as to obscure the natural lines of the body. The dog should be shown as naturally as is consistent with good grooming but the coat must not be trimmed in any way. On the head, the bridge of the nose is sparsely covered with hair which is slightly longer on the sides to cover the lips. From the cheeks, the lower lips and under the chin, the coat increases in length towards the chest, forming the typical beard. An excessively long, silky coat or one which has been trimmed in any way must be severely penalized.
Color
Coat: All Bearded Collies are born either black, blue, brown or fawn, with or without white markings. With maturity, the coat color may lighten, so that a born black may become any shade of gray from black to slate to silver, a born brown from chocolate to sandy. Blues and fawns also show shades from dark to light. Where white occurs, it only appears on the foreface as a blaze, on the skull, on the tip of the tail, on the chest, legs and feet and around the neck. The white hair does not grow on the body behind the shoulder nor on the face to surround the eyes. Tan markings occasionally appear and are acceptable on the eyebrows, inside the ears, on the cheeks, under the root of the tail, and on the legs where the white joins the main color.
Size
The ideal height at the withers is 21 to 22 inches for adult dogs and 20 to 21 inches for adult bitches. Height over and under the ideal is to be severely penalized. The express objective of this criterion is to insure that the Bearded Collie remains a medium sized dog.
Gait
Movement is free, supple and powerful. Balance combines good reach in forequarters with strong drive in hindquarters. The back remains firm and level. The feet are lifted only enough to clear the ground, giving the impression that the dog glides along making minimum contact. Movement is lithe and flexible to enable the dog to make the sharp turns and sudden stops required of the sheepdog. When viewed from the front and rear, the front and rear legs travel in the same plane from the shoulder and hip joint to pads at all speeds. Legs remain straight, but feet move inward as speed increases until the edges of the feet converge on a center line at a fast trot.
Overview
Group
Herding
Temperament
Smart, Bouncy, Charismatic
About
Standing 20 to 22 inches at the shoulder and covered head to tail in a shaggy double coat, Beardies bear a passing resemblance to another British favorite, the . Beneath the coats, Beardies are the more lean and angular of the two. The lavish facial hair shouldn’t obscure the characteristic expression: a dreamy, faraway gaze. These rambunctious comics can be a handful—but mostly, Beardies are approximately 50 pounds of heart, energy, and laughter. Well-socialized Beardies will get on nicely with other animals and kids. They bore easily, and training must be kept interesting. Outdoorsy families looking for a sturdy dog to share an uptempo lifestyle will never find a more affectionate and amusing sidekick.
History
Originally known by such names as the Highland Collie and Mountain Collie, Bearded Collies for centuries earned their feed on the Scottish Highlands as rugged herding and droving dogs prized by shepherds for the ability to do a hard day’s work amid Scotland’s raw climate and hilly terrain. Beardies were expected to help control cattle at pasture and drive the herd to market. Origin stories vary. It was once believed that the Beardie is an ancient breed, predating the Roman conquest of Britain in the first century b.c. These days, the prevailing theory is that Beardies are descended from Central European stock, notably Polish Lowland Sheepdogs and Komondorok, brought to Scotland in the 1500s. As with most breeds utilized mostly by peasants and shepherds of the distant past, no definitive records of the Beardie’s creation have come down to us. We do catch glimpses of the breed in paintings of the 1700s, a golden age of British portraiture. Such masters as Reynolds and Gainsborough included dogs recognizable as Beardies in portraits of well-heeled Scottish clients. This indicates that somewhere along the way the humble shepherd’s dog became a fashionable ornament of high society. By the early 1800s the look and demeanor of the breed as we know it was set. In Victorian times they were popular on the Scottish show circuit, but the disruptions of World War I decimated the population of Beardies and other popular breeds. But you can’t keep a good breed down. Britain’s devoted breeders rebuilt the Beardie population in the years between the two world wars. The first litter of U.S. Beardies was born in 1967, the breed entered the AKC Stud Book 10 years later, and it was a charter member of the AKC Herding Group, formed in 1983.
Standard
The Bearded Collie is a medium sized dog with a medium length coat that follows the natural lines of the body and allows plenty of daylight under the body. The body is long and lean, and, though strongly made, does not appear heavy. A bright inquiring expression is a distinctive feature of the breed. The Bearded Collie should be shown in a natural stance.
Nutrition
The Bearded Collie should do well on a high-quality dog food, whether commercially manufactured or home-prepared with your veterinarian’s supervision and approval. Any diet should be appropriate to the dog’s age (puppy, adult, or senior). Some dogs are prone to getting overweight, so watch your dog’s calorie consumption and weight level. Treats can be an important aid in training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not. Check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog’s weight or diet. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times.
Grooming
The Beardie grooming regimen consists of two parts. The first is a daily brushing to remove tangles and foreign matter, which shouldn’t take more than five or ten minutes, assuming the dog hasn’t gotten into something messy. The second part is a weekly session with a pin rake, brush, comb, and possibly anti-tangle spray to remove dead hair and return the coat to pristine condition. This generally takes a half-hour to an hour. As with all breeds, the Beardie’s nails should be trimmed regularly, because overly long nails can cause the dog pain as well as problems walking and running.
Exercise
The Bearded Collie is an energetic, boisterous breed that requires a fair amount of outdoor exercise. Unlike many of their owners, Beardies are happy to run and play outside no matter what the weather. They need some sort of activity every day, whether playing ball; a long walk, run, or hike; or just playing in a large, fenced-in yard or other area with a companion, human or canine. And, of course, being bred to herd sheep, Beardies love to participate in athletic events such as herding, rally, agility, and obedience competitions. A busy Beardie is a happy Beardie.
Training
As with all dogs, early socialization and puppy training classes are recommended. Gently exposing the puppy to a wide variety of people, places, and situations between the ages of seven weeks and four months will help him develop into a well-adjusted, well-mannered adult. Puppy training classes serve as part of the socialization process and help the owner learn to recognize and avert certain undesired behaviors that may be developing. Like many other Herding breeds, the Beardie was bred to work out in the field on his own without any direction from people. This independent (some would say stubborn) streak can make training a challenge, but patient owners will eventually succeed in winning over their Beardies using positive reinforcement – and lots of treats.
Health
The Beardie is a sturdy breed, and responsible breeders screen their breeding stock for health conditions such as hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, autoimmune diseases, allergies, and eye problems. As with all breeds, a Beardie’s ears should be checked regularly to remove foreign matter and avoid a buildup of wax, and the teeth brushed daily.
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