Bearded Collie

The Bearded Collie, or Beardie, is a herding dog of the collie type from Scotland. It used to work mainly for Scottish shepherds, driving both sheep and cattle. Today it is most often a family companion.

History

Legend has it that the ancestors of the Polish Lowland Sheepdog were left on the shores of Scotland and bred with the native herding dogs. In another version a Polish merchant, Kazimierz Grabski, traded grain for sheep in Scotland in 1514 and brought six Polish sheepdogs to move them. A Scottish shepherd was so taken with their work that he gave several sheep for several dogs.

The first written mention dates from 1891.

The modern show breed is generally traced to Mrs. G. Olive Willison. In 1944 she ordered a Shetland Sheepdog and was sent a brown Bearded Collie bitch by mistake. She named her Jeannie of Bothkennar and decided to breed from her. She and a gray dog, Bailie of Bothkennar, founded the show lines.

The registered dogs go back to only a few bloodlines, but many unregistered Bearded Collies remain in Scotland, some still herding. The breed grew popular in the second half of the 20th century, helped by a Best in Show win at Crufts in 1989. The Kennel Club lists it as a Vulnerable Native Breed.

Appearance

The Bearded Collie is a medium-sized, lean dog, longer than it is tall. Males stand 53 to 56 cm (21 to 22 in), females a little less, and adults weigh 18 to 27 kg (40 to 60 lb). The head is square with medium-sized drop ears. The tail is carried low, never over the back.

The double coat has a soft, close undercoat and a flat, harsh, shaggy outer coat. Colors are black, blue, brown and fawn, with or without white markings and sometimes a little tan. The color of the nose, lips and eyes follows the coat.

Temperament

Bred as a hardy, reliable working dog, the Bearded Collie has a great deal of energy. It is intelligent and competes in obedience, agility, flyball and freestyle, and dogs with a basic herding instinct can be trained for herding trials.

Care and health

A pet Bearded Collie needs vigorous exercise. At least two half-hour play sessions a day and a large yard are recommended. The long coat has to be brushed every week to keep it free of mats. Dogs that are not shown are sometimes clipped short all over to make this easier.

A 2024 study in the United Kingdom found a life expectancy of 13.9 years, above the average for purebred dogs.

Addison’s disease, or hypoadrenocorticism, is inherited in the breed and far more common than in dogs generally, affecting about 2 to 3.4 percent of Bearded Collies in the United States and Canada. Other conditions the breed is prone to include the skin diseases pemphigus foliaceus and follicular dysplasia, congenital elbow luxation, and the eye conditions corneal dystrophy, cataract and progressive retinal atrophy.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.