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Pronunciation	Bearded Collie
Description	The Bearded Collie, or "Beardie" as he is known to his fanciers, is a medium-sized, agile, herding dog with a shaggy coat and an ever-wagging tail. He is an ancestor of the Old English Sheepdog, and the family resemblance is obvious. The Beardie has a broad head, short muzzle and a shaggy coat all over his body, even under the chin (hence the name "Beardie"). Beneath the dense, weatherproof outer coat lies a thick, soft undercoat. Its head and teeth are large. The eyes are wide set and harmonious in color with its coat, set high on its head and pendent. The ears lie close to the head and the tail is long and carried low unless the dog is excited. The Beardie is robust, hardy and active, but not massive. The color of the coat changes several times over the life of the dog. Puppies are generally born black, brown, fawn or blue. The puppy coat then fades to light gray or cream. As the dogs reach maturity, they darken again to their adult coat in any of the four colors, black, brown, blue, or fawn. The final coat color is somewhere between the puppy coat and the yearling coat.
Temperament	Known for his "bounce," the exuberant Beardie will charm you with his joyous, affectionate, happy-go-lucky ways. He is playful and lively with an always wagging tail.  The perfect companion for children. Enthusiastic, stable and self-confident. Males tend to be more bold and outgoing, while females tend to be calmer and more submissive. The Beardie needs to be with people and not left alone without anything to do. If you must leave them be sure to take them for a long jog or walk prior to leaving. They are humorous and high-energy dogs and without enough daily mental and physical exercise they may get themselves into mischief. Very trainable for many activities. An owner who displays a natural authority is a must as Beardies think a lot and will be headstrong if he sees you as meek. One needs to be calm, but firm, confident and consistent when dealing with this dog. Set the rules you wish the dog to follow and stick to them. Obedience training is recommended. The Beardie is a natural herder of people and animals. They are noisy barkers, but are not watch dogs. They should not be shy or aggressive.
Height, Weight	Height:  20-22 inches (51-56cm.) Weight:  40-60 pounds (18-27 kg.)
Health Problems	Generally healthy. Beware of hip dysplasia. Their dense coat may conceal external parasite infestation.
Living Conditions	The Bearded Collie is not recommended for apartment life. They are fairly active indoors and will do best with at least an average-sized yard. Beardies can sleep outdoors and make excellent farm dogs. They are also good in windy, rugged or wet areas since the dogs will go out in all weather conditions. It does not like to be confined and should have a place to run off of its lead. The Beardie prefers to be outdoors.
Exercise	This is an active dog that needs lots of exercise, which includes a long daily walk.  This breed also will greatly enjoy time to run free in a safe area.
Life Expectancy	About 14-15 years
Litter Size	4 - 12 -  Average 7
Grooming	Daily brushing of the long, shaggy coat is important. Mist the coat lightly with water before you begin. Tease out mats before they get bad, and give extra attention when the dog is shedding. Use the comb sparingly. If you prefer, the coat can be professionally machine-clipped every two months or so. Eyes, ears and paws should be checked daily. Bath or dry shampoo when necessary. It is difficult to locate ticks in the thick undercoat, so check regularly. This breed is an average shedder.
Origin	The Bearded Collie is a descendant of the Polish Sheepdog (the Polski Owczarek Nizinny or PON) which was first introduced into Scotland in 1514 by a Polish sea captain who traded three of his dogs to a Scottish shepherd for a valuable ram and ewe. The dogs were bred with local herding stock and this formed the foundation for the Bearded Collie breed. For Centuries, the Beardie was used in Scotland as a herder of both sheep and cattle, and was known variously as the "Highland Sheepdog," the "Highland Collie," and the "Hairy Moved Collie." Collie is the Scottish word for herding dog, derived from the "colley" or "coaley" black-faced sheep. The name Bearded Collie comes from the long hair under the Beardie's chin which flows into the chest, forming a "beard." The Beardie's lovable personality and appearance makes him an ideal companion and family dog. The breed almost disappeared in the early part of the twentieth century, but was rescued through mating a pair in 1944. It is still not very widespread. Still fairly rare in the United States, the first US litter of Beardies was whelped in 1967. The Bearded Collie is in all likelihood related to the bobtail (Old English Sheepdog). It is very similar although the Beardie is smaller, leaner and has an undocked tail. Some of the Beardie's talents are tracking, herding, agility, competitive obedience, and performing tricks.
Group	Herding, AKC Herding
Recognition	CKC, FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, APRI, ACR

CKC = Continental Kennel Club FCI = Fédération Cynologique Internationale AKC = American Kennel Club UKC = United Kennel Club KCGB = Kennel Club of Great Britain CKC = Canadian Kennel Club ANKC = Australian National Kennel Club NKC = National Kennel Club NZKC = New Zealand Kennel Club APRI = American Pet Registry Inc. ACR = American Canine Registry

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"Teddy is a gorgeous 6-month-old Bearded Collie puppy. He is white all over apart from a few piebald patches. He is deaf in his left ear and is the most docile Beardie I have ever met. Teddy lives in Scotland and his favourite thing to do is paddle in the nearby lake. we got him when he was 15-weeks-old and we though he was big then but you should see him now, he weighs in at 18.70KG (over 41 pounds). Teddy's mother is a working sheepdog and his father is a show-type Bearded Collie so he has the beauty of the show lines but, most importantly, the brains of the working lines. His only bad habit is digging in the kitty litter box. He is such a gentleman and is top of his puppy training class! Teddy's favourite treat is liver cake which I make myself and he is mad for tuna fish also. Teddy lives with 3 other dogs - Smartie a 15-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, Bonnie, a Bearded Collie X Border Collie, aged 10, and Millie, a 2 year old Border Collie. I have lost count of the number of times Teddy has been mistaken for a Labradoodle, this is what most people assume he is but he has also been called a Husky and an Italian Spinone only one person has ever recognized him as the noble semi-working Bearded Collie that he actually is. Due to his hearing impairment he can find it hard to locate a sound or voice so will spin round again and again, which makes onlookers think he has gone mad, until he spots the source of the sound, when he does hear you though, he always comes back when called."

"I don't really think Teddy is a truly balanced canine due to the fact that he is a little skittish sometimes and gets spooked by things easily. Apart from that, though he is a real sweetie and I feel so lucky to own such a fabulous dog! I watch the Dog Whisperer whenever I can as its on every day here but being in Scotland, I don't think they are recent episodes and mostly reruns but I watch the reruns anyway as I love Cesar's techniques and I have a lot of respect for him and the work he does. The episodes about the 'Katrina' Dogs were particularly moving and while all the TV "dog trainers" over here use silly techniques that don't seen to work, the methods Cesar practices are truly phenomenal and his natural way with the dogs is a pleasure to watch over and over. I have almost finished reading his first book Cesar's way and will move on to the others as soon as I'm done. Thanks to Cesar Millan, I understand not just my dogs but all dogs much better and I am very grateful for that as it has helped me with caring for and training dogs."

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"This is a picture of Bonnie the Bearded Collie, who lives in Scotland. She is nearly 10 years-old and is still very spirited. She has strong working instincts and her favourite pastime is herding our younger dogs while they are playing. This is a photo of her while on a walk around Loch Lomond."

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