Mary Allen
The Bearded Collie is a herding dog that originated in the Scottish Highlands. Find out everything about the behavior, character, activity and exercise needs, education, and care of the dog breed Bearded Collie in the profile.
The Bearded Collie is a herding dog that originated in the Scottish Highlands. It was used there, among other things, to drive the herds independently and to locate and bring back stray animals. Because he often had to be out and about in bad weather conditions for a long time, he was bred with a thick, shaggy coat that protects him from the weather. The dogs are still used today for herding, but due to their peaceful character, they are increasingly making a career as family dogs.
General Appearance
The Bearded Collie is a lean and wiry dog. However, he hides that quite well under a smooth and strong to shaggy top coat. Coat colors range from slate grey, reddish fawn, black to blue to all shades of grey, brown, and sand. According to the breed standard, white “marks” may also occur. His expression is alert and inquiring.
Behavior and temperament
Alert, lively, confident, and active, Bearded Collies are also very reliable. They show no signs of aggressiveness, are always cheerful and playful. They get along very well with large and small people, but also with other pets. However, they are also very sensitive and react immediately to the mood in their environment.
Need for employment and physical activity
In a sporty family that prefers to spend their free time actively outside, the Beardie is best-taken care of. He is not a dog for long TV evenings or contemplative walks – the breed wants to be challenged. The Bearded Collie is an all-weather dog that wants three to four hours of the sporting activity, summer and winter alike. If you also enjoy sports and action, he will be enthusiastic and will be your best friend. If not: Better get a pug.
Upbringing
Give him the opportunity to do tasks, tricks, exercises for you and he will love you. The Bearded Collie would like to fulfill a task, he needs the feeling of making an important contribution to “his pack”. However, you should never get carried away with yelling or getting rude while exercising. These dogs don’t get along with choleric characters. You need someone who is just as loving as your dog.
Maintenance
As with all breeds with longer coats, they need to be brushed regularly, which means several times a week or once a month, depending on the thickness of the coat – it all depends on which breed line you have. With this shaggy coat, it is also necessary to remove leftover food from the beard and check the coat for bugs.
Disease Susceptibility / Common Diseases
Basically a robust breed, occasionally eye and ear problems can occur. Among other things, a genetic sensitivity to noise is suspected. Unfortunately, the dog is also becoming more and more fashionable, which has never done any breed any good: if the demand increases, dubious breeders suddenly get involved. Therefore, a thorough examination of the penitentiary is essential. You can get advice from the VDH, for example.
Did you know?
The Bearded Collie is one of the few pedigree dogs in which one can still observe the same prancing, elegant gait as in its ancestor, the wolf.