Mary Allen
Height at shoulder: 51 – 56 cm
Weight: 18 – 28 kg
Age: 12 – 13 years
Colour: slate grey, blue grey, sand, brown, black with white markings
Use: working dog, companion dog, the family dog
The Bearded Collie (Beardie for short) belongs to the group of herding dogs and cattle dogs and comes from Scotland. He is a robust, intelligent, and active working dog who is very responsive to his people and wants to be with them anytime, anywhere. He is sensitive and friendly, but also needs a lot of exercises. In general, the Bearded Collie is less demanding than a Border Collie and requires less maintenance than a Bobtail.
Origin and history
Like all collies, the Bearded Collie is a herding dog that originated in the Scottish highlands. The prevailing weather conditions there called for a reliable and robust working dog with a thick coat.
In contrast to the border collie with the same name, which was used as a normal shepherd dog, the bearded collie was used for complex herding tasks, such as independently driving herds of cattle out of the mountains. Today it is primarily bred as a family dog.
Appearance
The Bearded Collie is a medium-sized, slender dog with a strong build. Its coat is medium length and smoothes with a dense, furry undercoat. The bridge of the nose is only sparsely covered with hair; the fur increases in length on the cheeks, lower lips, and chin and forms the breed-typical beard. The dense coat requires a lot of care and should be brushed and combed regularly (1-2 times a week) to prevent it from becoming matted.
The typical colors of the Bearded Collie are slate grey, blue-grey, sandy, brown, and black, with white markings. The eyes are the same color as the fur, set wide apart and large. The ears are medium-sized and drooping.
Nature
The Bearded Collie is a very bright, happy, and active dog. He is docile and very intelligent, sensitive, and very socially acceptable. It is considered vigilant and barks, but not aggressive.
The Bearded Collie is very fixated on its caregivers and can also be easily trained with loving consistency. He loves action of all kinds, outdoors and in all weather. He is therefore absolutely enthusiastic about dog sports: from obedience and agility to herding. He also needs meaningful employment and always new challenges and tasks. He is very spirited and playful and active even into old age.
The Bearded Collie needs a lot of action and loves to be outdoors. Therefore, he is not suitable for couch potatoes and cleanliness fanatics, because, with his long, dense fur, a lot of dirt gets into the house.