Bearded Collie
Group: Herding
Lifespan: 14-15 Years
Pups per Litter: 4-12
Average Weight: 40-60 lbs.
Average Height: 20-22 inches
Exercise/Actvity Level: High
Temperment with:
Children 
Other Dogs Other Animals 
History
The Bearded Collie originated in Scotland. Also known as the Beardie, it is thought to be a mixture of part Polish Sheephound and Scottish herding dogs. The name itself is Scottish where “collie” translates to a dog who herds, and “bearded” comes right from the hair underneath the dogs chin that continues to its chest, therefore calling it a beard. It is also thought that the word “colley” meaning black faced sheep, is in relation to the dogs name as well.
Traits
The Bearded Collie is a sociable and sweet dog that loves affection. They are quite goofy and have a very positive generally happy outlook on life! They are great family dogs as they love children. They are quite playful and love to be part of the pack, so when left alone for long periods of time, the Bearded Collie isn’t to happy. They can be very stubborn and have a “my way or the highway” kind of approach so obedience training will be needed from the get go. These dogs are also notorious barkers, yet oddly enough don’t make good watchdogs. Be sure to monitor the Beardie around other pets as their instinct is to herd!
Appearance
Weighing in at between 40-60 lbs (18-27 kgs) and averaging 20-22 inches high, the Bearded Collie is a shaggy herding dog thats tail seems to never stop wagging! They are descendants of the old English Sheepdog which is very obvious as their appearance is similar. The Beardie is of medium size and has a double layered coat, with the outer coat long and shaggy, and the inner coat is soft and thick. It is known that the coat will change colours many times during the dogs life where when puppies, their coat will be a dark black, blue, fawn, or brown, and then fades when the pup reaches the one year mark. It will darken again when the dog ages a bit more, going back to the original darkness of the puppy coat. The eyes are large and the ears are kept tight to the head. The Beardies tail is long and thin.
Health
The Beardie is a generally healthy breed with only Hip Dysplasia as the main concern. But also, monitor for parasites as the coat is quite thick, so this is potential for a generous breeding ground among fleas or ticks.
Training
The Bearded Collie are confident dogs so obedience should be started ASAP, as they will never be too young to get the basics down. They love their people so firm and consistent training is the best way to go. The would excel in agility and other obedience trials as this would provide exercise which they need quite a bit of!
Care
The Bearded Collie is a high maintenance breed of dog, as their coat needs much work on it daily. Brushings and careful watch for mats is a must because this dog can get tangled quickly. Baths are up to the discretion of the owner and general observation of the dog for external parasites as the coat is a good hiding place for those little critters.
Breed
The Beardie is categorized in the Herding Group. They wont make good apartment dogs as they need as much space as possible because they are active indoors. Also a yard would be good as well so they can have room to run outdoors. They are great outdoor dogs and can rough it in the cold and wet climates. The Bearded Collies life span is between 14-15 years. They have on average 4-12 pups per litter. . When obtaining a puppy Beardie, keep in mind that every puppy is different and to research your breed before bringing the baby home!
Reference pages for Information:
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/beardedcollie.htm Bearded Collie Breed Information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearded_Collie Bearded Collie Information
http://home.gwi.net/~seadog/rescue.html Bearded Collie Rescue
http://bccc.pair.com/ Bearded Collie Club of Canada
http://www.akc.org/breeds/bearded_collie/index.cfm Bearded Collie AKC Standards
