Family-friendly: | 4/5 |
Exercise needs: | 4/5 |
Easy to train: | 5/5 |
Tolerates being alone: | 2/5 |
Likes other pets: | 5/5 |
Energy level: | 4/5 |
Grooming needs: | 3/5 |
Shedding: | 4/5 |
- Dog suitable for owners with some experience
- Basic training required
- Generally healthy breed
- Enjoys active walks
- Enjoys one to two hours of walking a day
- Large dog
- Some drool
- Requires grooming once a week
- Chatty and vocal dog
- Barks and alerts to visitors/anything unusual
- Generally friendly with other dogs
- Gets along with other pets with training
- May need additional supervision to live with children
- Needs a large garden
- Can live in semi-rural areas
- Can be left alone with training
This breed can suffer from:
- Hip dysplasia
- Elbow dysplasia
- Collie eye anomaly which is an inherited condition where the eye does not develop properly, which can lead to blindness.
- Skin allergies
- Addison's disease which is a condition where a dog's body is unable to produce a normal level of natural steroid
- Immune mediated haemolytic anaemia¹ which is a condition where a dog's immune system attacks and destroys it's own red blood cells resulting in anaemia.
Priority Kennel Club health schemes and testing:
- Hip dysplasia screening scheme
¹J. W. Swann et al, 'ACVIM consensus statement on the treatment of immune‐mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs', 2019, Journal of Internal Veterinary Medicine
Personality
Affectionate, eager to learn and gentle, the Bearded Collie loves being around people, and being involved in all aspects of family life. Typically accepting of other dogs and household pets, they will welcome visitors with delight, and can be quite vocal in their greeting.
‘Enthusiastic’ is an excellent word to describe the Beardie, they approach everything in life with enthusiasm, and very much wear their hearts on their sleeves.
Did You Know?
- Commonly believed to be descended from the Old English Sheepdog, in fact the Beardies origins are far older than the Old English Sheepdogs and it is likely both owe much to the early Polish Lowland Sheepdogs.
- In reviving the breed in the 1940s, Mrs Willison, owner of Jeannie of Bothkennar (who almost all modern Beardies can be traced back to) did use some Old English Sheepdog blood to improve her stock.
- Bearded Collie’s are quite popular in movies and TV shows and have appeared in “The Shaggy Dog” and “The Brady Bunch”, to name a couple!
- The popularity of the Bearded Collie boomed when they won Best in Show at Crufts in 1989.
- They are known to be quite stubborn, so this is something to bear in mind if you’re considering one!
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