| Bearded Collies: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find. Information about Bearded Collie personality and behavior. |
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My book, Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (published by Henry Holt & Co.), includes a full-page profile of the Bearded Collie, including these excerpts:
"Lively and playful, good-natured and stable, this animated breed is famous for the "Beardie Bounce" that represents his happy, carefree attitude about the world.
Some Bearded Collies are rowdier than others, but most tend to jump up into your face unless taught otherwise.
This athletic dog needs a good amount of exercise to satisfy his high energy, especially when young.
More urgently, he needs constructive activities (herding, hiking, agility, pet therapy, watching over other pets) to occupy his inquisitive mind.
Beardies are very sociable dogs who can become unhappy and destructive if left for long periods of time without the companionship of people or other pets.
Most individuals love everyone to the point where their "watchdog" bark is more welcome than warning. As with most sweet-natured tail-waggers, there is potential for timidity. Lots of socialization is necessary to develop the buoyant temperament.
This independent thinker can be stubborn and requires a confident owner who will establish and enforce the rules."
History
The Bearded Collie originated in Scotland. He herded sheep and drove cattle to market.
Size
20-22 inches and 40-60 lbs |
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Bearded Collies
What's good about 'em
What's bad about 'em
- Is medium-sized, shaggy, and sturdy
- Is athletic and loves to romp and play
- Is good-natured with everyone
- Is sociable with other animals
A Bearded Collie may be right for you.
| If you don't want to deal with... |
- Vigorous exercise requirements
- Rowdiness and exuberant jumping, especially when young
- Destructiveness and barking when bored, left alone all day, or not exercised enough
- Strong-willed mind of his own, requiring a confident owner who can take charge
- Chasing and nipping at things that move: children, joggers, other animals, bikes, cars
- Frequent brushing and combing
- Shedding
- "Shaggy dog syndrome," i.e. debris clinging to the coat, water soaking into the beard and dripping on your floors
- Waiting lists and a high price tag
A Bearded Collie may not be right for you.
| If I were considering a Bearded Collie... |
My major concerns would be:
- Providing enough exercise and mental stimulation. Bearded Collies MUST have regular opportunities to vent their energy and to use their busy minds to do interesting things. Otherwise they will become rambunctious and bored -- which they usually express by barking and destructive chewing.
| If you simply want a pet for your family, and don't have the time or inclination to take your dog running or hiking or biking or swimming, or to get involved in herding, or agility (obstacle course), or advanced obedience, or a similar canine activity, I do not recommend this breed.
Bearded Collies were never intended to be simply household pets. Their working behaviors (chasing, nipping, poking, barking) are inappropriate in a normal household setting. Trying to suppress these "hardwired" behaviors, without providing alternate outlets for their energy, can be difficult. |
- Mind of their own. Bearded Collies are not Golden Retrievers. The best Beardies are versatile working dogs, capable of learning a great deal, but they have an independent mind of their own and are not pushovers to raise and train. They are often manipulative, and some are willful, obstinate, and dominant (they want to be the boss) and will make you prove that you can make them do things. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.
- All the grooming. Without frequent brushing, Bearded Collies become a matted mess. If you can't commit to the brushing, you have to commit to frequent trimming to keep the coat short, neat, and healthy.
- Shedding. Bearded Collies definitely shed, though some of the shed hair gets caught in the long wavy coat rather than ending up on your floor. Thus, frequent brushing is essential not only for keeping the coat mat-free, but for removing shed hair.
- "Shaggy dog syndrome." Like all shaggy dogs, the Bearded Collie is a messy dog. Leaves, mud, snow, fecal matter, and other debris cling to his rough coat and ends up all over your house. When he drinks, his beard absorbs water, which drips on your floors when he walks away. When he eats, his beard absorbs food so that when he sniffs your face or presses his head against your leg, YOU end up dirty, too. Shaggy dogs are not suited to fastidious housekeepers.
- Finding one and paying the price. In the United States, only about 600 new Bearded Collie puppies are registered each year. (Compare that to over 60,000 new Golden Retriever puppies!) And many Bearded Collie breeders are charging $1200 and up.
| If you have small children, or if you or anyone who lives with you is elderly or infirm, I do not recommend Bearded Collie puppies. Young Bearded Collies (up to about two years old) romp and jump with great vigor, and things can go flying, including people. The temptation to play roughly and nip at moving people is simply too strong in many young Beardies. |
| Not all Bearded Collies are alike! |
- There are energetic Beardies, and placid Beardies.
- Hard-headed Beardies, and sweet-natured Beardies.
- Serious Beardies, and good-natured goofballs.
- Introverted Beardies, and Beardies who love everyone.
| If you acquire a Bearded Collie puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm." |
| If you're considering an adult Bearded Collie... |
There are plenty of adult Bearded Collies who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.
When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.
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