Dog breed · Scotland
The Bearded Collie, also called Beardie, Highland Collie, or Hairy Mountain Dog is a British breed of herding dog of the collie type. It was formerly used primarily by Scottish shepherds, but now commonly kept as a family companion.
Weights are usually in the range 18–[dose — ask your vet] (40–60 lb), while height at the withers varies from about 51 to 56 cm (20 to 22 in).
Appearance: The Bearded Collie is a medium sized dog with a lean build. Dogs stand from 53–56 cm (21–22 in) and bitches stand from 51–53 cm (20–22 in). Healthy adults can weigh anywhere from 18–[dose — ask your vet] (40–60 lb), according to the breed standard.
Bearded Collies are longer than they are tall, with bitches being slightly longer. They have a square head, moderate stop, and dropping ears of medium size. The pigmentation of the nose, lips and eyes follow and match the color of the individual dog's coat. Both scissor and level bites are accepted, although level bites are generally considered undesirable. The Bearded Collie has a level back and low tail carriage. The tail must never be carried over the back. Their gait is supple, smooth and long-reaching, covering ground with little effort.
The Bearded Collie has a medium length, double coat with a soft, furry and close undercoat and a flat, harsh, strong, and shaggy outercoat. They come in a variety of colors, including black, blue, brown, and fawn, permissible with or without white markings, which may be accompanied by slight tan markings in certain areas.
History: The legend of the Bearded Collie's origin is that the ancestors of what became the Polish Lowland Sheepdog were abandoned on the shores of Scotland, and these dogs then bred with native herding dogs. A variant on this story is that Kazimierz Grabski, a Polish merchant, reportedly traded a shipment of grain for sheep in Scotland in 1514 and brought six Polish Lowland Sheepdogs to move them. A Scottish shepherd was so impressed with the herding ability of the dogs that he traded several sheep for several dogs. The Polish sheepdogs were bred with local Scottish dogs to produce the Bearded Collie.
The first written reference to the Bearded Collie occurs in 1891, when D.J. Thomson Gray describes them in his book The Dogs of Scotland as
A big, rough, ‘tousy’ looking tyke, with a coat not unlike a doormat, the texture of the hair hard and fibry, and the ears hanging close to the head.
