Bearded Collie

Bouncy and sociable; friendly rather than guarding.
A Bearded Collie
Photo: marbla123
Adult weight
20–25 kg
45–55 lb
Lifespan
13.9 yrs
Class · Family
also Sport, Working

What it's like

In temperament the breed is lively, alert and self-confident, with an enthusiasm that often shows in playful bouncing. Beardies are sociable, active dogs with an independent streak from their working past, and they tend to be friendly rather than guarding. The breed remains in use on farms in places, though most now live as companions and show dogs.

Day to day
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Needs daily brain work
Handler demand
Needs steady training
With people
Affection
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Bonded to its family
Independence
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Very vocal
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Living with one

It has a double coat, an outer coat over an undercoat. Most of the shedding comes when the seasons change. Plan on a brush once a week, plus daily brushing through the seasonal moult. It needs plenty of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Bearded Collie is a medium dog, heavier than a Border Collie and lighter than a Golden Retriever.

The Beardie is a lean, long-bodied dog under a double coat: a harsh, flat outer layer over a soft undercoat, falling into a beard on the chin. Colours include slate grey, black, blue, brown, sand and reddish fawn, with or without white markings. Puppies are usually born dark and lighten as they grow, sometimes darkening again later, and eye colour generally tones with the coat.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 3 months, a male Bearded Collie puppy is already as heavy as a grown Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
11 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight7
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
01020302m4m6m9m12m18m
01020302m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
4.4–5.4 kg 9.7–11.9 lb
4.9–6.0 kg 10.8–13.2 lb
3 months
6.5–8.0 kg 14.3–17.6 lb
7.0–8.5 kg 15.4–18.7 lb
4 months
9.5–11.6 kg 20.9–25.6 lb
9.9–12.1 kg 21.8–26.7 lb
5 months
12.2–14.9 kg 26.9–32.8 lb
12.6–15.3 kg 27.8–33.7 lb
6 months
14.6–17.8 kg 32.2–39.2 lb
14.7–18.0 kg 32.4–39.7 lb
7 months
16.3–19.9 kg 35.9–43.9 lb
16.3–19.9 kg 35.9–43.9 lb
8 months
17.6–21.5 kg 38.8–47.4 lb
17.4–21.3 kg 38.4–47.0 lb
9 months
18.5–22.6 kg 40.8–49.8 lb
18.3–22.3 kg 40.3–49.2 lb
10 months
19.1–23.3 kg 42.1–51.4 lb
18.8–23.0 kg 41.4–50.7 lb
11 months
19.5–23.8 kg 43.0–52.5 lb
19.2–23.5 kg 42.3–51.8 lb
12 months
19.8–24.1 kg 43.7–53.1 lb
19.5–23.8 kg 43.0–52.5 lb
15 months
20.3–24.7 kg 44.8–54.5 lb
20.1–24.6 kg 44.3–54.2 lb

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical Bearded Collie lived to about 14 years, longer than the typical medium breed.

Where it comes from

The Bearded Collie was a working sheepdog of Scotland and northern England, and a similar dog appears in Scottish records from around the 16th century. The modern breed was largely made by G. Olive Willison: in the 1940s she mated a Beardie puppy, Jeannie, to a dog named Bailey, and her Bothkennar kennel set the pattern for today's dogs4.

The Bearded Collie of today grew from a working type long kept for usefulness rather than looks. Shepherds and drovers used it to gather and drive hill sheep and cattle, valuing dogs that worked at a distance and moved stock with voice and movement rather than a fixed stare. After Mrs G. O. Willison revived the breed in the nineteen-forties, a British breed club formed in the nineteen-fifties and Kennel Club recognition followed.

Breed standard

The Bearded Collie is judged against standard no. 271, in group 1, Sheepdogs and Cattledogs4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Bearded Collie figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a medium-sized breed is most likely somewhere in the middle.

Compare with related

Old English Sheepdog
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Large
Polish Lowland Sheepdog
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Tibetan Terrier
Companion & toy · Medium
Australian Shepherd
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Or compare the Bearded Collie with any breed you choose
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Sources

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Parts of this page were written by AI ·