- Slate grey, reddish-fawn, black, blue, all shades of grey, brown and sandy with or without white markings.
- Never merle/dapple.
- When white occurs it appears on foreface, as a blaze on skull, on tip of tail, on chest, legs and feet and, if round the collar, roots of white hair should not extend behind shoulder.
- White should not appear above hocks on outside of hindlegs.
- Slight tan markings are acceptable on eyebrows, inside ears, on cheeks, under root of tail and on legs where white joins main colour
About the Bearded Collie
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 12-14 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 20-25 kg
- Height
- Male
- 53-56 cm
- Female
- 51-53 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs)
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Also called
- Collie Barbudo
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Bearded Collie?
Medium-sized herding dog with long, shaggy double coat and animated expression, known for its boisterous, charismatic personality and distinctive bouncing gait
Bearded Collie history and origins
Ancient Scottish herding breed developed to drive sheep and cattle in harsh Highland conditions, bred for hardiness, intelligence, and ability to work independently. Nearly extinct after World War II but revived through careful breeding programs. Recognized by Kennel Club in 1959 and AKC in 1977.
Bearded Collie appearance and size
Males typically stand 53-56 cm at the shoulder and females 51-53 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Sheepdog & companion
- Behaviour and temperament
“Alert, lively, self-confident and active. Steady, intelligent working dog, with no signs of nervousness or aggression”
Quoted from FCI standard n°271. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 3 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Bearded Collie
What you get with the Bearded Collie
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Sheepdog & companion”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Alert, lively, self-confident and active. Steady, intelligent working dog, with no signs of nervousness or aggression”
- Longer-lived than a crossbred dog — median 13.9 years across 1144 animals, against 12
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Outer coat flat, harsh, strong and shaggy, free from woolliness and curl, though slight…”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; McMillan et al. 2024, median age at death. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Bearded Collie
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Double with soft, furry and close undercoat.
Outer coat flat, harsh, strong and shaggy, free from woolliness and curl, though slight wave permissible.
Length and density of hair sufficient to provide a protective coat and to enhance shape of dog, but not enough to obscure natural lines of body.
Coat must not be trimmed in any way.
Bridge of nose sparsely covered with hair slightly longer on side just to cover lips.
From cheeks, lower lips and under chin, coat increases in length towards chest, forming typical beard
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°271 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Ideal height at withers: Males 53– 56cm. Females 51–53 cm. Overall quality and proportions should be considered before size but excessive variations from the ideal height should be discouraged”
- FCI distinguishes an ideal from what is permitted.
Quoted from FCI standard n°271. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Bearded Collie in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Bearded Collie
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Bearded Collie on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Bearded Collie owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Bearded Collie breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.