|
About Beardies
So you are thinking about adding a
Bearded Collie to your family. There are some questions you would
like to ask and some things you should know...
Which color would you like?
 Beardies come in four colors. The
Black dog is the most common although black is only the color at
birth. (Comet, on the left, is a black. He is "frogging
it", by the way he is sitting.) Very few Beardies are black as adults. usually they turn a
shade of grey, from slate to silver. The Blue is a derivative of
the black, as adults they can be either darker or lighter than the
black; however, they do retain the steel blue nose and blue eyes
into adulthood. I had two dogs who were about the same size, one
was black and the other was blue. From the back you could not tell
them apart. Daytona is a navy blue, his nose and eyes are blue but
his coat is darker than almost any blacks. It is interesting to
note that he throws many really dark coats (all colors) in his
puppies. The other major color is the brown, this can be a red
brown, a chocolate brown or what I call a Sable which is a true
grey brown. The brown also has a lighter relative which is the
rarest of the colors in Beardies, the fawn. The fawn color can be
an ash blond or can have a reddish cast to the coat. All colors
have nose and eyes to match the color - as we say in the dog
world, they are self-colored. We are capable of producing all
colors. Its just a matter of shat you like. I do recommend,
however, that you consider temperament way ahead of color.
Do you want a boy or a girl?
This is not an easy question. First
of all, there is Size. A big male can weigh 55 to 60 pounds. One
may occasionally be less than 50 lbs. On the other hand a female
may weigh as little as 30 to 35 lbs although usually they will
weigh between 35 and 40 lbs. The male also tends to have
substantially more coat.
Unlike some other breeds, in the
Beardie, the males tend to be a little more laid back. They will
spend more time sleeping at your feet while the female is more
likely to be following you from room to room and periodically
leaving to check out where each of the other family members have
gone. For years I had trouble describing the difference until
finally I found the word “busy”. The girls are busier than the
boys. They have to see what that was that you threw away. They
want to check out what you bought at the store. Incidentally, this
seems to contribute to the fact that the girls seem to be better
at herding than the boys.
However, don’t misunderstand,
when you want to go out and play either one will be right with you
for whatever game you would like to try.
How about temperament?
Temperament has to be very
important because whatever else you do with your dog it is first
and foremost your companion and friend. Beardies are very much
individuals. Very active like our beloved "Brandy" whom
the whole family swears never sleeps; a real lady like our elegant
"Daisy" who goes to great lengths to tiptoe around mud
puddles; a bit of a tramp like "Holly" who could care
less about mud and weeds as long as she can go along; or perhaps a
clown like "Butch" whose sole purpose in life is to make
you laugh, (either with him or at him); or cuddly "Daytona"
whose idea of a good time is to lay in your lap and watch
television and who never gets tired of loving. Each is very
different and yet at times "Daisy" can be just as silly
as "Butch" or "Holly" can be just as cuddly as
"Daytona". And of course, there is Rosey - Rosey makes
everyone think she is the sweetest thing that ever lived but when
you live with her you find out that she is very bull headed,
stubborn and is a real con artist. When she was pregnant with a
litter of 10 puppies and was just a week from giving birth, she
would jump over the 3 foot fence around my flower bed and then sit
there behind the fence with her big brown eyes and tell me she had
to be lifted out. However, still sweet. And yet as individualistic
as they are, all Beardies have some marvelous traits in common.
|
Duncan and Benny
|
They are long-lived and what's more
they are young at heart for most of that long life. Fanny at age
13+ was still quite adept at jumping up and down off her dog house
which is 4' high and began lessons in sheepherding. A Beardie
female took Best in Breed at the Westminster Dog Show at 8+ years
of age and a few months later took Best in Show at the Bearded
Collie National Specialty. This is really astounding when you
realize that most show dogs are considered to be at their prime at
2 to 4 years of age. It is great to see that puppy wiggle in a 6
year old or a 12 year old still doing the Beardie Bounce. A pup of
my breeding lived to the ripe old age of 15. Of Course, Benny
spent his life snowboarding, hiking and camping. Beardies are born
with a permanent set of rose-colored glasses. They are ready to
join in any activity that you think might be fun and make it more
fun just by being there.
They are intelligent and willing to
learn - sometimes I wonder if they are just a little too bright. I
always suggest that a Beardie receive obedience training. It gives
them something to do with all that intelligence and energy, makes
them better doggie neighbors, lets them go with you more places,
protects their lives, and besides, they do love showing off. I
think you will be surprised at how quickly they learn and how much
they like it.
Beardies also have a special trait,
a sort of extra sense that enables them to know just what it is
you need at a particular time. For example, when I get home from
work I am usually greeted by one or more Bouncing Beardies,
enthusiastically letting me know just how much I was missed. Well,
one night after a particularly bad day at work, I came home and
somehow they knew how I felt - no raucous greetings - but all
evening there was a furry head right there under my hand every
minute and a pair of warm brown eyes saying "It's OK, you
relax, we are here if you need us." They took turns but I was
never alone. It is hard to explain, you have to experience it to
understand.
Beardies, children, herding and
barking
Beardies really love people, and
are excellent with children. They have been bred and selected for
their ability to care for herds of sheep and they readily
recognize that they have a duty to care for and protect something
or someone. As they have for many generations been the constant
companion of sheepherders, and at times the sole companion - they
are very affectionate and are attuned to the feelings of their
people.
 One interesting trait of herding
breeds in whom the herding instinct is strong is that they really
do like to herd. It has been reported by several people that when
their children have friends over to visit and they are outside
with the family dog, that after a while they notice that
everything is real quiet and look outside. There they find the
children gathered together in a corner of the yard playing
quietly, not upset at all, and the Beardie or Border Collie is
happily keeping them gathered in a small group. The fascinating
part is that the children are quiet and quite happy. Apparently,
the dog is concerned over all the strange children who are
undoubtedly being noisier than usual and running around. So he
gathers them together where he can watch them. I have a very
strong herding instinct running through several of my Beardies -
Fanny spent her days herding my Mother's cats. More and more
people are discovering this new way of enjoying their Beardies and
herding clubs are becoming more and more available around the
country.
Although Beardies will bark to
sound the alarm they are not usually a dog which barks a lot. I
believe that any dog which becomes very bored will do more barking
than his owners may want - it is a method of entertaining
themselves. We teach our dogs to respond to the command
"Hush". As we have more than the normal compliment of
dogs we cannot allow them to bark much at all so we teach them
early that when we tell them to be quiet they must obey. It takes
them a very few days to learn. Of course, there are a few which
simply never learn and at our previous residence, the county did
occasionally require us to have them debarked. Amazingly, the
Beardie who is debarked never seems to realize that anything is
different, they still bark but they just aren't as loud.
The Beardie is not a dog for
everyone. They have such a great zest for life and what we like to
call a sense of humor that some people just do not appreciate
them. They are not going to be the staid, dignified dog that is
happy laying around the house looking elegant. They do deeply need
and appreciate human companionship, as a matter of fact without it
I do not think that they can develop their full personality
potential. But if you want a dog which loves to do whatever you
want to do and is ready for any new experience; one that loves
life and you with a total and complete devotion then perhaps this
is your breed.
They also get along well with other
dogs. They could even get our stodgy Boxer to join in their
Beardie games and they are very gentle with little dogs. One
problem we had at dog shows is that they want to be friends with
everyone and some other breeds do not appreciate them.
By the way, almost every one of
them love to ride in the car. It’s not necessary to go anywhere
- just ride in the car.
The Bearded Collie gets along in
almost any climate. In colder weather they do fine with moderate
shelter. I have only had concern when they got thoroughly soaked
and even then they are usually all right if not exposed to a
chilling wind. I would say heat is a bigger problem. When it is
really warm they require some shade and plenty of clear, cool
water. My friend had her neighbor call animal control because the
Beardies were outside in the freezing cold. When an officer came
to check on the complaint my friend simply showed him that the
dogs had access to a warm heated garage anytime they wanted just
by going through the dog door. They were outside because they
liked it outside.
Health and Grooming
This is a long-haired breed, not to
the ground because this is a hearty, active working dog. We find
that with good proper coat texture we can keep one of these dogs
groomed in 30 to 45 minutes per week or less. Beardies shed, as do
all dogs, but the dead hair stays in the coat until you comb it
out. Upon occasion you will find a little fluff of hair on the
floor that you can just pick up and put in the trash but you will
not have the problem of having all of your clothing covered with
fine dog hairs. When a Beardie teenager is shedding out his soft
puppy coat and starting his adult coat he will take more grooming
for a month or so or he will mat. Grooming can be as complicated
or simple as you choose to make it. The things that are essential
are:
1. Start training your puppy to be
groomed early - make it short and make it fun.
2. When you groom your Beardie you
must comb all the way to the skin, just combing the top may make
him look better but all of that beautiful undercoat is going to be
one solid mat.
3. You may need to get a few
lessons on grooming from a professional, pay for a grooming
session and insist on watching.
4. Don’t let anyone tell you that
you can’t shave your Beardie down. It is perfectly alright. If
you are going boating or fishing that heavy Beardie coat can
really be dangerous. If it gets waterlogged, it is unlikely that
the Beardie can swim.
We have very few serious health
problems with the Bearded Collie. They are strong, healthy, hearty
dogs who are quite capable of living outside all year except in
the bitterest cold or the hottest day. And as far as the eye, ear,
back or other problems that plague other breeds we are primarily
free of them. There are a few scattered problems but as a whole
the breeders are really trying to keep them under control and keep
this a truly unspoiled breed. Possibly because most of the people
breeding Beardies today started with other breeds and are well
aware of the problems. You should not see any Beardies in pet
shops or coming out of puppy mills. Pups that are sold as pets are
to be spayed or neutered and AKC issues “limited” registration
papers which do not allow any of their offspring to be registered.
Neutering
Should you have your pet Beardie
Spayed or Neutered. Absolutely -- Even if you thought that you
would like to have a litter of puppies for fun, it is not really
fun. It is hard work and expensive. If you think it would be a
wonderful experience for your children, think of this. How hard do
you think it will be on your children to have to give up the
puppies after loving them for 8 or 9 weeks? Are you really
prepared to keep the whole litter?
However, more importantly it is
much healthier for the dog. A male who is neutered is
substantially less likely to get prostrate cancer and a female who
is neutered cannot get uterine cancer. There are other health
reasons but these are clearly the most important.
Also, having an entire male will
mean that he will have his nose in the air and acquire the urge to
wander every time he thinks he smells a female who is ready to
breed. He will also want to lift his leg on the furniture in order
to mark his territory. Having a female who has not been neutered
means that she also may develop the wanderlust but this time you
may end up with a litter of mixed breed pups. Also a female coming
in heat will leave bloodstains on the furniture, floor and carpet
for several days.
I hope I have answered your
questions or at least most of them. I know from 20+ years of
experience that I have probably not answered them all. No matter
how hard I try I have never been able to anticipate all of the
questions someone might ask; however, as I am sure you can tell -
I believe the Beardie is something pretty special. We believe the
best way to promote them is to put them in the hands of happy
INFORMED owners. So we encourage you to write or call as often as
you like. And of course, if you are able, please come visit.
|
