Bearded Collie

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Scotland.
MOST SUITED AS Sheepdog and family pet.
SIZE The shoulder-height is 53 � 56cm (201/2� 22 in) for dogs and 51 � 53cm (20 � 201/2 in)for bitches.

COAT
The undercoat is dense and woolly; the outer coat is straight, tough, long, and rough. Per­mitted colours are black, blue, slate-coloured, reddish-brown, all shades of grey with white markings on the nose, chest, legs, and feet or neck. The white markings are not permitted beyond the shoulder.

CARE REQUIRED
The Bearded Collie requires lots of grooming. The hair must be brushed and combed a couple of times each week to avoid tangles. Remove excessive hair between the pads and keep ins­ide the ears clean.
The hair of a Bearded Collie should be parted along the back.

CHARACTER
This is a high spirited, cheerful, and clever dog that is eager to learn, lovable, gentle, sociable and companionable, extremely independent, active. A Bearded Collie belongs to the family and is not a suitable dog to banish outdoors to a kennel.

TRAINING
The Bearded Collie is an intelligent dog who learns quickly. Treating it severely during its of the training does not work; you can achieve better results by a playful, soft-handed appro­ach. Give it ample praise and plenty of cheer­ful commands and avoid pressurizing it, becau­se that spoils its receptive and friendly disposition.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
These dogs can get very on well with children, household pets, and other dogs. Even strangers are normally greeted exuberantly.

EXERCISE
The Bearded Collie will adapt itself to the situ­ation but you can give it no greater pleasure than to take it on long country walks. Bearded Collies have no tendency to run away (in com­mon with most dogs in this group); on the con­trary they stay close by you. This breed usually performs well in obedience trials and agility competitions.

SPECIAL POINTS
Because of its gentle nature the Bearded Collie is most ideal for those with little experience of bringing up a dog; with its great adaptability it fits in just as happily in town as in the country. Bear in mind that the coat requires a great deal of grooming.