Bearded Collie

Description:
The adorable bearded collie is a very active, agile, happy dog. Bearded collies are excellent work dogs too. They have medium long length hair that is straight and wiry, it should not feel wooly though or frizzy. Its hair should fall on both sides of its body and should line the body instead of hiding it. The under coat should feel soft and short. They have a long and clean body; not heavy though, and the proportion should be that of five to four in length and height. The ideal height of this dog is around fifty to fifty-six centimeters. The head of a collie is well proportioned; its skull should look wide and flat. Bearded collies have big eyes and are separate, they should not look round or bulge out of their face. The nose of this dog is big and square, it should not look pointy by any means. The shoulders should be well inclined backwards; its legs should be straight but not too heavy. They also have big chests that reach up to their elbows. If the rump of the animal looks flat or inclined it could be due to a serious defect. The rear legs should be well angled and its hock should be low. The tail has an abundant amount of hair and slightly inserted, it should reach at least down to the dog's hock. This dog's coat should reflect naturally and does not need to be cut or fixed. An adult bearded collie can have any shade of gray on its body as well as any type of golden tone. The white part of their coat is seen on the front part of the face, over the head, the top of the tail, the chest, around the feet and around the neck. 

Ideal owner:
Bearded collies are an excellent choice for a family with children. They like being around people, however it is important to know that they do not enjoy staying alone and they cry when their owner is away. Because of this one detail it is essential that the family spend a lot of quality time with the dog playing and doing exercise. Bearded collies are very curious dogs and the time it spends outdoors will help it to be more balanced and well behaved when it needs to be in the house. It is not a dog that can just be cooped up in the house. This is a very well behaved dog but the owners must make sure to never treat it harshly or yell at it. The owner of this dog will need to be firm but soft. If you are a sucker for big hairy pooches, this is definitely the dog for you.

Growth:
The average weight of a bearded collie varies depending on the size of the litter, which can also vary. The average size of a puppy though is anywhere from 226 grams to 280 grams. The puppies tend to grow quite quickly and can be quite a handful. Breeders often times wean them early to alleviate the mother. When picking one of these dogs make sure to choose one that is outgoing and shows confidence, and that looks like it is in good health obviously. This breed has a tendency to have traumas when it is a teenager so it is important to not put the dog through any type of stress. Good breeders will recommend the future owner to condition and train the dog as well as to pay a lot of attention to it in order to avoid it from becoming frustrated and destructive. These dogs grow very quickly and at adolescence it can grow in an unbalanced way and it can be seen in its muscles and bones. If this happens you will need to inform your veterinarian. Border collies need to be well fed between the ages of two to six months to stimulate appropriate growth. If you notice that one or both of the dog's testicles has lowered at the age of five months, most likely it will stay retained. There are versions of this dog that do not grow long outer hair and this can be seen when the dog is around eight weeks of age. It grows to its full size around the age of two years.

General health:
The bearded collie is one of the breeds that do not suffer from congenital problems and the breeders deserve applause because of it. However, there are cases of problems with hip dysphasia, progressive retina atrophy, and persistent pupil membranes, although it is not common. Probably the worse problem that has been seen in these dogs is the loss of pigmentation around the eyes, lips and nose, although once again, it is not that common. This problem might be due to a hereditary problem or because of an allergic reaction. It is also good to know that these dogs naturally have very low pulse when they are resting. It is very important to take very good care of its hair and coat because they have sensitive skin and you can run into problems. It's also indispensable to make sure the dog is always clear of fleas as this is vital for its well being and health. The owner of this dog will need to make sure to brush its hair at least once a week which will take anywhere from half an hour to an hour on an adult. Brushing its coat daily will help a lot also during shedding season on the younger ones. It is very important to feed your bearded collie good quality and healthy food. Never feed it leftovers etc. These dogs have an average life span of twelve to fourteen years.