KENAI
Bearded Collie

The breeds · herding

AKC Herding · UKC Herding · FCI standard 271

Bearded Collie.

FCI 271 utilization: sheepdog and companion; a "steady, intelligent working dog". UKC: stems from true working stock, used extensively as a sheep herding dog and cattle drover in Scotland; recognized by UKC since 1979. AKC page: "a boisterous and charismatic droving dog from Scotland". RKC: Scottish cattle herders for about 500 years. Wikipedia: now commonly a family companion.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

13.9YRMedian lifespan13.7 to 14, measured on real dogs.
0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
40–60LBWeight, all linesbreed 40 to 60 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayUp to 1 hour per day (RKC band). The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 20.9 to 22 in · bitches 20.1 to 22 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1978

Each standard prints the ideal as a range, so no center. Low and high span every cited figure, including Wikipedia's editorial 51 to 56 cm (to 22.0 in), which runs taller than the standards (show every source).

Weight

40 to 60 lb

Breed clubAKC

Low and high span the AKC page (45-55) and Wikipedia (40-60); an editorial figure sits in the span, so no center.

Coat

Double coat: soft, furry, close undercoat under a flat, harsh, strong, shaggy outer coat, free from wooliness and curl (slight wave allowed); falls naturally to either side and is never artificially parted; must not be trimmed; sparse hair on the bridge of the nose and a typical beard. Colours: slate, reddish fawn, black, blue, all shades of grey, brown and sandy, with or without white and tan markings; coat colours fade then darken with age (UKC). RKC coat length: long

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1978

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · Double coat: soft, furry, close undercoat and a flat, harsh, strong, shaggy outer coat, free from wooliness, slight wave permissible; length and density enough to give a protective coat (AKC, FCI)

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1978

Derived from the standard coat description: a medium-to-long shaggy double coat sits at 3. UKC: the rich dense hair gives good protection against wet and cold.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

13.9 years (13.7 to 14)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

McMillan et al. 2024 UK primary-care data; the UK population, not US. No Teng 2022 life-table entry for this breed.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Up to 1 hour per day (RKC band)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: up to 1 hour = 60. AKC trait score is Energy Level 4 of 5. Wikipedia suggests at least two half-hour sessions a day for a pet (editorial).

Exercise need

RKC: up to 1 hour per day; large house, large garden, town or country. AKC page: energy level 4 of 5, mental stimulation needs 3 of 5, "enjoys outdoor exercise in all weather". Wikipedia: high energy, pets need vigorous exercise, at least two half-hour play sessions a day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

Energy

AKC trait scores (1 to 5): energy level 4, playfulness 4, adaptability 4, barking level 5, trainability 3, openness to strangers 4, good with young children 5, good with other dogs 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed-page bands, a registry scale, not a measurement.

Grooming load

4 of 5 · RKC: grooming every day (long coat length, sheds)

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band mapped: every day = 4. AKC page: coat grooming frequency 4 of 5. Wikipedia: weekly brushing mandatory to keep the coat mat-free; a pet "puppy cut" is possible (editorial).

Grooming

RKC: every day, long coat, sheds. AKC page: coat grooming frequency 4 of 5, shedding 3 of 5. The standards forbid trimming the show coat; Wikipedia: weekly brushing is the minimum and non-show dogs can be clipped all over

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 271 utilization: sheepdog and companion; a "steady, intelligent working dog". UKC: stems from true working stock, used extensively as a sheep herding dog and cattle drover in Scotland; recognized by UKC since 1979. AKC page: "a boisterous and charismatic droving dog from Scotland". RKC: Scottish cattle herders for about 500 years. Wikipedia: now commonly a family companion

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1978

Primary game

Livestock: sheep and cattle (drover). UKC and Wikipedia: used to herd both sheep and cattle; RKC: herding cattle and sheep in the Borders and Highlands of Scotland

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

Stock worked, not game.

Also used on

Wikipedia: family companion; obedience trials (first Bearded Collie obedience champion Scapa), agility, flyball and freestyle

EditorialWikipedia

Search pattern

Droving: AKC page says the breed was bred to be independent decision-makers, "can be willful but are always friendly". UKC: active, agile and intelligent, "a degree of stubbornness and independence". FCI: alert, lively, self-confident. AKC page barking level 5 of 5. Single dog working with the handler

Breed clubAKC

Field trial standard

Wikipedia: noncompetitive herding tests assess instinct and tractability, and Beardies showing basic instinct can be trained for herding trials; also obedience, agility, flyball, freestyle. No AKC herding rule page was read

EditorialWikipedia

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

6.1% · 6.1% dysplastic, n = 5,347 evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026 (Normal 93.1%; mild 3.5, moderate 2.0, severe 0.6)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA all-data skews to breeding stock (dogs screened for breeding), so it understates the pet population. Undated cumulative figure. Row read: OFA BEARDED COLLIE (rank 170).

Elbow dysplasia

3% · 3.0% abnormal, n = 1,156 evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026 (Normal 96.8%; grade 1 2.4, grade 2 0.5, grade 3 0.1)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA all-data skews to breeding stock (dogs screened for breeding), so it understates the pet population. Undated cumulative figure. Row read: OFA BEARDED COLLIE (rank 107).

Most common disorders

Wikipedia: hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's disease), inherited, in about 2 to 3.4% of Bearded Collies in USA/Canada and at least 1% of UK deaths; also pemphigus foliaceus, follicular dysplasia, congenital elbow luxation, corneal dystrophy, cataract and generalized progressive retinal atrophy. A 2004 Kennel Club survey (per Wikipedia) gave leading causes of death as old age 26%, cancer 19%, cerebrovascular disease 9%, chronic kidney failure 8%

EditorialWikipedia

Editorial summary; the underlying survey and papers were not read.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 4; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 5; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 5; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 4; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 4; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 8 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Beardie, Highland Collie, Mountain Collie, Hairy Mou'ed Collie

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

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