Bearded Collie

The glory of the Bearded Collie is his coat. The most difficult part of caring for a Beardie is also his coat. Expect to half an hour to an hour weekly grooming it. Brushing and combing with a pin brush or slicker brush and stainless steel comb will keep his double coat tangle-free. Mist the coat with water or anti-tangle spray before brushing so you don't damage the hair. It's a good idea to have the breeder show you how to brush the coat of an adult dog. Bathe your Beardie every six to eight weeks or more often, particularly if (or when) his furry hindquarters become soiled with feces.

Along with time devoted to coat care, be prepared for dirt, mud, and debris tracked in on the dog's furry feet. A light trim may lessen the mess a bit and gives the feet a neat appearance.

Check the ears on a weekly basis for signs of infection, irritation, or wax build up. Cleanse regularly with a veterinarian-approved cleanser and cotton ball. Brush the teeth at least once per week to prevent tartar buildup and fight gum disease. Additionally, nails should be trimmed once per month if the dog does not wear down the toenails naturally.

Bearded Collies are high energy dogs and therefore they need to be given a lot of daily exercises. However, they are also extremely intelligent dogs and as such, they need to be given a tremendous amount of mental stimulation too or they quickly get bored and this could lead to them becoming unruly and difficult characters to handle.

As such two good walks a day are essential and as much outside time in a secure garden is ideal for these dogs. In short, they are not the best choice of pets for people who spend most of the day out of the house, but they are the ideal choice for people who work from home and who have a large secure garden for their dogs to play in.

With this said, Bearded Collies puppies should not be given too much exercise because their joints and bones are still growing and too much pressure on them could result in causing a dog a few problems later on in their lives. They should not be allowed to jump up or off furniture nor should they be allowed to run up and down the stairs because this puts too much pressure on their still growing joints and limbs.

Bearded Collies are not known to be fussy or finicky about their food, but this does not mean you can feed them a lower quality diet. If you get a Bearded Collie puppy from a breeder, they would give you a feeding schedule for your new pet and it's important to stick to the same routine, feeding the same type of food to a puppy to avoid any tummy or digestive upsets. You can change a puppy's diet, but this needs to be done very gradually always making sure they don't develop any digestive upset and if they do, it's best to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before attempting to change their diet again.

Older dogs need to be fed a good quality, well-balanced diet to suit their ages and any health issues a dog may be suffering from. As previously mentioned, Beardies are messy eaters all thanks to the amount of hair they have around their muzzles. Food collects in the hair and if left it soon builds up, gets smelly and eventually if not cleaned, could lead to a nasty skin infection taking hold which can be very hard to clear up.

Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not. Check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog's weight or diet. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times. Like many large breeds, Saint Bernard can experience bloat, a life-threatening condition where the stomach distends and twists. The causes of bloat aren't fully understood, but experts agree that multiple, small meals per day and preventing vigorous exercise around mealtimes may help reduce the chances of it happening.

All dogs have the potential to develop genetic health problems, just as all people have the potential to inherit a particular disease. Run, don't walk, from any breeder who does not offer a health guarantee on puppies, who tells you that the breed is 100 percent healthy and has no known problems, or who tells you that her puppies are isolated from the main part of the household for health reasons. A reputable breeder will be honest and open about health problems in the breed and the incidence with which they occur in her lines.

The Bearded Collieis a sturdy breed, andresponsible breedersscreentheir breeding stock for health conditions such aship dysplasia, hypothyroidism, autoimmune diseases, allergies, and eye problems. As with all breeds, a Beardie's ears should be checked regularly to remove foreign matter and avoid a buildup of wax, andthe teethbrushed daily.

Bearded Collies are easy to train as they learn very quickly, but they do have a stubborn streak. The Bearded Collie responds best to a gentle, kind approach. They are able to learn a wide variety of tricks as well as herding, dog agility, and competitive obedience tasks. Obedience training is highly recommended. Beardies may be difficult to house train.

Puppies should be properly socialized to develop the amiable, outgoing personality that is characteristic of the breed. They're successful in performance and companion events such as earthdog, barn hunt, obedience, and agility.

The Bearded Collie is a Scottish breed and descends from Highland Collies and the Polish Owczarek Nizinny. A Polish dog? How did that happen? The story goes that a Polish ship picking up a cargo of sheep in Scotland in 1514 traded three PONs for a ram and a ewe. The Polish dogs were crossed with the local Collies, and voila! The Bearded Collie. Well, it probably took a little selective breeding, too.

Besides herding, the dogs helped to drive flocks to market in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. They did their work with little fanfare and not much is known about them until 1912 when a standard was written for the breed. It wasn't until much later that a Beardie was exhibited at dog shows in England, with a bitch becoming the breed's first champion in 1959. Interest in the breed grew after that, and the dogs became popular in the United States and Canada.

By the early 1800s the look and demeanor of the breed as we know it was set. In Victorian times they were popular on the Scottish show circuit, but the disruptions of World War I decimated the population of Beardies and other popular breeds. But you can't keep a good breed down. Britain's devoted breeders rebuilt the Beardie population in the years between the two world wars. The first litter of U.S. Beardies was born in 1967, the breed entered the AKC Stud Book 10 years later, and it was a charter member of the AKC Herding Group, formed in 1983.