Breed Priorities – Bearded Collie

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196 – July, 2026

By Nikki Riggsbee

Shaggy coated sheepdogs with hairy faces have been found in Scotland for centuries. Bearded Collies were also called the Scotch Sheepdog, Mountain Collie, Highland Collie, or Hairy Mou’ed Collie. Dogs resembling Beardies can be seen in paintings by Gainsborough and Reynolds and others. It is possible that the Polish Lowland Sheepdog and Komondor are behind the Beardies, mixed with other native sheepdogs in Scotland.

While primarily used as a working herding dog with both sheep and cattle, Beardies were entered in dog shows towards the end of the nineteenth century in Glasgow. Attempts were made to register and show more dogs, with a break during World War I. The modern version of the breed is traced to the middle of the 20th century.

An early introduction of Bearded Collies in North America was two entered at a show in Calgary, Alberta, in 1910. They began participation in AKC’s Miscellaneous class in 1974, and became part of the Working Group in 1977, and later of the Herding Group when it was created in 1983.

AKC Bearded Collie breeder-judges plus the parent club-approved mentors were invited to take the breed priority survey that is the basis of the results below. Forty-four experts were contacted, and twenty-six agreed to participate. By the deadline, seventeen completed surveys were returned.

The Beardie experts had been in the breed for over thirty-five years on average. Those who judge averaged nearly nineteen years approved to do so. Most of the judges have officiated at their national specialty and have judged other Beardie specialties as well.

Virtues

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196 – July, 2026

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