THE BEARDED COLLIE

“OWD BOB”

by Alfred Olivant (1898)

“Should you, while wandering in the wild sheep land, happen on moor or in market upon a very gentle knight, clothed in dark grey habit, splashed here and there with rays of moon;  free by right divine of the guild of gentlemen, strenuous as a prince, lithe as a rowan, graceful as a girl, with high king carriage, motions and manners of a fairy queen, should he have a noble breadth of brow, an air of still strength born of right confidence, all unassuming;  last and most unfailing test of all, should you look into two snow-clad eyes, calm, wistful, inscrutable, their soft depths clothed on with eternal sadness----yearning, as is said, for the soul that is not theirs---know then, that you look upon one of the line of the most illustrious sheepdogs of the North.”

All of the above describes the Beardie, albeit with a few things left out.  There’s the “Beardie Bounce”, the “I love everyone” “especially children” attitude and the “but mom don’t be mad at me, I didn’t mean it” pout.

The Bearded Collie is older than the three breeds that they are usually compared to: the Border Collie, the Rough Collie and the Old English Sheepdog.  The word “Collie” is derived from the Welch word “coelio” meaning trustful and faithful or the Scottish words for the black-faced sheep of the highlands, “colley” and “coaley”.   There are paintings depicting “Beardie” type dogs dating from the 1700’s.  It is generally accepted that,  as the story goes, in 1514 a Polish ship’s captain traded three Lowland Polish Sheepdogs for a pair of valued Scottish sheep.  These were cross bred to the local herding and flock guarding dogs to produce the Bearded Collie ancestors.

After the turn of the century Beardie numbers started to decline and it was felt they were becoming extinct until an English woman by the name of G.O. Willison became enamored and started hunting the sheep farms to buy representatives of the breed to try and save them.  Her kennel name, Bothkenner, can be found in all Bearded Collie pedigrees if you go back far enough.

The Bearded Collie was used by the sheep farmers as a “far and away” herder.  They were sent out into the rocky, craggy moors and hills to search for the lost and wild sheep that had been sent to graze.  This ”voice” and tendency to work softly yet persistently made them invaluable with the wild skittish sheep.   They could use their barks to scare the sheep out of the rocky crags where they were hiding.   It was nothing for a lone Beardie, or sometimes a pair, for they work well with others,  to be sent out and be gone for days, only to return with sometimes a couple hundred wild sheep.  They also worked in close on large herds and this is where the “Bounce” and “Voice” came in.  The sheep that they worked were large and for the dog to get directions they jumped into the air looking for the shepherd for instruction.  The bark was used for strength against the sheep and so the shepherd knew where the dog was.  Most herders used both the Beardie type and Border type collies.  The Border was used on smaller groups and closer in.  Also, the Border is a much “tougher” personality than the Beardie and was better close in on the more aggressive sheep.   The Beardie is usually worked in the more traditional  herding style, bringing the stock toward the shepherd and the pens, but they can be drovers as well.  Some have been used on cattle, however, as they have a softer personality, aggressive stock is usually not a good idea unless introduced slowly.  Beardies don’t use “eye” like the Border Collie and for this reason are not usually as intimidating to the stock.  Size, color and “voice” is their advantage.

The Bearded Collie was recognized for entries for AKC championships in 1977.  Since that time their popularity has risen but not so much as to be a disadvantage as in so many other breeds.  There are some health issues, however with a stock of very reputable breeders, I believe the breed will endure for many more centuries.  And small differences in type not withstanding, there are some VERY great dogs out there that will keep the breed alive and well.