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Thanks to
Dawn Sarro at Morguefile for this
lovely photo. |
The bearded collie is another
popular breed in the UK and these fun loving dogs do well at
agility. Dogs ideally measure 21 to
22ins (53 - 56cms) at the
withers and bitches measure 20 to 21 ins (51
- 53cms).
Both dogs and bitches weigh between
39.7 and
61.7lbs (18 - 28kgs).
This breed has quite a few
variations in coat length and colour so that each dog tends to
be more individual in its looks than in some other dog breeds. Many beardies change their coat colour during their lifetime, and in
particular they can develop paler rings around their eyes.
This "paling" can spread throughout the coat during the dog's
first 18 months so that the puppy colour you started out with
isn't necessarily the colour of dog you will end up with.
When the new coat starts to grow it will be darker but the
paling is likely to start all over again and continue until the
next new growth of darker hair.
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|
Thanks to
Dawn Sarro
at Morguefile for another
lovely pic. |
Beardies are very trainable
as long as you are consistent and not too harsh with them.
I would describe them as fun loving, active, exuberant and
enthusiastic which is just what you want for an agility dog.
Think very carefully before you take on a beardie or one of its
crosses as they do need a lot of grooming and exercise and they
need something to do. I know they can charm the birds out
of the trees with their looks but you have to have a great sense
of humour and plenty of time for these wonderful dogs.
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|
Meet Tilly, a
beardie cross who has done
exceptionally well at agility. |
If you go to agility shows
you'll probably find at least one person who runs beardies and
they will be glad to give you some helpful advice.
As with all breed dogs, you can't beat first hand knowledge and
actually meeting the dogs in the flesh.
Respondents to the survey all said the
beardie and its crosses was fairly easy to train and
recommended for agility. More importantly they all said
they would choose this type of dog again which I always think
says a lot about a dog breed. |
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Comments
from handlers of beardies and beardie crosses
Rachel Baldock:
My dog is a complite nutter he chasses his shadow and other peoples shadows and he
loves to play with a ball and thehe pool table we have got he trys to get the ball
out the hole its really funny but he loves to be center of attention he howls if
he gets left out x
Terry:
I had a wonderful bearded cross border collie for almost 14 years until sadly she
died and I am searching for the same cross once again.
Sally came to me from a farm
when she was 6 months old and although she hadn't been too good at working with
sheep she became the most obedient dog I have ever had. My son took her into
agility classes and she went down to the Wembley Pet Foods finals.
Pat comments: Terry would like to hear
about a similar puppy or dog needing a home
Frazzled::
PLEASE, can anyone help! My gorgeous dog Jaspa, is 13 months old, and is a canine
Jekyll and Hyde!! In the house he's good as gold...apart from being a tea leaf with
food and tea towels! Outside, he's totally manic. He goes to bite anyone who comes
near me, barks at cars, bikes etc, and pulls so hard on the lead, I can't take him
for a walk anymore. I have tried a haltie, he broke 3 of them, I have the air
spray, it works for a few seconds, then he just carries on. We take him to the
beach every day for a good run, and as long as we throw a ball, the rest of the
world doesn't exist to him. He's with me 24/7, and comes to work with me, but, he
still gets exercise, as I'm in a long unit, so constantly throw and hide things to
stop him getting bored. I have a serious stomach condition, and he's already pulled
me over twice.At home, he's submissive, obedient, fun, and irresistable, but
outside, he's hell in a fur coat!!!
I feed him on James Wellbeloved, kibble and rice, but change the flavour each time.
As much as I hate it, I will have to muzzle him as from this week, as I'm seriously
worried he will bite someone, yet with people he knows he's terrific, and he loves
children.
Any advice would be gratefully recieved. Thanx.
Pat comments: James Wellbeloved is fairly
high in protein so I would first of all change to something like
Burns chicken and brown rice. As Jaspa is a beardie cross
he's going to be a high energy dog but it's worrying that he
wants to bite people who come near you. This is something
that needs to be sorted out fast and it can't be done over the
internet. You need to contact a good dog trainer and
preferably someone from the
Association of
Pet Behaviour Counsellors. This will mean a trip to
the vet and a referral if the vet thinks the problem is serious
enough. You obviously can't go on like this and I admire
you for what you have achieved so far with Jaspa. Do join
our forum if you would like to get some opinions from other dog
owners. They will be very supportive while you are getting
this problem sorted out. Best wishes and good luck.
Vaughan:
Where do I start? I was diagnosed with M.E in Feb 2008 and felt like my life had
ended. I was at home, by myself and bored and fed up. It wasn't until my partner,
Jon, suggested getting a dog. Well, we saw a Beardie advertised for sale, what a
pleasure he has been. I'm feeling at my best in over a year. I'm fit and healthy.
I've stopped smoking too, I need all the energy to keep up with Mungo(my dog). He
is so funny and naughty but I wouldn't want him any other way.
Sarah:
We have a beardie/border collie cross called Ozzy. He is the best. He's just
turned 1 yr old and we couldn't imagine life without him. He's very clever and he
knows it! For as long as I remember, people have always told us that all collies
are high maintenance, which I would completely agree with, but after Ozzy became a
part of our family he has turned our world upside down. How ever bad life gets, if
you own a beardie, they will put a smile on your face and make all your worries
disappear, even if it's just momentarily.
Love to hear your comments.
Laura
His breed, us and our vet have guessed as border x beardie, but he is very unusual.
Characteristics and face of a border, coat and build of a beardie! He is a
mystery!!! Would love you to put a pic of him up so people could guess! Very very
fast, very powerful and very enthusiastic dog.
Pat says: It would be great if you could
join the forum and post a pic on there. We could all have
a go at guessing the breed.
Lynne (Beardie/poodle
cross):
very obedient and loving dog. she also is very sensitive, she responds well to firm
commands and is calm and wonderfully behaved in the home hence we take her when we
visit family. I would like to do agility with her she is 19 months old is this too
old to start? she is very fast and outruns all the dogs in the park.
Lucy:
My Beardie X is lovely to train, a really quick
learner and she is VERY accurate.
She's beginning to get much quicker and our placings are getting
higher at fun
competitions! The most loving dog we've ever owned (almost
human!)
Darryl (Beardie/border):
Very smart and extremely quick dog. She needs
positive training, harsh
training/handling wouldn't work well
with her.
Samantha
Hadingham (Bearded Collie/Rough Collie cross):
Very vocal and a bit nutty but has potential to be
fast and accuarate. Calm in the home and brilliant with people.
Chasing instincts been a problem also.
Gill (Beardie
x Border collie):
Picks up what is asked very quickly just lacks
confidence sometimes, does not bark or get over excited so far!
We are only in our first year of training.
Nicky (beardie
x):
Although my dog is a bit mad he LOVES agility! he
is very keen, very fast and fun to work with. we're not sure
what he is cross with(something big!)and the only problem i've
encountered is tight turns,but that is improving all the time
with practise.he is also a fantastic member of our family and a
pleasure to live with.
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