Bearded Collie
The Bearded Collie is Scotland's droving dog, used to bring cattle and sheep off the hill and on to market, working noisily and at a distance rather than with the Border Collie's…
About the Bearded Collie
The Bearded Collie is Scotland's droving dog, used to bring cattle and sheep off the hill and on to market, working noisily and at a distance rather than with the Border Collie's silent eye. Show and working strains both survive, and the working Beardie is a rougher, plainer animal altogether.
Dogs stand 53 to 56 cm under a long, harsh, flat outer coat over a soft undercoat. Puppies are born dark and often lighten dramatically before darkening again, so a slate or fawn adult may have started nearly black. Colours are slate, reddish fawn, black, blue, brown or sandy, with or without white. Grooming is a genuine commitment, and a stud should be demonstrably sound in movement under all that hair.
Hypoadrenocorticism, better known as Addison's disease, occurs in Beardies more than in most breeds and there is nothing to test for it, so ask a stud owner whether it has appeared in close relatives. Autoimmune conditions generally deserve the same question. Ask for hip scores and a current eye certificate, and about the age and cause of death of the dog's parents.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Bearded Collie
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA test — CEA/CH (Collie Eye Anomaly / Choroidal Hypoplasia) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
| Elbow grading (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Grade 0–3. The dog is graded on the worse of the two elbows. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 9 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 268 dogs scored). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Bearded Collie stud dogs
No Bearded Collie studs are listed right now
When a Bearded Collie on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Bearded Collie litters
No Bearded Collie litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
