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CHARASTERISTICS |
The Bearded Collie should
be alert, lively, self-confident and active. The temperament
should be that of a steady intelligent working dog, with
no signs of nervousness or aggression. |
GENERAL
APPEARANCE |
A
lean active dog, longer than it is high in an approximate
proportion of 5-4, measured from point of chest to point of
buttock. Bitches may be slightly longer. The breed, though
strongly made, should show plenty of daylight under the body
and should not look too heavy. A bright, enquiring expression
is a distinctive feature of the breed. |
| HEAD |
Head
and Skull: The head should be in proportion to
the size of the dog. The skull broad and flat and square,
the distance between stop and occiput being equal to the
width between the orifices of the ears. The muzzle strong
and equal in length to the distance between the stop and
the occiput, the whole effect being that of a dog with strength
of muzzle and plenty of brain room. The stop should be moderate.
The nose large and square, generally black but normally
following the coat colour in blues and browns. The nose
and lips should be of solid colour without spots or patches.
Pigmentation of lips and eyerims should follow nose colour.
Eyes: The eyes should tone with coat
in colour, be set widely apart and be large, soft and
affectionate, but not protruding. The eyebrows arched
up and forward but not so long as to obscure the eyes.
Ears: The ears of medium size and drooping.
When the dog is alert, the ears should lift at the base
level with, but not above, the top of the skull, increasing
the apparent breadth of the skull.
Mouth: The teeth large and white, the
incisors of the lower jaw fitting tightly behind those
of the upper jaw. However, a pincer bite is acceptable.
|
| NECK |
Moderate
length, muscular and slightly arched.
|
| BODY |
The length of the back should come from the length of the
ribcage and not that of the loin. The back level and ribs
well-sprung but not barrelled. The loins should be strong
and the chest deep, giving plenty of heart and lung room.
|
TAIL |
Set
low, without kink or twist, and long enough for the end of
the bone to reach at least the point of the hock. Carried
low with an upward swirl at the tip whilst standing or walking,
but may be extended at speed. Never carried over the back.
Covered with abundant hair. |
LIMBS |
Forequarters:
The shoulders should slope well back: a line drawn through
the centre of the shoulder blade should form a right angle
(90 degrees) with the humerus. The shoulder blades at the
withers should be separated only by the vertebrae but should
slope outwards from there sufficiently to accommodate the
desired spring of rib. Legs straight and vertical, with good
bone and covered with shaggy hair all round. Pasterns flexible
without weakness.
Hindquarters: Well-muscled
with good second thighs, well-bent stifles and low hocks.
The lower leg should fall at a right angle to the ground
and, in normal stance, should be just behind a line vertically
below the point of the buttock.
Feet :Oval in shape with
the soles well-padded. The toes arched and close together,
well covered with hair, including between the pads.
|
GAIT
|
Movement
should be supple, smooth and long reaching, covering the ground
with the minimum of effort. |
| COAT |
Coat:
Double with the undercoat soft, furry and close. Outercoat
flat, harsh, strong and shaggy, free from woolliness and
curl, though a slight wave is permissible. Length and density
of the hair should be sufficient to provide a protective
coat and to enhance the shape of the dog, but not enough
to obscure the natural lines of the body. The coat must
not be trimmed in any way. On the head, the bridge of the
nose should be sparsely covered with hair which is slightly
longer on the side just to cover the lips. From the cheeks,
the lower lips and under the chin, the coat should increase
in length towards the chest, forming the typical beard.
Colour: Slate grey, reddish fawn, black,
blue, all shades of grey, brown and sandy, with or without
white markings. Where white occurs it should appear on
the foreface, as a blaze on the skull, on the tip of the
tail, on the chest, legs and feet and, if round the collar,
the roots of the white hair should not extend behind the
shoulder. White should not appear above the hocks on the
outside of the hind legs. Slight tan markings are acceptable
on the eyebrows, inside the ears, on the cheeks, under
the root of the tail, and on the legs where white joins
the main colour.
|
| SIZE
AND WEIGHT |
Ideal
height at the shoulder: Dogs 53 - 56 cm
(21-22 in). Bitches 51 - 53 cm (20- 21
in).
Overall quality and proportions should
be considered before size but excessive variation from
the ideal height should be discouraged.
|
| FAULTS |
Any
departure from the foregoing points should be considered
a fault and the seriousness with which the fault is regarded
should be in exact proportion to its degree. |
| N.B. |
Male animals should have two apparently
normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
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