Bearded Collie

Its exact origins are debated, but the most persistent account holds that Polish trading ships brought Polish Lowland Sheepdogs to Scotland in the sixteenth century, where they were crossed with local collies to produce a hardy, weatherproof drover's dog. For centuries it worked the hills of the Scottish Borders and Highlands, moving stock long distances in wet, cold conditions that would soak a shorter-coated dog to the skin within minutes. It nearly vanished as a distinct type in the early twentieth century, surviving mainly through a handful of working lines, before a concerted revival from the 1940s onward, led by breeder Mrs G. O. Willison, rebuilt the breed for showing and companionship.

Living with a Bearded Collie means living with an enthusiastic, biddable, rather bouncy dog that treats most encounters, human or canine, as an opportunity to say hello. It retains real herding drive and needs proper daily exercise, not just a stroll around the block, or it becomes restless and vocal. The coat is the main commitment: a full double coat that mats quickly around the ears, armpits and hindquarters and needs thorough brushing several times a week, plus regular baths, to stay in reasonable order without professional grooming.

Today it is mostly a companion and show dog rather than a working drover, though some lines still herd. It suits an active family with time for grooming and space for a dog that wants to be involved in everything happening in the house, rather than one that settles quietly in a corner.