Pros and cons of Bearded Collies Questions

Hi, it's Zuhzoo
I don't know if any of you will know this, but I have been looking at getting a collie of some sort with my family. Recently we have been looking at Border collies a lot, and now Beardies- I was wondering if anyone had/knew one and could tell me about them, their pros and cons?

It would be very helpful as this looks promising!
Thankyou!

I would only have a Beardie if I loved grooming

I have a friend with 3 and they take a lot of work to keep their coats nice but they are lovely social dogs and very trainable - what woudl you want to do with it?

i like the little working beaRDIES better than the normal ones

I've had both Beardies & Border Collies although I currently only have Border Collies. I personally don't think that Border or Bearded Collies are for first time owners as they need a lot of stimulation & education, with the added grooming for the Beardies & you really do have to groom them from day one every day as puppies & continue this throughout their lives. The modern show beardies are marginly more suitable as a pets, but they have so much more coat to keep in check.

If you do opt for either breed, then you do need to socialize & train them from the day you get them.

Lynne Sharpe(Brambledale)used to breed show beardies but now has gone back to the roots of modern beardies-the working type-the type we both had back in the 1970s

Dyane!!! you are a star! That is Exactly the type of beardie i LOVE!!!!!!, what a fab site, so interesting.

LOL Lynne is a fountain of knowledge on Beardies & has always had the most brilliant temperaments in her dogs. I love her Blue Merles-a colour Mrs Willison disliked & so is not found in the show beardies very often & they are usually put in pet homes & not registered

i really like the merles too , tiger is lush!!!!!!

Hmmmm I love Beardies too...I think a Beardie and Cosmo would compliment each other.
Do they have the same energy levels as a Border?

Have you decided whether a beardie is for you or not yet Zuhzoo? My hubby has had a couple of working beardies in the past (that worked sheep), but just has the border collies now. Beardies are real fun dogs, full of energy, great stamina, are a bit noisier than borders and obviously have a very hairy coat, which needs a lot of grooming.

I would say you would certainly have your hands full with a teenage flatcoat and a puppy beardie

Hmmmm but the same would be said of a puppy FCR and a teenage FCR....or a teenage FCR and a Border Terrier....

Just wondering how they comapre to Border Collies as I know what Border Collies need and so we haven't got one...

The Beardies have met (all show type) have been blessed with a large personality, but don't seem quite as active as a Border Collie, or as indepndant, they seem to like to stay closer to their owners and interact more.
They have also all been more than happy to join Cosmo in water and mud...

My family have always had Beardies, my mum has one at the moment.

The coat is a nightmare really, especially as all the Beardies I know love water, especially muddy dirty water. They also seem to bring half the wood back with them, I walk quite often with my mum and she is always pulling out brambles, leaves etc stuck in Megan's coat.

The Beardies I have known are active, but don't need hours and hours of exercise but they do like a game, something to keep their mind active. I'm not sure if there is a difference between working Beardies and show Beardies, we have always had the working type - a lot bigger, they make the show beardies look like dwarfs really. They are great fun and always welcome visitors but do tend to be a one person dog and very vocal!