What does each club give for Height at the withers in the Bearded Collie?

FCI, Male: 53–56 cm; AKC, Male: 53.3–55.9 cm; UKC, Male: 53.3–55.9 cm; KC, Male: 53–56 cm; CKC, Male: 53.3–56 cm; FCI, Female: 51–53 cm; AKC, Female: 50.8–53.3 cm; UKC, Female: 50.8–53.3 cm; KC, Female: 51–53 cm; CKC, Female: 50.8–53.3 cm.

Bearded Collie breed standards compared

Each column is one club's published standard. An empty cell means the club says nothing on that point in our records.

Clubs compared: FCI, AKC, UKC, KC, CKC.

Size

Size
Measure	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	CKC
Height at the withers, male	53–56 cm	53.3–55.9 cm	53.3–55.9 cm	53–56 cm	53.3–56 cm
Height at the withers, female	51–53 cm	50.8–53.3 cm	50.8–53.3 cm	51–53 cm	50.8–53.3 cm
Height to length	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8
Skull to muzzle	1	1	1	1	1
Shoulder angle	No ruling	90°	No ruling	No ruling	90°

Conformation

Conformation
Form	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	CKC
StopModerate	Standard (“Stop: Moderate.”)	Standard (“the stop is moderate”)	Standard (“The stop is moderate.”)	Standard (“Moderate stop.”)	Standard (“The stop should be moderate.”)
BiteScissors bite	Standard (“perfect, regular and complete scissor bite preferred”)	Standard (“meeting in a scissors bite”)	Standard (“meet in a scissors bite”)	Standard (“perfect, regular and complete scissor bite preferred”)	Standard (“incisors of the lower jaw fitting tightly behind those of the upper jaw”)
BiteLevel bite	Alternate (“Level bite tolerated.”)	No ruling	No ruling	Alternate (“Level bite tolerated”)	Alternate (“a level bite is acceptable”)
DentitionFull dentition	No ruling	Standard (“Full dentition is desirable.”)	Standard (“A full complement of strong, white teeth”)	No ruling	Standard (“A full set of forty-two teeth is desirable.”)
Ear carriageDrop (pendant)	Standard (“Of medium size and drooping.”)	Standard (“medium sized, hanging and covered with long hair”)	Standard (“medium-sized, hanging and covered with long hair”)	Standard (“Of medium size and drooping.”)	Standard (“ears are of medium size and drooping”)
Eye shapeRound	No ruling	No ruling	Fault (“Faults: Round eyes. Protruding eyes.”)	No ruling	No ruling
Muzzle shapeSnipy	No ruling	Fault (“Serious Faults: Snipy muzzle.”)	Fault (“Severe Fault: Snipey muzzle.”)	No ruling	No ruling
ToplineLevel	Standard (“Back: Level.”)	Standard (“The back is level.”)	Standard (“The back is level”)	Standard (“Back level”)	Standard (“The back must be level”)
Tail setLow	Standard (“Set low, without kink or twist”)	Standard (“The tail is set low”)	Standard (“It is set low”)	Standard (“Set low, without kink or twist”)	Standard (“The tail is set low, without kink or twist”)
Tail carriageLow (hanging)	Standard (“Carried low with an upward swirl at tip”)	Standard (“normally carried low with an upward swirl at the tip”)	Standard (“normally carried low with an upward swirl at the tip”)	Standard (“Carried low with an upward swirl at tip”)	No ruling
Tail carriageCurled over the back	Not recognized (“Never carried over back.”)	No ruling	Disqualifying (“Disqualification: tail carried up over the back.”)	Not recognized (“Never carried over back.”)	No ruling
Tail lengthLong	Standard (“long enough for end of bone to reach at least point of hock”)	Standard (“long enough for the end of the bone to reach at least the point of the hocks”)	Standard (“extends at least to the hocks”)	Standard (“long enough for end of bone to reach at least point of hock”)	No ruling
FeetOval	Standard (“Forefeet: Oval with soles well padded.”)	Standard (“The feet are oval in shape”)	Standard (“The oval-shaped feet have well-padded soles.”)	Standard (“Oval with soles well padded.”)	Standard (“The feet are oval in shape with the soles well padded”)
HocksWell let down	Standard (“Hock joint: Low.”)	Standard (“The hocks are low.”)	Standard (“the hocks are low to the ground”)	Standard (“well-bent stifles and low hocks”)	Standard (“well-bent stifles and low hocks”)
Neck lengthMedium	Standard (“NECK: Moderate length, muscular and slightly arched.”)	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“Moderate length, muscular and slightly arched.”)	No ruling
ChestDeep	Standard (“Chest: Deep, giving plenty of heart and lung room.”)	Standard (“The chest is deep, reaching at least to the elbows.”)	Standard (“The deep chest reaches at least to the elbows.”)	Standard (“chest deep, giving plenty of heart and lung room”)	Standard (“the chest is deep, giving plenty of heart and lung room”)
ChestBarrel	Not recognized (“Ribs well sprung but not barrelled.”)	No ruling	Not recognized (“not barreled”)	Not recognized (“ribs well sprung but not barrelled”)	No ruling

Markings

Markings
Marking	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	CKC
Blaze	Alternate (“When white occurs it appears on foreface, as a blaze on skull”)	Alternate (“Where white occurs, it only appears on the foreface as a blaze”)	No ruling	Alternate (“When white occurs it appears on foreface, as a blaze on skull”)	Alternate (“Where white occurs, it should only appear on the foreface, as a blaze”)
White tail tip	Alternate (“When white occurs it appears ... on tip of tail”)	Alternate (“Where white occurs, it only appears ... on the tip of the tail”)	No ruling	Alternate (“When white occurs it appears ... on tip of tail”)	Alternate (“Where white occurs, it should only appear ... on the tip of the tail”)
Chest patch	Alternate (“When white occurs it appears ... on chest, legs and feet”)	Alternate (“Where white occurs, it only appears ... on the chest, legs and feet”)	No ruling	Alternate (“When white occurs it appears ... on chest, legs and feet”)	Alternate (“Where white occurs, it should only appear ... on the chest, legs and feet”)
Socks	Alternate (“When white occurs it appears ... on chest, legs and feet”)	Alternate (“Where white occurs, it only appears ... on the chest, legs and feet”)	No ruling	Alternate (“When white occurs it appears ... on chest, legs and feet”)	Alternate (“Where white occurs, it should only appear ... on the chest, legs and feet”)
Collar	Alternate (“if round the collar, roots of white hair should not extend behind shoulder”)	Alternate (“Where white occurs, it only appears ... and around the neck”)	No ruling	Alternate (“if round the collar, roots of white hair should not extend behind shoulder”)	Alternate (“and, if round the collar, the roots of the white hair”)
Tan points	Alternate (“Slight tan markings are acceptable on eyebrows, inside ears”)	Alternate (“Tan markings occasionally appear and are acceptable on the eyebrows, inside the ears”)	Alternate (“Tan trim may occur on all colors”)	Alternate (“Slight tan markings are acceptable on eyebrows, inside ears”)	Alternate (“Slight tan markings are acceptable on the eyebrows, inside the ears”)
Irish markings	No ruling	No ruling	Alternate (“with or without white markings in the Irish Pattern”)	No ruling	No ruling

Bearded Collie colors and patterns

What each club's breed standard says about every Bearded Collie color and pattern. Point at a ruling to see the club's own wording.

Breed standards describe the Bearded Collie in Black, White, Gray, Blue, Slate, Brown, Tan, Fawn, and Sandy. Standard patterns: Solid, Bicolor, Tricolor, and Tan point.

Coat: rulings by club
Color or pattern	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	KUSA
Black	Standard (“black”)	Standard (“Black”)	Standard (“black”)	Standard (“black”)	Standard (“black”)
White	Standard (“with or without white markings”)	Standard (“with or without white markings”)	Standard (“with or without white markings in the Irish Pattern”)	Standard (“with or without white markings”)	Standard (“with or without white markings”)
Gray	Standard (“all shades of grey”)	Standard (“a born black may become any shade of gray from black to slate to silver”)	Standard (“puppies that are born black begin graying”)	Standard (“all shades of grey”)	Standard (“all shades of grey”)
Blue	Standard (“blue”)	Standard (“Blue”)	Standard (“blue”)	Standard (“blue”)	Standard (“blue”)
Slate	Standard (“slate grey”)	Standard (“a born black may become any shade of gray from black to slate to silver”)	No ruling	Standard (“slate grey”)	Standard (“slate grey”)
Brown	Standard (“brown”)	Standard (“Brown”)	Standard (“brown”)	Standard (“brown”)	Standard (“brown”)
Tan	Standard (“slight tan markings are acceptable”)	Standard (“tan markings occasionally appear and are acceptable”)	Standard (“tan trim may occur on all colors”)	Standard (“slight tan markings are acceptable”)	Standard (“slight tan markings are acceptable”)
Fawn	Standard (“reddish-fawn”)	Standard (“Fawn”)	Standard (“fawn”)	Standard (“reddish-fawn”)	Standard (“reddish-fawn”)
Sandy	Standard (“sandy”)	Standard (“a born brown from chocolate to sandy”)	No ruling	Standard (“sandy”)	Standard (“sandy”)
Albino	No ruling	No ruling	Disqualifying (“albinism”)	Not recognized	Not recognized
Patterns
Solid	Standard (“with or without white markings”)	Standard (“with or without white markings”)	Standard (“with or without white markings”)	Standard (“with or without white markings”)	Standard (“with or without white markings”)
Bicolor	Standard (“with white markings”)	Standard (“White Markings”)	Standard (“with white markings in the Irish Pattern”)	Standard (“Black & White”)	Standard (“with white markings”)
Tricolor	Standard (“tan markings ... on legs where white joins main colour”)	Standard (“White & Tan Markings”)	Standard (“tan trim may occur on all colors”)	Standard (“Black Tricolour”)	Standard (“tan markings ... on legs where white joins main colour”)
Tan point	Standard (“slight tan markings are acceptable on eyebrows, inside ears, on cheeks”)	Standard (“White & Tan Markings”)	Standard (“tan trim may occur on all colors”)	Standard (“slight tan markings are acceptable on eyebrows, inside ears, on cheeks”)	Standard (“slight tan markings are acceptable on eyebrows, inside ears, on cheeks”)
Merle	Not recognized (“never merle/dapple”)	No ruling	No ruling	Not recognized (“merle unacceptable”)	Not recognized (“never merle/dapple”)
Double merle	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling

Eyes: rulings by club
Color or pattern	AKC	UKC
Light brown	Standard (“in a born blue or fawn, the distinctively lighter eyes are correct”)	Standard (“lighter-colored eyes are characteristic of the dogs born blue or fawn”)

Nose: rulings by club
Color or pattern	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	KUSA
Black	Standard (“generally black”)	Standard (“in a born black, the eye rims, nose and lips are black”)	Standard (“in a born black, pigmentation is black”)	Standard (“generally black”)	Standard (“generally black”)
Slate	Standard (“normally following coat colour in blues and browns”)	Standard (“in the born blue, the pigmentation is a blue-gray color”)	Standard (“in a born blue, the pigmentation is blue-gray”)	Standard (“normally following coat colour in blues and browns”)	Standard (“normally following coat colour in blues and browns”)
Liver	Standard (“normally following coat colour in blues and browns”)	Standard (“a born brown dog has brown pigmentation”)	Standard (“in a born brown, the pigmentation is brown”)	Standard (“normally following coat colour in blues and browns”)	Standard (“normally following coat colour in blues and browns”)
Isabella	No ruling	Standard (“born fawns a correspondingly lighter brown”)	Standard (“in a born fawn, the pigmentation is a lighter brown”)	No ruling	No ruling

What the rulings mean

Standard: Described by the club's breed standard.
Disqualifying: The club's breed standard disqualifies an animal of this color or pattern.
Not recognized: The club does not accept this color or pattern for the breed.

Color changes

How a Bearded Collie's colors can change over its life.

Blackchanges toRust
Coat · With body condition · can change back
Blackchanges toGray
Coat · Progressive
Blackchanges toBrown
Coat · In the sun · can change back
Whitechanges toRoan
Coat · With age · from 2 weeks
Tan pointchanges toSaddle
Coat · With age · from 6 to 156 weeks
Blackchanges toGray
Coat · Progressive · from 8 to 52 weeks
Blackchanges toSlate
Coat · Progressive · from 8 to 52 weeks
Blackchanges toSilver
Coat · Progressive · from 8 to 52 weeks
Bluechanges toSilver
Coat · Progressive · from 8 to 52 weeks
Brownchanges toSandy
Coat · Progressive · from 8 to 52 weeks
Fawnchanges toChampagne
Coat · Progressive · from 8 to 52 weeks
Blackchanges toSnow nose
Nose · With the season · can change back
Blackchanges toPink
Nose · With the season · can change back

Sources

Each ruling comes from the club's published breed standard or color list.

Published standards

Back to the Bearded Collie guide Grooming styles for the Bearded Collie