I have had three. Beardies that lived 13-15 years even an 18 month old abused show dog.They are the best dogs there are. There is only one thing wrong with them. They are a one person dog.My abused stay bearded would let people pet him but he would
growel at the same time he would wag his tail.They will protect you until death.very loyal.

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I got my Bearded Collie at Animal Control. She's the best dog I have ever had. She was 2 months old when I got her. She is 10 years old now. I have a 25 year old, a 10 year old, and a 4 year old. She nips at kids ankles and bike tires as they turn. We
are now looking for another one. I will not however, pay an outrageous amount for one that is supposedly "AKC" quality. I'll wait for one that needs us as much as we need it. I say, be patient. The right dog will come, in time. I wish the best for your
search.

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I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but I believe yours was the exception to what is otherwise a pretty consistent rule....Bearded Collies are sweet and friendly to everyone they meet.

I am a dog enthusiast and have helped many friends and family members find the right breed and breeder for them.

I also grew up with a bearded collie. He was a wonderful pet. My family also decided to show him as a hobby...so we had the unique experience of being outsiders getting a very good first hand look at the breed and the breeders. The well-respected
breeders who are entrenched in the show world are highly ethical and very committed. The breed itself is known for being friendly because they, unlike other herding dogs (such as Komondors and Bouviers) did not do double duty as guard dogs....rather....
they were the dogs who were sent out to find, take care of, and bring home lost sheep. I will say it again...bearded collies are not guard dogs. They are lovers. It is in the breed description and if you have encountered a breeder who is selling dogs
who are not so, those dogs are not consistent with the breed standard.

Regarding the breeder...I have never heard of Kiltie Bearded Collies. I cannot find a website for them online. I don't see her dogs listed on any registries for shows or at the AKC. Was she a show breeder? Were your dog's parents championed? Did you
meet them (at least the mother)? Was she (the dam) sweet and friendly when you came to see her? Was the premises clean? Were the dogs in this house all friendly? Were there only bearded collies there? If this was a good breeder, the answer to those
questions should have been "Yes."

Fortunately, because bearded collies are not a hugely popular breed, there are fewer backyard breeders and puppy mills breeding bad dogs than with some other breeds like Golden Retrievers (who, have personalities much like beardies, but can come with a
host of health issues due to overbreeding). However, that doesn't mean that there are NO bad breeders out there. One has to be careful when choosing a breeder and it sounds like you had bad luck with yours. But, I can assure you, I have never met a
bearded collie from a reputable breeder (and I have met hundreds) who was not very outgoing and friendly to everyone he or she met. This is a breed you can count on as therapy dogs and to be good with children.

There are reasons not to get a beardie. Their long coats require a great deal of grooming to prevent matting and keep them clean. If not trained, they can have "wanderlust" and take themselves on walks without permission. They have a tendency (again,
if not trained) to try to jump up and kiss the faces of visitors, which many non-dog people don't welcome. These are real, legitimate reasons why a bearded collie is not the best choice for everyone. But, a sweeter, smarter, friendlier breed does not
exist.

Please understand, it is the breeder, and not the breed who were your problem...and that there are many good bearded collie breeders out there, if you just do your research and ask the right questions.

Again, I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but please do not discourage others from the joys of bringing this wonderful breed into their homes.

On Friday, March 15, 2002 at 11:10:14 AM UTC-4, Dave McKay wrote:

Our tale of sadness of being a Bearded Collie owner

Hello.

Our names are Suzanne and David McKay. We live in West Chester, Pa, and
have 4 children and a Shetland Sheepdog and 3 cats. In the spring of 2000, we purchased a Beardie pup from Kiltie Kennels, also in Pa. . We paid $800. Our family (kids aged 12,10,9,9) wanted to get another dog, so we all did research to find what dog would best suit our needs. The Beardie seemed the right choice. That turned out to be a big mistake. Over a $1,200 mistake, that is.

Oh, the kids were so excited. The breeder only had 2 left. We loved the puppies. We named her Muffy. She fit in so well with our other dog and the cats. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so the dog wasn’t alone most of the day.Well, after about a year and being successfully housebroken, things went downhill fast. First, she bit the little boy next door as he was leaving our property. He was friends with our son. The boy’s parents were obviously upset. Then, a few weeks later, Muffy took a big bite out of the UPS
delivery man as he was going out our front door. 12 stitches in his wrist!
We were lucky we weren’t sued. So we called the breeder and returned the dog
to see if she could figure out what went wrong.
She never did tell us. Never took the dog to the vet to have it checked out (as far as we know) and refused to return any or all of our money. Didn’t even offer to give us a new puppy from her next litter. Even stopped returning our calls and ignored a letter from our attorney!

So, I was at the vet’s office and picked up a copy of Dog Fancy magazine. Paging through the ads in the back, I saw an ad for a Beardie Breeder in Georgia. I got home and called her.
She said that she knows the breeder that we bought from and that she is
going to (and has been) breed her dog with the stud dog from OUR breeder. Then, IT STRUCK ME. These few, tight-knit breeders in the U.S. are passing around the same stud dogs and probably creating in-bred puppies with a propensity for aggressive behavior. They’re probably breeding the father with the daughter or half-daughter and other like-kind matings. I mean, what are the chances that I called a Beardie Breeder at random and happened to
get one that is mating their dogs with my breeder’s dogs? Pretty slim chance, unless they’re such a close knit group that the same stud dogs are fathering most of the puppies in the U.S.

My recommendation? DO NOT BUY A BEARDIE. FIND ANOTHER BREED! It’s not worth the heartache and aggravation to you or especially your children. It’s been 10 months since Muffy left and the kids are still upset. Heartbroken kids
and a big hole in your wallet is what might happen to you if you buy a beardie!

David & Suzanne McKay
A52wkhi@att.net

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Friday, March 15, 2002 at 10:10:14 AM UTC-5, Dave McKay wrote:

Our tale of sadness of being a Bearded Collie owner

Hello.

Our names are Suzanne and David McKay. We live in West Chester, Pa, and
have 4 children and a Shetland Sheepdog and 3 cats. In the spring of 2000, we purchased a Beardie pup from Kiltie Kennels, also in Pa. . We paid $800. Our family (kids aged 12,10,9,9) wanted to get another dog, so we all did research to find what dog would best suit our needs. The Beardie seemed the right choice. That turned out to be a big mistake. Over a $1,200 mistake, that is.

Oh, the kids were so excited. The breeder only had 2 left. We loved the puppies. We named her Muffy. She fit in so well with our other dog and the cats. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so the dog wasn’t alone most of the day.Well, after about a year and being successfully housebroken, things went downhill fast. First, she bit the little boy next door as he was leaving our property. He was friends with our son. The boy’s parents were obviously upset. Then, a few weeks later, Muffy took a big bite out of the UPS
delivery man as he was going out our front door. 12 stitches in his wrist!
We were lucky we weren’t sued. So we called the breeder and returned the dog
to see if she could figure out what went wrong.
She never did tell us. Never took the dog to the vet to have it checked out (as far as we know) and refused to return any or all of our money. Didn’t even offer to give us a new puppy from her next litter. Even stopped returning our calls and ignored a letter from our attorney!

So, I was at the vet’s office and picked up a copy of Dog Fancy magazine. Paging through the ads in the back, I saw an ad for a Beardie Breeder in Georgia. I got home and called her.
She said that she knows the breeder that we bought from and that she is
going to (and has been) breed her dog with the stud dog from OUR breeder. Then, IT STRUCK ME. These few, tight-knit breeders in the U.S. are passing around the same stud dogs and probably creating in-bred puppies with a propensity for aggressive behavior. They’re probably breeding the father with the daughter or half-daughter and other like-kind matings. I mean, what are the chances that I called a Beardie Breeder at random and happened to
get one that is mating their dogs with my breeder’s dogs? Pretty slim chance, unless they’re such a close knit group that the same stud dogs are fathering most of the puppies in the U.S.

My recommendation? DO NOT BUY A BEARDIE. FIND ANOTHER BREED! It’s not worth the heartache and aggravation to you or especially your children. It’s been 10 months since Muffy left and the kids are still upset. Heartbroken kids
and a big hole in your wallet is what might happen to you if you buy a beardie!

David & Suzanne McKay
A52wkhi@att.net

I had a bearded collie from the age 7 to 21. He was the best dog I could have ever asked for. This may have been a bad pup, but don't let this deter you from the breed itself. Bearded collies should be judged individually, not by a single bad one. My
family was so blessed to have had Reilly in our lived for 14 and a half years.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Did you ever think that after you gave the rabies shot, could have had reactions to the vaccines somethimes, it causes mental and depression in dogs.sorry of your loss, I don't think it was in breeding, yes tight nit people, that's really not the
breeders fault either.Try the wholistic dog guide might help..Loni

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Friday, March 15, 2002 at 11:10:14 AM UTC-4, Dave McKay wrote:

Our tale of sadness of being a Bearded Collie owner

Hello.

Our names are Suzanne and David McKay. We live in West Chester, Pa, and
have 4 children and a Shetland Sheepdog and 3 cats. In the spring of 2000, we purchased a Beardie pup from Kiltie Kennels, also in Pa. . We paid $800. Our family (kids aged 12,10,9,9) wanted to get another dog, so we all did research to find what dog would best suit our needs. The Beardie seemed the right choice. That turned out to be a big mistake. Over a $1,200 mistake, that is.

Oh, the kids were so excited. The breeder only had 2 left. We loved the puppies. We named her Muffy. She fit in so well with our other dog and the cats. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so the dog wasn’t alone most of the day.Well, after about a year and being successfully housebroken, things went downhill fast. First, she bit the little boy next door as he was leaving our property. He was friends with our son. The boy’s parents were obviously upset. Then, a few weeks later, Muffy took a big bite out of the UPS
delivery man as he was going out our front door. 12 stitches in his wrist!
We were lucky we weren’t sued. So we called the breeder and returned the dog
to see if she could figure out what went wrong.
She never did tell us. Never took the dog to the vet to have it checked out (as far as we know) and refused to return any or all of our money. Didn’t even offer to give us a new puppy from her next litter. Even stopped returning our calls and ignored a letter from our attorney!

So, I was at the vet’s office and picked up a copy of Dog Fancy magazine. Paging through the ads in the back, I saw an ad for a Beardie Breeder in Georgia. I got home and called her.
She said that she knows the breeder that we bought from and that she is
going to (and has been) breed her dog with the stud dog from OUR breeder. Then, IT STRUCK ME. These few, tight-knit breeders in the U.S. are passing around the same stud dogs and probably creating in-bred puppies with a propensity for aggressive behavior. They’re probably breeding the father with the daughter or half-daughter and other like-kind matings. I mean, what are the chances that I called a Beardie Breeder at random and happened to
get one that is mating their dogs with my breeder’s dogs? Pretty slim chance, unless they’re such a close knit group that the same stud dogs are fathering most of the puppies in the U.S.

My recommendation? DO NOT BUY A BEARDIE. FIND ANOTHER BREED! It’s not worth the heartache and aggravation to you or especially your children. It’s been 10 months since Muffy left and the kids are still upset. Heartbroken kids
and a big hole in your wallet is what might happen to you if you buy a beardie!

David & Suzanne McKay
A52wkhi@att.net

hello, i must tell you you had a terrible breeder but, do NOT blame the breed. i have had three beard's and they have ALL been wonderful pets and companions.at the time i lived in virginia and the first dog was from beckly wv. we moved to portland oregon
and had two females from the same breeder and all three lived with us together with cats and all.. great dogs..you need to do better research. steve dipiero

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Friday, 15 March 2002 11:10:14 UTC-4, Dave McKay wrote:

Our tale of sadness of being a Bearded Collie owner

Hello.

Our names are Suzanne and David McKay. We live in West Chester, Pa, and
have 4 children and a Shetland Sheepdog and 3 cats. In the spring of 2000, we purchased a Beardie pup from Kiltie Kennels, also in Pa. . We paid $800. Our family (kids aged 12,10,9,9) wanted to get another dog, so we all did research to find what dog would best suit our needs. The Beardie seemed the right choice. That turned out to be a big mistake. Over a $1,200 mistake, that is.

Oh, the kids were so excited. The breeder only had 2 left. We loved the puppies. We named her Muffy. She fit in so well with our other dog and the cats. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so the dog wasn’t alone most of the day.Well, after about a year and being successfully housebroken, things went downhill fast. First, she bit the little boy next door as he was leaving our property. He was friends with our son. The boy’s parents were obviously upset. Then, a few weeks later, Muffy took a big bite out of the UPS
delivery man as he was going out our front door. 12 stitches in his wrist!
We were lucky we weren’t sued. So we called the breeder and returned the dog
to see if she could figure out what went wrong.
She never did tell us. Never took the dog to the vet to have it checked out (as far as we know) and refused to return any or all of our money. Didn’t even offer to give us a new puppy from her next litter. Even stopped returning our calls and ignored a letter from our attorney!

So, I was at the vet’s office and picked up a copy of Dog Fancy magazine. Paging through the ads in the back, I saw an ad for a Beardie Breeder in Georgia. I got home and called her.
She said that she knows the breeder that we bought from and that she is
going to (and has been) breed her dog with the stud dog from OUR breeder. Then, IT STRUCK ME. These few, tight-knit breeders in the U.S. are passing around the same stud dogs and probably creating in-bred puppies with a propensity for aggressive behavior. They’re probably breeding the father with the daughter or half-daughter and other like-kind matings. I mean, what are the chances that I called a Beardie Breeder at random and happened to
get one that is mating their dogs with my breeder’s dogs? Pretty slim chance, unless they’re such a close knit group that the same stud dogs are fathering most of the puppies in the U.S.

My recommendation? DO NOT BUY A BEARDIE. FIND ANOTHER BREED! It’s not worth the heartache and aggravation to you or especially your children. It’s been 10 months since Muffy left and the kids are still upset. Heartbroken kids
and a big hole in your wallet is what might happen to you if you buy a beardie!

David & Suzanne McKay
A52wkhi@att.net

I've had three Beardies in my lifetime and every one of them were loving, wonderful easily trained dogs I didnt have a second of trouble with any of them Whitey is still with us at 12 and is the love of our life. Youre doing an incredible disservice
to people thinking about buying a Beardie generalizing your unfortunate and rare bad experience to the entire breed

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How can you say that!! I have had many dogs and I have a beardie who is 16 month old and is the most gentle affectionate loving dog I have ever come across. They have great personalities and are quite comical but very sensitive to human moods. Don't be
put off by the comments. IF I could have a house of dogs I would have bearded collies WITHOUT HESITATION. they are something else!!! You will be privileged to own this breed 🐕😳

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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As a Beardie owner and lover I find your post distressing, to say the least. These are the sweetest dogs you could ever hope for. They live to love and be loved. I have had the privilege of having 3 Beardies in my family, with my 14 year old boy
recently crossing the Rainbow Bridge, and my 7 year old cuddly little girl still happy to snuggle with us, and meet and play with children and adults.

That said, Beardies are challenging as puppies and their puppy-hood lasts about 3 years - They can look at your shoes and think "smorgasbord" or find that jumping into your laundry hamper and eating your underwear a fun way to spend an afternoon. But
they also love to play hide and seek, learn the names of all their toys and find fun games to play with you. If you laugh at something they do, they will do that the rest of their life, just to make you laugh.

You would have to work hard to make a Beardie aggressive and dangerous! And a small training class is not enough to make you a responsible Beardie owner. Since the class is the only example of training and socialization you provided, I have no way of
knowing what other methods you employed to integrate the puppy into your family and environment. If their raucous behavior caused you stress, and if your "discipline" perhaps included beating or locking them in a cage, then perhaps you worked up to this
behavior over a period of time. Even then, the most I would expect a true Beardie to do would be to try to find ways to please you, not turn viscous.

Given the tenor of your post, there seems like a lot is left out of your story. The fact that the breeder took the dog back from you says a lot about the breeder and their integrity. A good beardie breeder will never let a beardie remain with a home
that cannot properly care for it, especially if it appears that they would rather kill the dog than nurture it. If they stopped talking with you it may be due to the nature of the talks they did have with you, and/or the fact that you engaged a lawyer.

Another item in your post also points to a reputable breeder, not a careless one. It sounds like the breeder is breeding with multiple reputable breeders around the country. This ensures varied blood lines, not inbreeding. It allows them to breed for
temperament, breed out diseases, and breed to the AKC standards. My last 2 beardies came from a breeder that cross bred with other breeders not only in the US but also in Europe (our little girl came from Sweden). Their dogs achieved championships in
various categories, and all their dogs have wonderful personalities and long, healthy lives.

In my opinion, based on experience as a long time Bearded Collie owner, it's not the breed or the breeder, it's the owner and the environment. Bearded Collies are warm, loving and fun loving creatures that bring warmth and joy to families. It is
unfortunate that you were given a dog you were not prepared to handle - Bearded Collies are not the right fit for you and your family, and I am delighted to hear that the breeder took the dog back. Hopefully the dog is in a new forever home with a family
that will take good care of her.





On Friday, March 15, 2002 at 10:10:14 AM UTC-5, Dave McKay wrote:

Our tale of sadness of being a Bearded Collie owner

Hello.

Our names are Suzanne and David McKay. We live in West Chester, Pa, and
have 4 children and a Shetland Sheepdog and 3 cats. In the spring of 2000, we purchased a Beardie pup from Kiltie Kennels, also in Pa. . We paid $800. Our family (kids aged 12,10,9,9) wanted to get another dog, so we all did research to find what dog would best suit our needs. The Beardie seemed the right choice. That turned out to be a big mistake. Over a $1,200 mistake, that is.

Oh, the kids were so excited. The breeder only had 2 left. We loved the puppies. We named her Muffy. She fit in so well with our other dog and the cats. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so the dog wasn’t alone most of the day.Well, after about a year and being successfully housebroken, things went downhill fast. First, she bit the little boy next door as he was leaving our property. He was friends with our son. The boy’s parents were obviously upset. Then, a few weeks later, Muffy took a big bite out of the UPS
delivery man as he was going out our front door. 12 stitches in his wrist!
We were lucky we weren’t sued. So we called the breeder and returned the dog
to see if she could figure out what went wrong.
She never did tell us. Never took the dog to the vet to have it checked out (as far as we know) and refused to return any or all of our money. Didn’t even offer to give us a new puppy from her next litter. Even stopped returning our calls and ignored a letter from our attorney!

So, I was at the vet’s office and picked up a copy of Dog Fancy magazine. Paging through the ads in the back, I saw an ad for a Beardie Breeder in Georgia. I got home and called her.
She said that she knows the breeder that we bought from and that she is
going to (and has been) breed her dog with the stud dog from OUR breeder. Then, IT STRUCK ME. These few, tight-knit breeders in the U.S. are passing around the same stud dogs and probably creating in-bred puppies with a propensity for aggressive behavior. They’re probably breeding the father with the daughter or half-daughter and other like-kind matings. I mean, what are the chances that I called a Beardie Breeder at random and happened to
get one that is mating their dogs with my breeder’s dogs? Pretty slim chance, unless they’re such a close knit group that the same stud dogs are fathering most of the puppies in the U.S.

My recommendation? DO NOT BUY A BEARDIE. FIND ANOTHER BREED! It’s not worth the heartache and aggravation to you or especially your children. It’s been 10 months since Muffy left and the kids are still upset. Heartbroken kids
and a big hole in your wallet is what might happen to you if you buy a beardie!

David & Suzanne McKay
A52wkhi@att.net

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Friday, March 15, 2002 at 10:10:14 AM UTC-5, Dave McKay wrote:

Our tale of sadness of being a Bearded Collie owner

Hello.

Our names are Suzanne and David McKay. We live in West Chester, Pa, and
have 4 children and a Shetland Sheepdog and 3 cats. In the spring of 2000, we purchased a Beardie pup from Kiltie Kennels, also in Pa. . We paid $800. Our family (kids aged 12,10,9,9) wanted to get another dog, so we all did research to find what dog would best suit our needs. The Beardie seemed the right choice. That turned out to be a big mistake. Over a $1,200 mistake, that is.

Oh, the kids were so excited. The breeder only had 2 left. We loved the puppies. We named her Muffy. She fit in so well with our other dog and the cats. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so the dog wasn’t alone most of the day.Well, after about a year and being successfully housebroken, things went downhill fast. First, she bit the little boy next door as he was leaving our property. He was friends with our son. The boy’s parents were obviously upset. Then, a few weeks later, Muffy took a big bite out of the UPS
delivery man as he was going out our front door. 12 stitches in his wrist!
We were lucky we weren’t sued. So we called the breeder and returned the dog
to see if she could figure out what went wrong.
She never did tell us. Never took the dog to the vet to have it checked out (as far as we know) and refused to return any or all of our money. Didn’t even offer to give us a new puppy from her next litter. Even stopped returning our calls and ignored a letter from our attorney!

So, I was at the vet’s office and picked up a copy of Dog Fancy magazine. Paging through the ads in the back, I saw an ad for a Beardie Breeder in Georgia. I got home and called her.
She said that she knows the breeder that we bought from and that she is
going to (and has been) breed her dog with the stud dog from OUR breeder. Then, IT STRUCK ME. These few, tight-knit breeders in the U.S. are passing around the same stud dogs and probably creating in-bred puppies with a propensity for aggressive behavior. They’re probably breeding the father with the daughter or half-daughter and other like-kind matings. I mean, what are the chances that I called a Beardie Breeder at random and happened to
get one that is mating their dogs with my breeder’s dogs? Pretty slim chance, unless they’re such a close knit group that the same stud dogs are fathering most of the puppies in the U.S.

My recommendation? DO NOT BUY A BEARDIE. FIND ANOTHER BREED! It’s not worth the heartache and aggravation to you or especially your children. It’s been 10 months since Muffy left and the kids are still upset. Heartbroken kids
and a big hole in your wallet is what might happen to you if you buy a beardie!

David & Suzanne McKay
A52wkhi@att.net

So sorry you had such a terrible experience. I have had beardies all my life including both rescues and neardies (not full beardie) Every one has lived up to the beardie reputation of "class clown" Please do not discount the breed for 2 incidences.
Please DO contact the Bearded Collie Club of America. They help keep the breed safe from breeders such as you have talked about.
I am planning to get a beardie puppy soon but I would ONLY go to a breeder recognized by the National club. There are no discounts on proper breeding of animals.
Another thought My friend had a small poodle and after 3 years of wonderfulness, turned and bit her through the nose. When the pet was taken to the vet it was found there was an infection in the ear and she just happened to touch the pup's ear at
the infection sight. When the infection was cleared up so was the bad behavior !
Good luck with the next puppy you get and please do more research before you buy

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I purchased a Bearded Collie 12 years ago. Her name is Brooklyn and she is the sweetest dog I have ever had. She is my whole heart. I have had all kinds of dogs in my 52 years of life. Everyone that meets her just falls in love. I have four children and
many nieces and nephews and the first thing they do when they walk through the door is look for her. I did a lot of research for a dog and she is everything it said she would be and more.

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I just read your post. I know this is way after the fact. I purchased my 3rd Bearded in January 2002 from
Mary Ann Of KILTIE kennels. This was my third bearded. I had lovef two others who lived fir 13 years so I do know the personality of these sweet living crazy creatures. Any puppy has goofy issues but I have never heard of a Beardue biting a child. They
may nip At their heels or nip in play but never aggressively bite. Bearded Collier live all creatures. Maybe you weren’t the right owners and expected a docile comatose puppy without a spirit. Don’t blame the Breeder. My Maggie passed last Christmas
Eve at 15 years old. I still miss her kind stubborn loving sweet spirit. She loved all creatures and children because g and small.

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I’ve owned three and they were the sweetest dogs in the world who loved everyone. What you are describing is a total anomaly. I bought my last one from that breeder in. Georgia. He was sweet, but I socialized him every day. He loved every single
person with whom he came in contact. On the other hand, I have a lab who I didn’t socialize and she has fear aggression toward strangers. Blaming the breed is irresponsible and not consistent with with the stories of other Beardie owners.

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Any dog can be great, any dog can be bad. I have worked with all kinds of dogs and even a bearded collie and it was great. Dont use blanket statements that all of a particular breed are bad.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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I have owned 3 different Bearded Collies since the 1980’s.
They all had different parents and different breeders.
Our first two were males and our third a female.
They were, without a doubt, the best dogs I have ever known.
We had our first 10 years, our second only 6 and I just lost our little girl at 14 1/2 years.
They are happy, loving, eager to please dogs with wonderful personalities. Sure, we had to keep at it with their training, over the first couple of years, but they were all worth it.
They all responded to quiet training and lots of praise, not pulling on the leash and/or yelling, as they
are sensitive, loving friends for life.
I don’t know the situation at your home, but with kids and other dogs, I’m guessing that
you didn’t have enough one-on-one time with your Beardie, and that is such a shame.
You missed out on the friendship of a lifetime!

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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You could have taken what you learned from those classes

(I assume that you did go with the dog!?!)

and continued on your own at home for free.

Your kids didn’t arrive as babies all trained -neither do puppies!

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so you didn’t do puppy kindergarten? just the obedience class? to me it doesn’t sound like it has to do with breeding, i’ve heard from multiple people that skipping puppy kindergarten and going straight to obedience class can be destructive! i know
a lot of those classes can be really strict too so skipping the puppy socialization and bonding, and sending straight to boot camp isn’t the best idea , it will make them uneasy, especially for such an emotional dog like a collies. you should do more
research next time and do proper puppy care

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That is too bad. I've never known one with a bad temperament yet. My beardie was shy of men but just avoided the suspect ones. He liked a rare few. By and large he was a great judge of character. My Weimaraner was not found of kids, but I didnt have kids
and never left my dog alone with kids. I knew a ragdoll cat breeder who sold a cat that peed all over the new family's house. It went back to the breeder and to a new home and never did it again. I am horrible about changing my ragsoll cat's litter and
he has never gone outside the litter. Same breeder. I've had my cat for 15 years. While we pick pets, sadly does the pet ever get to pick its home. Sometimes animals send messages any way they can. We just cant understand what they are trying to say.
Stupid humans.

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On Friday, March 15, 2002 at 10:10:14 AM UTC-5, Dave McKay wrote:

Our tale of sadness of being a Bearded Collie owner

Hello.

Our names are Suzanne and David McKay. We live in West Chester, Pa, and
have 4 children and a Shetland Sheepdog and 3 cats. In the spring of 2000, we purchased a Beardie pup from Kiltie Kennels, also in Pa. . We paid $800. Our family (kids aged 12,10,9,9) wanted to get another dog, so we all did research to find what dog would best suit our needs. The Beardie seemed the right choice. That turned out to be a big mistake. Over a $1,200 mistake, that is.

Oh, the kids were so excited. The breeder only had 2 left. We loved the puppies. We named her Muffy. She fit in so well with our other dog and the cats. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so the dog wasn’t alone most of the day.Well, after about a year and being successfully housebroken, things went downhill fast. First, she bit the little boy next door as he was leaving our property. He was friends with our son. The boy’s parents were obviously upset. Then, a few weeks later, Muffy took a big bite out of the UPS
delivery man as he was going out our front door. 12 stitches in his wrist!
We were lucky we weren’t sued. So we called the breeder and returned the dog
to see if she could figure out what went wrong.
She never did tell us. Never took the dog to the vet to have it checked out (as far as we know) and refused to return any or all of our money. Didn’t even offer to give us a new puppy from her next litter. Even stopped returning our calls and ignored a letter from our attorney!

So, I was at the vet’s office and picked up a copy of Dog Fancy magazine. Paging through the ads in the back, I saw an ad for a Beardie Breeder in Georgia. I got home and called her.
She said that she knows the breeder that we bought from and that she is
going to (and has been) breed her dog with the stud dog from OUR breeder. Then, IT STRUCK ME. These few, tight-knit breeders in the U.S. are passing around the same stud dogs and probably creating in-bred puppies with a propensity for aggressive behavior. They’re probably breeding the father with the daughter or half-daughter and other like-kind matings. I mean, what are the chances that I called a Beardie Breeder at random and happened to
get one that is mating their dogs with my breeder’s dogs? Pretty slim chance, unless they’re such a close knit group that the same stud dogs are fathering most of the puppies in the U.S.
you made a bad choice in breeders. do not blame the breed. they are wonderful with children and others, dogs,cats all. we showed and breed.
My recommendation? DO NOT BUY A BEARDIE. FIND ANOTHER BREED! It’s not worth the heartache and aggravation to you or especially your children. It’s been 10 months since Muffy left and the kids are still upset. Heartbroken kids
and a big hole in your wallet is what might happen to you if you buy a beardie!

David & Suzanne McKay
A52wkhi@att.net

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On Friday, March 15, 2002 at 7:10:14 AM UTC-8, Dave McKay wrote:

Our tale of sadness of being a Bearded Collie owner

Hello.

Our names are Suzanne and David McKay. We live in West Chester, Pa, and
have 4 children and a Shetland Sheepdog and 3 cats. In the spring of 2000, we purchased a Beardie pup from Kiltie Kennels, also in Pa. . We paid $800. Our family (kids aged 12,10,9,9) wanted to get another dog, so we all did research to find what dog would best suit our needs. The Beardie seemed the right choice. That turned out to be a big mistake. Over a $1,200 mistake, that is.

Oh, the kids were so excited. The breeder only had 2 left. We loved the puppies. We named her Muffy. She fit in so well with our other dog and the cats. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so the dog wasn’t alone most of the day.Well, after about a year and being successfully housebroken, things went downhill fast. First, she bit the little boy next door as he was leaving our property. He was friends with our son. The boy’s parents were obviously upset. Then, a few weeks later, Muffy took a big bite out of the UPS
delivery man as he was going out our front door. 12 stitches in his wrist!
We were lucky we weren’t sued. So we called the breeder and returned the dog
to see if she could figure out what went wrong.
She never did tell us. Never took the dog to the vet to have it checked out (as far as we know) and refused to return any or all of our money. Didn’t even offer to give us a new puppy from her next litter. Even stopped returning our calls and ignored a letter from our attorney!

So, I was at the vet’s office and picked up a copy of Dog Fancy magazine. Paging through the ads in the back, I saw an ad for a Beardie Breeder in Georgia. I got home and called her.
She said that she knows the breeder that we bought from and that she is
going to (and has been) breed her dog with the stud dog from OUR breeder. Then, IT STRUCK ME. These few, tight-knit breeders in the U.S. are passing around the same stud dogs and probably creating in-bred puppies with a propensity for aggressive behavior. They’re probably breeding the father with the daughter or half-daughter and other like-kind matings. I mean, what are the chances that I called a Beardie Breeder at random and happened to
get one that is mating their dogs with my breeder’s dogs? Pretty slim chance, unless they’re such a close knit group that the same stud dogs are fathering most of the puppies in the U.S.

My recommendation? DO NOT BUY A BEARDIE. FIND ANOTHER BREED! It’s not worth the heartache and aggravation to you or especially your children. It’s been 10 months since Muffy left and the kids are still upset. Heartbroken kids
and a big hole in your wallet is what might happen to you if you buy a beardie!

David & Suzanne McKay
A52wkhi@att.net

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On Monday, 10 February 2020 at 19:59:59 UTC-7, rac...@gmail.com wrote:

On Friday, March 15, 2002 at 7:10:14 AM UTC-8, Dave McKay wrote:

Our tale of sadness of being a Bearded Collie owner

Hello.

Our names are Suzanne and David McKay. We live in West Chester, Pa, and have 4 children and a Shetland Sheepdog and 3 cats. In the spring of 2000, we purchased a Beardie pup from Kiltie Kennels, also in Pa. . We paid $800.
Our family (kids aged 12,10,9,9) wanted to get another dog, so we all did research to find what dog would best suit our needs. The Beardie seemed the
right choice. That turned out to be a big mistake. Over a $1,200 mistake, that is.

Oh, the kids were so excited. The breeder only had 2 left. We loved the puppies. We named her Muffy. She fit in so well with our other dog and the cats. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, so the dog wasn’t alone most of the day.Well, after about a year and being successfully housebroken, things went
downhill fast. First, she bit the little boy next door as he was leaving our
property. He was friends with our son. The boy’s parents were obviously upset. Then, a few weeks later, Muffy took a big bite out of the UPS delivery man as he was going out our front door. 12 stitches in his wrist! We were lucky we weren’t sued. So we called the breeder and returned the dog
to see if she could figure out what went wrong.
She never did tell us. Never took the dog to the vet to have it checked out
(as far as we know) and refused to return any or all of our money. Didn’t
even offer to give us a new puppy from her next litter. Even stopped returning our calls and ignored a letter from our attorney!

So, I was at the vet’s office and picked up a copy of Dog Fancy magazine.
Paging through the ads in the back, I saw an ad for a Beardie Breeder in Georgia. I got home and called her.
She said that she knows the breeder that we bought from and that she is going to (and has been) breed her dog with the stud dog from OUR breeder. Then, IT STRUCK ME. These few, tight-knit breeders in the U.S. are passing around the same stud dogs and probably creating in-bred puppies with a propensity for aggressive behavior. They’re probably breeding the father with the daughter or half-daughter and other like-kind matings. I mean, what
are the chances that I called a Beardie Breeder at random and happened to get one that is mating their dogs with my breeder’s dogs? Pretty slim chance, unless they’re such a close knit group that the same stud dogs are
fathering most of the puppies in the U.S.

My recommendation? DO NOT BUY A BEARDIE. FIND ANOTHER BREED! It’s not worth
the heartache and aggravation to you or especially your children. It’s been
10 months since Muffy left and the kids are still upset. Heartbroken kids and a big hole in your wallet is what might happen to you if you buy a beardie!

David & Suzanne McKay
A52...@att.net

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I have first hand experience with Beardies. We are on our second one. We researched breeds for over a year changing our choice a couple of times based on what we learned. Ultimately we settled on Beardies. We then set about finding a breeder. We changed
the breeder we initially chose based on what we learned from other Beardie breeders.

First I would say breeders can be a fickle, over opinionated lot. It is hard to know even based on what you hear to be able to separate fact from personal opinion which may be unrelated to the breeder’s dog’s bloodline.

Our first Beardie, Chance, had a incredible disposition. He was NEVER the least bit aggressive when subjected to activities he didn’t like in the least such as grooming. The only “complaint” I had about him was his over zealous affection and
licking when he initially greeted us and our company. The neighborhood kids would ring our doorbell to see if Chance could come out and play with them. True fact. Happened multiple times.

Our second and current Beardie, Wryder, has a significantly different manner in dealing with activities he doesn’t like. He growls and bares his teeth in an intimidating manner. My wife and daughter back off when he behaves in this manner. I
occasionally put him on his back and squeeze his throat to exert my dominance over him and keep him in line. I let him know I am the pack’s alpha male and that he needs to stay in line. He has never bit me or anyone despite his sometimes intimidating
exhibitions. If he ever does I will be having him put down. He has been “fixed” so his bloodline will not be continued from our perspective.

Breeder’s do not take constructive feedback very well if it is critical of the bloodline. They generally are deeply invested, have limited breeding stock and not in a position to change direction.

We never had an opportunity to visit Chance’s breeder in advance. We relied on other breeders opinions.

When we got Wryder we located the breeder largely out of convenience. We found a breeder near us that we were able to visit multiple times. We didn’t talk with other breeders. The breeder was actively involved in show dogs and (at least from a show
perspective) had documented “good“ bloodlines. We haven’t been/are not interested in showing. We are just about family pets. This breeder owned both the stud and bitch. When we visited Wryder’s breeder we met his (Wryder’s) parents and an uncle.
Hindsight being 20/20 there were warning signs we should have recognized. The uncle was very timid and shy. That is generally not a Beardies’ nature.

What I would suggest based on my experiences is to
-buy from a breeder that doesn’t own the stud. It requires/allows the breeder to find a suitable male to service the bitch based on desirable traits rather than convenience/financial considerations (i.e. total ownership of the entire litter).
-Don’t let convenience be a factor in breeder selection. Be willing to walk away and find another breeder even if it causes long delays in getting a puppy. You are going to living with your puppy as a family member for many years. The delay will be
worth it.
-Talk to lots of breeders asking about the one you are considering. The circles are generally small enough that after talking to several you will find a few familiar with the breeder that can share their impression of the breeders bloodline/reputation.
-Exposing your puppy to many other dogs/strangers/animals (i.e. socializing your dog) in various settings will provide you with a better experience when your dog is an adult.

Wryder is a loved family member but that doesn’t mean his disposition his ideal as a family pet.

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