Thomson Gray describes them in his book The Dogs of Scotland as A big, rough, ‘tousy’ looking tyke, with a coat not unlike a doormat, the texture of the hair hard and fibry, and the ears hanging close to the head.It is generally agreed that Mrs. G. Olive Willison founded the modern show Bearded Collie in 1944 with her brown bitch, Jeannie of Bothkennar.

While walking along the beach, Mrs. Willison met a man who was emigrating from Scotland; she became the owner of his grey dog, David, who became Bailie of Bothkennar.

[6] Bailie and Jeannie of Bothkennar are the founders of the modern show breed;[5] there are only a few other registrable blood lines, preserved in large part by the perseverance of Mr. Nicolas Broadbridge (Sallen) and Mrs. Betty Foster (Bredon).

[citation needed] While the registered breed lines can be traced to a limited number of bloodlines, there are still many unregistered Bearded Collies in Scotland, some still working as herding dogs.

Bearded Collies are an energetic breed, originally intended to work in the Scottish Highlands herding sheep; they also excel at treibball,[12] dog agility and Obedience trials.

[citation needed] A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 13.9 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds.

[14] Leading causes of death amongst Bearded Collies in a 2004 Kennel Club survey were old age (26%), cancer (19%), cerebrovascular disease (9%), and chronic kidney failure (8%).