Beardie Colours

Beardies are born one of four colours: black, brown, blue or fawn, with or without white markings (on the legs, chest, muzzle and head, neck, and tip of the tail). There may also be some tan where the solid colour joins the white, especially noticeable on the hocks. Beardies also have a graying factor. When born a beardie puppy is the solid colour, but most beardies begin to show graying (or lightening) of the coat at a young age. The coat fades to its lightest at approximately 12 - 18 months of age and then begins to darken again. A Beardie's pigment and eye colour will correspond to the coat colour. This keeps the owner guessing about what colour their adult beardie will be! This is also the reason that we refer to a Beardie by its birth colour.

Black is the dominant colour. The pigment is black and eyes colour is dark brown.

Robbie at seven weeks old

a black puppy who is greying to a pale grey at 18 months.

Robbie at 18 months of age

The same beardie at 8 years who is now a dark black with some gray hair.

Robbie at 8 years of age

Blue is the dilute colour of black. The pigment is "steel grey" and the eyes are hazel blue

Heather at two weeks old

Heather at 18 months of age

Heather at three years old

Brown is a dominant colour, but black is dominant over brown. The pigment is brown and eyes are amber-greenish

Briana at six weeks old

Briana at 12 months old

Briana at nine years old

Fawn is the dilute colour of brown. The pigment is light pinkishbrown/tannish and the eyes are lighter amberish.

Dusty at two weeks old

Dusty at seven months old

Dusty at 22 months - notice the transition
from lighter to darker coat colour

The Canadian Kennel Club standard for the Bearded Collie identifies that white should not appear around the eyes, on the body behind the shoulder, or above the hock on the outside of the hind legs. Dogs with white in these areas do occur.

White could be on the head with the body "correctly" marked. With a white head, there is white around one or both eyes, or the complete head could be white.

White could appear on the body and the head could be "correctly" marked. There could be patches of colour mixed into the white or the body colour may have patches of white in olaces not considered "correct".

While not considered correct for the show ring, this does not in any way detract from their suitability as companions and performance dogs as their more acceptably marked siblings.

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