Is this the breed for me?

Well, as far as personality I've known one bearded collie who had a wonderful disposition and was very high maintenance as far as grooming.  So, based on that, yes it fits what you want. 

But, I think if you haven't already looked into the breed and their requirements for exercise and all the problems and also all the good things about them, etc. than you should. 

After everything I've been through with Gizmo, health wise, I'm ready for anything. I also plan to take the dog to the same trainer I already go to. Like I said I want to be as prepaired as possible before I buy.

I think in order to be really prepared you need to research the breed thoroughly.  And, also consider how your other dogs will take this.

One thing you should know about Beardies performance wise, is while they CAN do agility, if you want a whizbang flashy agility dog....the Beardie ain't it xD
 
I know quite a few Beardies, and they are show and performance dogs (owned by the same person).  They run agility, and at least one of the dogs runs in the AKC excellent class.  Let me tell you, he gets the job done, but he's no ACD xD  I don't think I could ever see a Beardie getting a MACH, though the agility titles can be done!

It's mostly me but I've never really played the game to win. In other words I have loved everything I've done but if I'm not the best I'm not disapointed, I just love being a part of it all. So I guess even if I did agility with a beardie I would not go out to be the best but only to show that I can do that. Same with showing, I may not be the best but as long as my dog and me enjoy what we do then everything is good.

Don't get me wrong, I still want a dog as close the the stadard as any other show dog owner wants. I still want to stand out and be know but I'de get a better feeling out of it all just knowing I'm a part of the big picture. I'm so new at learning about show dogs I don't exspect to be perfect the secound I start. I sill have so much more to lean. Beardies just seem to be a breed that I can work with a learn from more than most other breeds that catch my eye.

I think Beardies are really cute. They remind me of giant Shih Tzu with longer noses. []
 
For a show Beardie, be prepared to do lots of grooming. I found a good site once that had really good pics and explanations.... I'm going to look for it.

Yay! Found it.... this is THE kennel that I think of when it comes to Beardies. They've bred hundreds of champions, including best in show winners and they also do herding.
 
[linkhttp://arcadiakennels.com/Grooming.htm]http://arcadiakennels.com/Grooming.htm[/link]

Looks fun, I read somwhere it takes about an houre once a week to keep a beardie groomed and during the stages where it looses it's puppy fur it should be groomed every other day. I really don't mind infact I almost bought myself a dog tub but dected to waite till I actuly have a dog that needs that kind of grooming.

Thanks for that site, I'm going to bookmark it becuae I'll probly need it.

Honestly it sounds like the Beardie would be a great breed for you. [] The Arcadia website has TONS of information about every aspect of the breed.
 
Here's their main page:
 
[linkhttp://arcadiakennels.com/]http://arcadiakennels.com/[/link]
 
 

ah beardies the clowns of the herding group and commonly found doing the beardie bounce.  These guys are high on coat care (unless the coat is absolutely perfect and kept in working cut).  They tend to be very nosey and noisey, and bouncy and silly and did I mention bouncy.  If you like a dog with a sense of humor, this could be great.
 
I am acquainted via email with a beardie person who does dual dogs and is an AKC herding judge.  I suggest you join the herders list as a method to gain information.  I am sure there is a beardie list as well.
 
The only thing you might find a problem with is the current time line you propose.  People may not know you well enough to feel comfortable selling you a puppy.  You might want to subscribe to the beardie (AKC) club newletter (magazine).  That is a great way to get to know folks and who has dogs you like that are doing what you want to do.
 
I waited 4 years for the terv and three for the mal.  And I had been in the breed for 6 years total (club member, volunteer and such) while waiting.  I would expect that responsible beardie folk are gonna want to know you before "gifting" you with a puppy (regardless of the purchase price).

I agree with MRV - beardies are the bounciest breed!! [] All the ones I have seen at agility trials are very silly and bouncy. They can put Dasher's bounciness to shame! []

Xebby-
 
There's a beardie that comes here for private lessons.  I think, as others have mentioned, beardies are gregarious if a bit silly.  And a bit slow to mature, but if you can handle the grooming, I think they are a great breed.  Much less intese when compared to other herding breeds.  As far as agility goes, there have been several to achieve MACH's.  In fact, looking at the AKC agility rankings for 05, there are two MACH5 beardies.  If you're wanting to achieve world team status in agility, pass on the beardie, but if you just want to have fun, have a sense of humor, don't embarass easily, you ought to do fine with a beardie.  If you pm me and send a non-idog email address, I'll be happy to pass it along to the owners of the dog I mentioned.  He's a Ch dog and he has been used at stud at least once, so they might be able to point you in a direction of a breeder.  They're at the Eagle show this weekend, but I'm sure they'd be happy to talk to you.

Thanks so much! I know I'm so new to this and many breeders may not see me as what they look for when "gifting" a dog. I'm realy in not hurry to find a dog, I want to look around a bit first and get to know the people along with the breed. Everyone here has been so helpful and I'm so thankful for that.

I was once a clown myself. Well, my grandma took a few clown classes and took me along to help her with her clown acts, I made baloon animals and face painting at the parties while she did her act. I've been thinking of doing some clowing myself for kiddie parties and the such mostly as a hobbie then a career. I'm even more excited about this breed, a wonderful dog i can do clowning with[]

For you Xebby: