Old English Sheepdog breed guide

The Old English Sheepdogs is a big, agile dog that enjoys exploring and a good romp. Most are quite intelligent and biddable. AKC says they do have an off switch when they come indoors.

One longtime breeder advises never allowing a young dog to do anything you would not want a large, shaggy, wet, possibly muddy dog doing in your house.

Old English Sheepdogs live 10 to 12 years. Breeders screen for hip dysplasia, eye conditions, autoimmune thyroiditis, cardiac anomalies and hereditary deafness and DNA tests exist for cerebellar ataxia and primary ciliary dyskinesia, two deadly diseases breeders avoid by not mating carriers.

DNA tests are also available for drug sensitivity and exercise-induced conditions.

The coat is what attracts most people to the Old English. The double coat needs a thorough grooming down to the skin, over the entire dog, at least weekly and a short pet clip also needs regular brushing between baths and haircuts.

The breed needs some regular exercise and activity levels vary widely among individuals.

The Old English Sheepdog, like the Bulldog and Collie, is among the truly iconic dogs of the British Isles and the Bobtail was most likely developed in the west of England, in Devon, Somerset and Cornwall.

AKC calls the name something of a misnomer: as a creature of the late 1700s it is not particularly old, it is not fully English by blood since Scotch, European and Russian ancestry may have gone into it. It was a cattle driver and not a true sheepdog.