It looks like something is wrong. Please try again or come back a little later.
Join Growing Pup for help from our Purina experts on how to find the right puppy & prepare for your new arrival. And when you find your new pup, tell us a bit more about them to get a discount off one of our puppy ranges and regular personalised puppy advice.
Old English Sheepdogs are distinctive the world over thanks to their appearance in advertising campaigns, with their long, shaggy coats covering thickset bodies. Their eyes appear to be totally covered but their vision is never impaired.
| Lifespan: | 10–12 years |
| Weight: | 27–45kg |
| Height: | 51–61cm |
| Colours: | Any shade of grey, grizzle, or blue with or without white markings |
| Size: | Large |
| Kennel Club group: | Pastoral |
| Family-friendly: | 4/5 |
| Exercise needs: | 4/5 |
| Easy to train: | 3/5 |
| Tolerates being alone: | 2/5 |
| Likes other pets: | 4/5 |
| Energy level: | 4/5 |
| Grooming needs: | 3/5 |
| Shedding: | 1/5 |
Old English Sheepdogs are cheerful extroverts and are popular family companions. They are known for being intelligent, loving, watchful, faithful and protective. They are fearless and make excellent watch dogs, especially with their resonant bark. They can be overly boisterous however and need plenty of exercise, training and grooming.
Country of Origin: England
Despite their name, the Old English Sheepdog isn’t that old and wasn’t historically a sheepdog! They were mostly used as drover’s dogs, employed to help move cattle and any work they did with the sheep was purely part time.
They were created in the late 18th century by crossing existing drover’s dogs with the Bearded Collie and possibly also some of the European breeds such as the Bergamasco. They were often known as Bobtails because they were traditionally docked as a tax avoidance scheme. Working drover’s dogs were exempt from taxes and so they were marked and ‘disabled’ in this way - whereas true sheepdogs needed their long tails to help with their complex and athletic sideways movements.
The Old English Sheepdog also helped with guarding duties and even sometimes worked as hunting retrievers. They would be shorn with the sheep every year and their ‘wool’ used in clothing. Today however they are almost exclusively companions and show dogs.
