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Old English Sheepdog

Description

The Old English Sheepdog (also known as Bobtail) was originally bred in England by farmers to herd and protect their flocks of sheep from predators in the 1800’s.  Nowadays it is seen to make a valuable watchdog because of their protective but not aggressive nature.  Their deep, resonant and unusual bark can be both frightening and definitely deterring to unwelcome intruders.  Also walking down the street with one of these dogs makes for quite a fashion statement and heads do turn.

Temperament

These dogs are fun-loving, boisterous, friendly, intelligent and protective. They do come across very strong-willed but at the same time they are always eager to please.  If from an early age, firm and consistent training is introduced this will assist in curbing this overly boisterous behaviour. Because they can become easily bored, to keep them content and happy they require mental and physical stimulation and constant companionship otherwise they will end up displaying destructive behavior if left on their own all day long.

Favourite activities:

Old English Sheepdogs love to go for long walks and do lots of swimming given the opportunity and despite their size; they are great at agility exercises.  Because they love children so much they just love a game or two and even though they come across upbeat and enthusiastic they are not wild and are basically obedient.  Their ideal pastime which they relish are just basically lazy days by your feet.

Appearance

Height:  22-23 inches (56-58 cm)

Weight: Around 66lbs (30kgs)

Group: Working Dogs

They are just so irresistibly cute as a puppy, resembling a fluffy little ball of fur with resemblance of a teddy bear.  Their double-coated long, thick hair is shaggy and soft and comes in any shade of gray or blue, with white markings. 

Grooming

To keep the Old English Sheepdog in full coat you need to do a lot of brushing.  This serves 2 purposes, firstly to clean the coat and stimulate new hair growth and secondly to prevent mats from forming within the coat.  The best way to do this is by working in partings from the skin outwards, brush the dog thoroughly with smooth strokes without ripping and tearing at its coat. If you don’t get right in under the top coat, tangled mats will form underneath, so it is best to do a really thorough job rather than a rushed one.  Because of all the hair hanging over their eyes, they need to be cleaned daily to remove the accumulated sleep.  Because of their sensitive skin it is recommended that you avoid using human shampoo, as the PH levels are far too high and could result in irritating skin problems.
 

Life Expectancy

10 – 12 Years

Health

Generally these dog are fairly healthy, however they are renown for the common health problem within their breed of hip dysplasia.  It is recommended that potential owners should buy pups from breeders who have done the right thing and hip x-rayed and scored their breeding stock. The average hip score is 15 (zero is best, and the worst reported has been 75).  Also minor skin and eye irritations can also occur.

Suitability

Because Old English Sheepdogs are good natured, loyal, affable and peace loving, their adaptability means they are well-suited to a number of domestic situations.  They make excellent additions to families with children aged 5 and above and also to people who lead active lifestyles and are committed to spending their time grooming and training them.  They are ideal as a lone pet but also mix well with other animals and pets around them.

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