The ancestors of the Old English Sheepdogs remain quite a mystery, as the dogs have been used in England for centuries, yet no documented accounts of the breed exist beyond 1771. They are believed to have descended from old pastoral types of unknown origin and the ancestors of today’s Bearded Collie, Bergamasco, Briard, Russian Ovcharka, Scottish Deerhound, and the now-extinct Smithfield.
The breed was traditionally used as a drover of sheep. Their tail was docked to show that they were exempt from taxation, and that was how they earned the name “Bobtail,” by which they are known in their country of origin today. Their abundant coat offered protection from harsh weather conditions and terrain. It was allowed to grow out in winter; in the summertime, they were shorn along with the sheep.
Breed Characteristics
Head: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, blocky shape, and proportionate to the rest of the body. The topskull is deep, accommodating, and broad, being as wide across (from one side to the other measured in front of the ears) as it is long (from occiput to stop). The topskull is gently arched, being neither square nor rounded. The supraorbital ridges, or brow bones, are well-formed, giving the topskull a well-squared appearance. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Eyes: Moderate in size, set well apart, oval to almond in shape, and may range from light to dark brown in color, blue, or bi-colored. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Medium in size, triangular in shape with rounded tips, set high on the skull and hanging close to the head.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, have good bone substance, and are never snipey or weak. The muzzle should be square, not tapered, with the muzzle depth coming from the overall substance of the muzzle and not the outline of the flews.
Nose: The nose is large, round, well-pigmented, and black. The nostrils are well-opened.
Neck: Moderately long length allows for a proud head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a graceful arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Body: Compact, solid, short-coupled, and with good bone and sturdy substance. The body is never racy or refined. The shoulders and hips are approximately equal in width, but due to coat furnishing, the hindquarters may appear slightly fuller, giving the dog a pear shape.
Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup, thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. Carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, but never tucked. Tails may be left natural, naturally bobbed, or surgically docked short. Natural tails are of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending approximately to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved. Naturally bobbed tails and docked tails are short and close to the body.
Movement: Powerful, energetic, and enduring. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: The Old English Sheepdog has been a longtime favorite of English country people. They are renowned for their enthusiasm, intelligence, devotion, and even temperament. They are eager to learn and excel in many activities and events, such as obedience, agility, and, still to this day, herding. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
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Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 10: Pastoral and Stock Dog Breeds
Proportions: Square in proportions, with the length of the body, measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being just slightly greater than the height at the withers. The ideal body height-to-length ratio is between 1:1 and 10:9. Females may be slightly longer. The body is well-put-together, with sturdy substance and moderate bone. The weight of males or females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, blocky shape, and proportionate to the rest of the body. The topskull is deep, accommodating, and broad, being as wide across (from one side to the other measured in front of the ears) as it is long (from occiput to stop). The topskull is gently arched, being neither square nor rounded. The supraorbital ridges, or brow bones, are well-formed, giving the topskull a well-squared appearance. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Expression: Inquisitive, intelligent, and friendly.
Stop: The stop is well-defined and definite.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1, with the topskull being equal to the muzzle. The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, have good bone substance, and are never snipey or weak. The muzzle should be square, not tapered, with the muzzle depth coming from the overall substance of the muzzle and not the outline of the flews.
Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
Nose: The nose is large, round, well-pigmented, and black. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: The cheeks are powerful yet smooth and never overly coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
Eyes: Moderate in size, set well apart, oval to almond in shape, and may range from light to dark brown in color, blue, or bi-colored. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Medium in size, triangular in shape with rounded tips, set high on the skull and hanging close to the head.
Body and Tail
General Description: Compact, solid, short-coupled, and with good bone and sturdy substance. The body is never racy or refined. The shoulders and hips are approximately equal in width, but due to coat furnishing, the hindquarters may appear slightly fuller, giving the dog a pear shape.
Neck: Moderately long length allows for a proud head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a graceful arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Topline: The topline may be either level from withers to croup with a short, straight, firm back, or the topline may rise just slightly from the withers toward the loin and croup. The loin may be level with the back or maybe slightly and gently arched. The loin will then be the highest point of the topline. The topline should never be roached or swayed. The elevated loin and croup should not be the result of a lack of angulation in the rear, a short front, or a swayed back but from slightly longer, well-angulated hindquarters.
Croup: The croup is gently sloped, neither highly elevated nor flat, and level with the back.
Underline: A slight tuck-up may be present, or the underline will run parallel to the topline. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup, thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. Carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, but never tucked. Tails may be left natural, naturally bobbed, or surgically docked short. Natural tails are of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending approximately to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved. Naturally bobbed tails and docked tails are short and close to the body.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, solid bone, and parallel to one another. Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of solid bone, and well-muscled. Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another. A slight inclination inward is not a fault as long as they are straight. Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: A long, abundant, shaggy, harsh outer coat that is free from curl and equally long throughout, and thick, waterproof, dense, pile undercoat. Dogs with tails have bushy, well-plumed tails.
Coat Color or Pattern: CKC recognizes two color varieties of the Old English Sheepdog breed: the standard and nonstandard. Large patches or amounts of white indicating homogenous merle genotype/phenotype are undesirable.
Standard coat color variety: Any shade of black, gray, grizzle, blue, all with or without merle (blue merle), all with or without varying degrees of white markings.
Nonstandard coat color variety: Any standard color listed above (black, gray, blue, blue merle with tan or brindle/grizzle), brown, liver, fawn, tan, and sables, all with or without merle, all with or without tan points, all with or without varying degrees of white markings.
Movement
Powerful, energetic, and enduring. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
The Old English Sheepdog has been a longtime favorite of English country people. They are renowned for their enthusiasm, intelligence, devotion, and even temperament. They are eager to learn and excel in many activities and events, such as obedience, agility, and, still to this day, herding. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
Read Full Standard
Click Here
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 10: Pastoral and Stock Dog Breeds
Proportions: Square in proportions, with the length of the body, measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being just slightly greater than the height at the withers. The ideal body height-to-length ratio is between 1:1 and 10:9. Females may be slightly longer. The body is well-put-together, with sturdy substance and moderate bone. The weight of males or females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Somewhat mesaticephalic skull type, moderate in size, blocky shape, and proportionate to the rest of the body. The topskull is deep, accommodating, and broad, being as wide across (from one side to the other measured in front of the ears) as it is long (from occiput to stop). The topskull is gently arched, being neither square nor rounded. The supraorbital ridges, or brow bones, are well-formed, giving the topskull a well-squared appearance. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Expression: Inquisitive, intelligent, and friendly.
Stop: The stop is well-defined and definite.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1, with the topskull being equal to the muzzle. The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel.
Muzzle: The muzzle is full, deep, and broad. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight. The upper and lower jaws are well-developed, approximately equal in length, have good bone substance, and are never snipey or weak. The muzzle should be square, not tapered, with the muzzle depth coming from the overall substance of the muzzle and not the outline of the flews.
Lips or Flews: The lips are clean and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
Nose: The nose is large, round, well-pigmented, and black. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: The cheeks are powerful yet smooth and never overly coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
Eyes: Moderate in size, set well apart, oval to almond in shape, and may range from light to dark brown in color, blue, or bi-colored. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
Ears: Medium in size, triangular in shape with rounded tips, set high on the skull and hanging close to the head.
Body and Tail
General Description: Compact, solid, short-coupled, and with good bone and sturdy substance. The body is never racy or refined. The shoulders and hips are approximately equal in width, but due to coat furnishing, the hindquarters may appear slightly fuller, giving the dog a pear shape.
Neck: Moderately long length allows for a proud head carriage. It is strongly muscled with a graceful arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Topline: The topline may be either level from withers to croup with a short, straight, firm back, or the topline may rise just slightly from the withers toward the loin and croup. The loin may be level with the back or maybe slightly and gently arched. The loin will then be the highest point of the topline. The topline should never be roached or swayed. The elevated loin and croup should not be the result of a lack of angulation in the rear, a short front, or a swayed back but from slightly longer, well-angulated hindquarters.
Croup: The croup is gently sloped, neither highly elevated nor flat, and level with the back.
Underline: A slight tuck-up may be present, or the underline will run parallel to the topline. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup, thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. Carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, but never tucked. Tails may be left natural, naturally bobbed, or surgically docked short. Natural tails are of a moderate length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending approximately to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved. Naturally bobbed tails and docked tails are short and close to the body.
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always in balance with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, solid bone, and parallel to one another. Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of solid bone, and well-muscled. Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another. A slight inclination inward is not a fault as long as they are straight. Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round, compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: A long, abundant, shaggy, harsh outer coat that is free from curl and equally long throughout, and thick, waterproof, dense, pile undercoat. Dogs with tails have bushy, well-plumed tails.
Coat Color or Pattern: CKC recognizes two color varieties of the Old English Sheepdog breed: the standard and nonstandard. Large patches or amounts of white indicating homogenous merle genotype/phenotype are undesirable.
Standard coat color variety: Any shade of black, gray, grizzle, blue, all with or without merle (blue merle), all with or without varying degrees of white markings.
Nonstandard coat color variety: Any standard color listed above (black, gray, blue, blue merle with tan or brindle/grizzle), brown, liver, fawn, tan, and sables, all with or without merle, all with or without tan points, all with or without varying degrees of white markings.
Movement
Powerful, energetic, and enduring. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
The Old English Sheepdog has been a longtime favorite of English country people. They are renowned for their enthusiasm, intelligence, devotion, and even temperament. They are eager to learn and excel in many activities and events, such as obedience, agility, and, still to this day, herding. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
Dog Fact #48
Dogs have 18 muscles to control their ears. This allows dogs to have precise movements for pinpointing sounds.
