M A N R O S E Old English Sheepdogs

Brief description


The Old English Sheepdog is considered to be quite an old breed though there is little actual hard documentation dating back further than 160 years as very few records of the breed were kept before this time. In many European countries he has been well known under the name Bobtail, in German we use the name “Altenglischer Schäferhund”.

The country of origin is Great Britain, where he was used as a working dog for herding sheep and cattle. For this he had to be intelligent, flexible and free from unprovoked aggression. He was robust and his waterproof pile protected him from the weather.

If you compare paintings and photos of the 19 century with dogs of today they still look quite similar to each other. Reading in old books about the nature of the OES, we can be very proud that this wonderful attribute is still in tact today.

The Old English Sheepdog has retained his herding instinct. He shows this by supervising when the family is out on a walk. He will round up the stragglers and keeps his little flock together.

In the house or apartment he is quiet and relaxed. Outside he loves to run about full of enthusiasm and to play. His happy nature he keeps to old age. The expectancy of life is from 10 to 14 years.

Also with children he is very affable and can readily share his life with other animals. He is such an easy-going dog, friendly and teachable although occasionally stubborn of will, but in the nicest way. But this you can forgive him for all his other attributes.

He should be educated lovingly but also with a certain determination on the owner’s part. He is faithful and sensitive and should not be left on his own for long periods because he craves company. You don’t have to support him all the time, he can play with himself and his toys very well but he needs to feel someone is there. Often he chooses a quiet corner to have a sleep, but then he prefers to lie in contact with his master’s feet.

He is very impressive and looks, with his coat, quite huge, more than he actually is. Dogs weight about 36 to 46 Kilos (79 to 101 pounds), bitches around 28-35 Kilo (61 to 77 pounds). The main body coat colour is mostly solid grey. The head, neck, forelegs and the belly are often white and he usually has white socks at the rear. He may have grey patches on his head. His look entices people to pet him. Society is rather more dog critical today but an Old English Sheepdog is noticed as a friendly dog and has got the “hugging-factor”.

Of course such a dog needs care. The expenditure of time is determined by which look you choose. A show dog with full coat is exacting. When you want to reduce the work it’s possible to comb out more of the undercoat, which if left tends to felt up, and cut down the length of the leg hair and around the feet to make it a bit shorter so that it is easier to manage. Plan your weekly grooming sessions. For a family pet dog you should put aside about 3 hours. Certainly our puppy buyers will get detailed instructions for grooming and guidance to purchase the right grooming tools.

The Old English Sheepdog is a great companion who brings a lot of joy. We hope we encouraged your interest in the breed.

We would like to meet you personally and also would like to give you information about the breed, our kennel and our Puppies. Because we would like to be free to spend some time with you we would ask you to make an appointment with us by phone.

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