Emerged in England, probably from bobtailed drovers' dogs.

The UK Rural Herders family. Collies, corgis and their relatives from British farms. These are the workaholics of the dog world: brilliant, sensitive and happiest with a task.

Smart, funny and loving.

Voice

Barks to alert you, then settles.

With kids

A family favorite that thrives around children.

Other dogs

Generally sociable with other dogs.

Home

Can adapt to an apartment with daily outings.

Exercise. Moderate: daily walks and active play, such as a game of fetch. Puppies do better with several short sessions than one long walk, and older dogs need gentler outings.

Training. Trains at an average pace. Reward-based methods and a regular routine work best.

Floor-length coat: daily brushing, or ask a groomer for a shorter trim that's easier to keep up. Moderate, seasonal shedding.

For every dog: trim nails when you can hear them click on the floor, brush teeth daily if you can (a few times a week still helps), and clean ears about once a month, drying them well after baths and swims.

Daily calories

About 1,330–1,960 kcal for a healthy adult

Dry food

Roughly 3.25–5 cups a day at ~400 kcal per cup

Puppies eat four small meals a day at 6 to 12 weeks, drop to three somewhere between 3 and 6 months, and move to two meals a day from about 6 months.

Large-breed puppies can take 15 to 24 months to finish growing. Ask your vet about a large-breed puppy food, and check before adding any supplements.

Deep-chested dogs are at higher risk of bloat (GDV). Feed two meals a day rather than one, use a slow feeder if your dog gulps, and keep mealtimes calm.

Keep treats, including training treats and table scraps, under 10% of daily calories.

Calories use the resting-energy formula from the Merck Veterinary Manual (70 × body weight in kg^0.75) times a maintenance factor of 1.4 to 1.8, so very active or working dogs may need more. Cups assume about 400 kcal per cup; check your food's label. Treat any feeding chart as a starting point and adjust to body condition.

Typical lifespan is 11–13 years. Conditions reported in the breed:

Ask breeders for health-test results from the parents (hips, eyes, and DNA tests where relevant), and schedule yearly vet checkups.

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Photos come from Wikimedia Commons and are used under the licenses shown. Only freely licensed photos appear on this site; where none is available, you'll see an illustration.

• Wikipedia: Old English Sheepdog (opens in a new tab)
• AKC breed weight chart (opens in a new tab)
• AKC: Puppy feeding fundamentals (opens in a new tab), bloat (opens in a new tab), treats (opens in a new tab) and grooming (opens in a new tab)
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutritional requirements of small animals (opens in a new tab)

Ratings for energy, shedding and the like are our own summaries, informed by these sources. Breed facts were checked in October 2026.