Large, athletic herding dog of great strength with distinctive profuse, shaggy double coat in gray and white, famous for its peek-a-boo hairdo and characteristic bear-like gait
Developed in western England in the late 18th century likely from breeds like Bearded Collie and Russian Owtchar. Bred as drovers' dogs to drive cattle and sheep to market. Tails were historically docked to identify them as working dogs exempting them from taxes. Recognized by AKC in 1888
“A biddable dog of even disposition. Bold, faithful and trustworthy, with no suggestion of nervousness or unprovoked aggression”
Quoted from FCI standard n°16. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FCI breed standard; Agler et al. 2014, PLOS Genetics. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Old English Sheepdog standard is published by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), the international federation of pedigree-dog clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour and size. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Profuse, of good harsh texture, not straight, but shaggy and free from curl.
Undercoat of waterproof pile.
Head and skull well covered with hair, ears moderately coated, neck well coated, forelegs well coated all round, hindquarters more heavily coated than rest of body.
Quality and texture to be considered above length and profusion
Base colour
Any shade of grey, grizzle or blue
Undesirable
Shortened from FCI standard n°16 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health.
Height at the withers (cm)
The same scale for every breed: no source defines size categories by height.
The standard's words
“Height at the withers: Males 61 cm and upwards Females 56 cm and upwards Type and symmetry of greatest importance, and on no account to be sacrified to size alone”
Quoted from FCI standard n°16.
An adult's measurements, per the standard. It does not say how big this puppy will be. Quotations from the FCI are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Old English Sheepdog in general; any individual animal can differ.
Known hereditary risks for the Old English Sheepdog breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
5 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Found in more than about one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened, or described as common in the sources.
An inherited degeneration of the cerebellum described in this breed and the Gordon Setter: from six months to four years old affected dogs develop an exaggerated high-stepping gait, a swaying body and tremor when they move, and it progresses to severe difficulty walking. It is recessive. Roughly one in fourteen of 423 Old English Sheepdogs in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
Hereditary ataxia (RAB24, Gordon Setter and Old English Sheepdog type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited disorder in which a dog with two copies of a DNM1 variant can lose control of its hind legs and collapse after a few minutes of intense exercise; most recover within half an hour, but it can rarely be fatal, and not every dog with two copies collapses. It is recessive. Collapse has been described in Labradors and other retriever and spaniel breeds; in this breed the variant is known from a large screen, in which roughly one in four of 423 Old English Sheepdogs carried it and about one in sixty carried two copies.
What to ask for
Exercise-induced collapse (DNM1) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited defect in a pump (ABCB1, also called MDR1) that keeps some common medicines out of the brain, so some of them, ivermectin among them, can cause serious poisoning. It is found in this breed — roughly one in ten of 423 Old English Sheepdogs in a recent screen carried it — so the vet should know the result before prescribing.
What to ask for
MDR1 (ABCB1) DNA test, on both parents
An inherited degeneration of the cerebellum described in this breed and the Gordon Setter: from six months to four years old affected dogs develop an exaggerated high-stepping gait, a swaying body and tremor when they move, and it progresses to severe difficulty walking. It is recessive. Roughly one in fourteen of 423 Old English Sheepdogs in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
Hereditary ataxia (RAB24, Gordon Setter and Old English Sheepdog type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited defect in a pump (ABCB1, also called MDR1) that keeps some common medicines out of the brain, so some of them, ivermectin among them, can cause serious poisoning. It is found in this breed — roughly one in ten of 423 Old English Sheepdogs in a recent screen carried it — so the vet should know the result before prescribing.
What to ask for
MDR1 (ABCB1) DNA test, on both parents
An inherited disorder in which a dog with two copies of a DNM1 variant can lose control of its hind legs and collapse after a few minutes of intense exercise; most recover within half an hour, but it can rarely be fatal, and not every dog with two copies collapses. It is recessive. Collapse has been described in Labradors and other retriever and spaniel breeds; in this breed the variant is known from a large screen, in which roughly one in four of 423 Old English Sheepdogs carried it and about one in sixty carried two copies.
What to ask for
Exercise-induced collapse (DNM1) DNA test result, on both parents
Found in roughly one in a hundred to one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened.
An inherited defect of the tiny hairs (cilia) that clear mucus from the airways, described in this breed: from a few days old affected puppies have a recurring discharge from the nose, then a moist cough, fever and repeated pneumonia. It is recessive. When the breed was surveyed, about one in five European Old English Sheepdogs carried it, against about one in fourteen elsewhere; in a later screen of 423, roughly one in 35 did.
What to ask for
Primary ciliary dyskinesia (CCDC39, Old English Sheepdog type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited defect of the tiny hairs (cilia) that clear mucus from the airways, described in this breed: from a few days old affected puppies have a recurring discharge from the nose, then a moist cough, fever and repeated pneumonia. It is recessive. When the breed was surveyed, about one in five European Old English Sheepdogs carried it, against about one in fourteen elsewhere; in a later screen of 423, roughly one in 35 did.
What to ask for
Primary ciliary dyskinesia (CCDC39, Old English Sheepdog type) DNA test result, on both parents
Described in this breed, but found in few or no dogs in recent screening, or only ever in one dog or one family. They are here so a test result makes sense if a breeder mentions one.
An inherited bleeding disorder from a shortage of clotting factor VIII, caused in this breed by its own F8 variant, described in a single male Old English Sheepdog with severe disease: he had repeated bleeding into the soft tissues and the joints. It is X-linked, so it shows in males while their mothers carry it silently. It looks very rare — none of 423 Old English Sheepdogs in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
Haemophilia A (F8, Old English Sheepdog type) DNA test result, or a factor VIII activity assay — on the dam especially, since carriers are female
An inherited bleeding disorder from a shortage of clotting factor VIII, caused in this breed by its own F8 variant, described in a single male Old English Sheepdog with severe disease: he had repeated bleeding into the soft tissues and the joints. It is X-linked, so it shows in males while their mothers carry it silently. It looks very rare — none of 423 Old English Sheepdogs in a recent screen carried it.
What to ask for
Haemophilia A (F8, Old English Sheepdog type) DNA test result, or a factor VIII activity assay — on the dam especially, since carriers are female
Median survival 12.1 years
95% confidence interval 11.9–12.5 years, from 604 recorded deaths among 1,164 dogs
Mortality hazard 0.98 (0.9, 1.06) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
