History of the Old English Sheepdog
The information you find here are from the following pages AKC, OESCA, and Google, and are strictly here for educational purposes only.
About the OES
The Old English Sheepdog is the archetypical shaggy dog, famous for his profuse coat and peak-a-boo hairdo, a distinctive bear-like gait, and a mellow, agreeable nature. The OES is a big, agile dog who enjoys exploring and a good romp.
Beneath the Old English Sheepdog's profuse double coat is a muscular and compact drover, with plenty of bone and a big rump, standing 21 or 22 inches and up at the shoulder. Their eyes (when you can see them) are dark brown, or blue, or one of each. The OES breed standard says the skull is 'capacious and rather squarely formed, giving plenty of room for brain power.' OES move with a bear-like shuffle but are famous for their nimbleness afoot.
Regular exercise is required for these strong, able-bodied workers. Equally famed are their many fine housedog qualities: watchfulness, courage, kindliness, and intelligence. Great with children, OES make patient, protective playmates. They are sensible watchdogs known for a loud, ringing bark.
Old English sheepdogs tend to be easy to keep weight on, which is generally true of working dogs. They have a slight tendency to become roly-poly, so watch the calories. It can be difficult to accurately assess their weight, particularly when dogs are left in full coat.
Coat care is a big consideration with this breed. Keeping the coat in show condition is a serious commitment requiring frequent baths, coat treatments, and daily grooming as well as limiting the dog's activities. Most caregivers elect to shear the coat down once or twice yearly. Fortunately, Old English sheepdogs look nice clipped down.
Old English sheepdogs do require a fair amount of exercise, especially as young dogs. Training is a must along with plenty of socialization. These dogs require a firm, patient hand and are not ideal for first-time dog owners. They are designed as serious working dogs and are happiest when they have tasks to do, be that obedience competition or herding a flock.
History
The origin of the Old English Sheepdog remains a question of keen interest to Bobtail fanciers, and is still open to new theories and discoveries. However, there are traces of evidence which place its origin in the early nineteenth century, centered in the Southwestern Counties of England. Some maintain that the Scottish Bearded Collie had a large part in its making; others claim the Russian Owtchar as one of the progenitors of the Old English Sheepdog.
Writings of that time refer to a "drovers dog" which was used primarily for driving sheep and cattle to market, and it is speculated that these drover's dogs were exempt from taxes due to their working status.
To prove their occupation, their tails were docked... leading to the custom of calling the sheepdog by the nickname "Bob" or "Bobtail". Since this dog has been used more for driving than for herding, the lack of a tail to serve as a rudder, so to speak, has in no way affected its ability to work with heavier kinds of sheep or cattle.
The Old English Sheepdog was first promoted in the U.S. by Pittsburgh industrialist Wm. Wade in the late 1880's, and by the turn of the century, five of the ten wealthiest American families--the Morgans, Vanderbilts, Goulds, Harrisons and Guggenheims--all owned, bred and exhibited the Old English Sheepdog. In fact, the social prominence and importance of the owners and spectators at the Old English ring in the 1904 Westminster Show in New York prompted the show superintendent to discreetly advise the judge to "take plenty of time; the dogs in the ring are the property of some of our leading Americans".
It should be noted here, that these prominent families also had kennel managers and staff to care for and groom their OES!!!!!
Below is an illustration from The Old English Sheep Dog, by Henry Arthur Tilley, Revised Edition 1937.
What is a Drover?
Droving is the practice of walking livestock over long distances. It is a type of herding. Droving stock to market—usually on foot and often with the aid of dogs—has a very long history in the Old World. An owner might entrust an agent to deliver stock to market and bring back the proceeds. There has been droving since people in cities found it necessary to source food from distant supplies.
The history of the Old English Sheepdog is intertwined with the bygone days of the drovers. The type of dog a drover needed was one with stamina, steadiness and the temperament that would see off any predators, would stand its ground against any rogue beast and would see off man attack by a bull or ox intent on mischief towards the drovers.
In 1891 Drovers' Dog Shows were inaugurated, the purpose of this being for the improvement of the breeds drovers used and of their treatment. In 1894 the show was held at the Metropolitan Cattle Market and of the 78 dogs entered 20 were Old English Sheepdogs and Best Dog and Best Bitch in show were both Old English Sheepdogs.
Cattle drives were an important feature of the settlement of both the western United States and of Australia. In 1866, cattle drives in the United States moved 20 million head of cattle from Texas to railheads in Kansas. In Australasia, long distance drives of sheep also took place. In these countries these drives covered great distances—800 miles (1,300 km) Texas to Kansas[6]—with drovers on horseback, supported by wagons or packhorses. Drives continued until railways arrived.
Did you know?
Disney’s 1959 comedy, “The Shaggy Dog,” is about a boy who gets turned into an Old English Sheepdog. There are also animated Old English Sheepdogs in the cartoon classics “The Little Mermaid” and “101 Dalmatians,” and more recently, the “Cats & Dogs” movies had an OES character. And, Paul McCartney wrote The Beatles’ song “Martha My Dear” about his Old English Sheepdog.