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Breed

Old English Sheepdog

The Old English Sheepdog is a herding breed from England, standing males 22–24 in · females 20–22 in at the withers, weighing males 65 lb · females 60 lb. Recorded lifespan is 10–12 yrs.

A photograph of the Old English Sheepdog
Breed group
Herding
Origin
England
Height
males 22–24 in · females 20–22 in
Weight
males 65 lb · females 60 lb
Lifespan
10–12 yrs

Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Old English Sheepdog is taller than 61% of the measured breeds, heavier than 69%, one of 27 in the Herding group, one of 27 from England.

Compare the Old English Sheepdog with another breed

Living with the Old English Sheepdog

Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Old English Sheepdog’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.

Around people and other dogs
Affection with family
5 of 51 independent · 5 devoted
Good with young children
4 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
Good with other dogs
4 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
Openness to strangers
4 of 51 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend
Watchdog / protective nature
4 of 51 unbothered · 5 vigilant
What they will ask of you
Energy
4 of 51 couch potato · 5 busy all day
Exercise needs
4 of 51 a short walk · 5 a job to do
Playfulness
4 of 51 only when invited · 5 non-stop
Barking
2 of 51 only to alert · 5 very vocal
Around the house
Shedding
1 of 51 barely · 5 constantly
Drooling
4 of 51 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel
What they tolerate
Tolerates being alone
2 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Tolerates hot weather
2 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Tolerates cold weather
4 of 51 poorly · 5 well

Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.Old English Sheepdog on AKCOld English Sheepdog on DogTime

Breeds that look like the Old English Sheepdog

A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Old English Sheepdog.

Side by side

Height 0–38 in

  1. Old English Sheepdog
    22–24 in
  2. Romanian Mioritic Shepherd
    27–29 in
  3. South Russian Ovcharka
    25–27 in
  4. Komondor
    25.5 in
  5. Coton de Tulear
    10–12 in
  6. Bolognese
    11–12 in
  7. Bichon Frise
    9–11 in

Weight 0–220 lb

  1. Old English Sheepdog
    65 lb
  2. Romanian Mioritic Shepherd
    100–130 lb
  3. South Russian Ovcharka
    100–110 lb
  4. Komondor
    125 lb
  5. Coton de Tulear
    9–13 lb
  6. Bolognese
    6–9 lb
  7. Bichon Frise
    7–11 lb

Lifespan 0–20 yrs

  1. Old English Sheepdog
    10–12 yrs
  2. Romanian Mioritic Shepherd
    12–14 yrs
  3. South Russian Ovcharka
    9–11 yrs
  4. Komondor
    10–12 yrs
  5. Coton de Tulear
    15–19 yrs
  6. Bolognese
    12–15 yrs
  7. Bichon Frise
    12–15 yrs

Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.

See the Old English Sheepdog on the breed mapRead about the Old English Sheepdog on Wikipedia
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