THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG

CLUB OF SCOTLAND

The Kennel Club's Breed Standard for The Old English Sheepdog Published with the kind permission from The Kennel Club © The Kennel Club

General Appearance.

Strong, square looking dog of great symmetry and overall soundness. Absolutely free of legginess, profusely coated all over. thick-set muscular, able bodied dog with a most intelligent expression. The natural outline should not be artificially changed by scissoring or clipping.

Characteristics.

Of great stamina, exhibiting a gently rising topline, and a pear shaped body when viewed from above. The gait has a typical roll when ambling or walking. Bark has a distinctive toned quality.

Temperament.

A biddable dog of even disposition. Bold, faithful and trustworthy, with no suggestion of nervousness or unprovoked aggression

Head and Skull.

In proportion to size of body. Skull capacious rather square. Well arched above eyes, stop well defined. Muzzle strong, square and truncated, measuring approx. half of the total head length. Nose large and black. Nostrils wide.

Eyes.

Set well apart. Dark or wall eyes. Two blue eyes acceptable. Light eyes undesirable. Pigmentation on the eye rims preferred.

Ears.

Small and carried flat to side of head.

Mouth.

Teeth strong, large and evenly placed. Scissor bite - jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Pincer tolerated but undesirable.

Neck.

Fairly long, strong, arched gracefully.

Forequarters.

Forelegs perfectly straight, with plenty of bone, holding body well from ground. Elbows fitting closely to brisket. Shoulders should be well laid back, being narrower at the point of withers than at the point of shoulder. Loaded shoulders undesirable. Dog standing lower at the withers than loin.

Body.

Rather short and compact, with well sprung ribs and deep capacious brisket.

Hindquarters.

Loin very sturdy, broad and gently arched, quarters well covered, round and muscular, the second thigh is long and well developed the stifle well turned, and the hocks set low. From the rear the hocks should be quite straight, with the feet turning neither in nor out.

Feet.

Small, round and tight, toes well arched, pads thick and hard. Dew claws should be removed.

Tail.

Customarily completely docked.

Gait/Movement.

When walking exhibits a bear-like roll from the rear. When trotting, shows effortless extension and strong driving rear action, with legs moving straight along line of travel. Very elastic at the gallop. At slow speeds some dogs may tend to pace. When moving, the head carriage may adopt a naturally lower position.

Coat.

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, texture and profusionn to be considered above mere length.

Colour.

Any shade of grey, grizzle or blue. Body and hindquarters of solid colour with or without white socks. White patches in solid area to be discouraged. Head, neck, forequarters and underbelly to be white with or without markings. Any shade of brown undesirable.

Size.
61 cms (24 inches) and upwards for dogs, 56 cms (22 inches) and upwards for bitches. Type and symmetry of greatest importance, and on no account to be sacrificed to size alone.

Faults.

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded in exact proportion to its degree.

Note.

Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.