Old English sheepdog

[Cymro 33]

Does anybody use a Old English sheepdog to work livestock? Either sheep or cattle? Or are they just pretty pet's. As there name suggests that they should work sheep .

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

They were more of a livestock guardian than a herding dog, which is a bit of redundant role in the UK these days. I think the last of the 'working type' dogs all got jobs selling paint.

I would like to be corrected though, as it pains me to see working breeds hijacked by the show ring and perverted until their working ability has evaporated away to nothing.

I remember reading a book at school that said how German Shepherd dogs were capable of taking on any job that they were physically able to do, including tracking, S&R, sniffing, guarding, herding, agility, guiding, retrieving etc etc simply due to their superior intelligence.

I'm sure @Dry Rot will be along shortly to keep us straight.

 

[Danllan]

When I was a kid there were far more marts running than now* and, I think, there were more 'characters' at them too. There was an old fellow at Tring Mart in the early 80s (my guess, but it might have been late 70s) who had a couple of OE Sheepdogs and worked them - he certainly had a lot of sheep - somewhere off by Aylesbury, but I can't say which side.

I know he was that way because I remember once going with my father to see him about something after going to an archery shop in Aylesbury, and I was astonished to see a truly enormous fire made up of whole plum trees that he'd just had taken up - that memory really stuck; but plum orchards were pretty common in the Vale back then, bit sad though.


*I guess we can all say that...

 

[Tim W]

Local man ran them (might still do) ---seem to work well for him on sheep

 

[yellowbelly]

Not quite as 'stylish' as a Collie but it's getting the job done.