The Old English Sheepdog is a breed of dog used for herding livestock, and as a pet. They are best known for their shaggy grey and white fur which also covers their face, including their eyes, which leads some casual observers to wonder how they can see.

With very few exceptions, the OES's tail is cut off at or below the first joint as puppies. The procedure, known as docking or "bobbing" the tail produces the panda-like rear end. Puppies are born with jet black and white fur further likening them to the panda bear. It is only after the puppy coat has been shed that the more common gray or silver shaggy hair appears. A nickname for the OES is "bobtail." AKC and British show breed regulations require showing only dogs with bobbed tails.

In some areas, they are often known as a Dulux dog, as a result of their prolonged use in advertising Dulux paint.

Appearance

Males generally weigh 70 to 100 pounds(45 kg); females, 60 to 80 pounds. They stand around 22 inches at the withers. Their long coats can be any shade of gray, grizzle, blue, or blue merle, with optional white markings. The undercoat is water resistant. The Old English Sheepdog's abundant coat is an effective insulator in both hot and cold weather.

Temperament

This breed is intelligent, funny, social, and adaptable, although they sometimes seem to not be all that intelligent on first impressions. It generally gets along well with children, other dogs, other pets, and visitors. Like all herding breeds, it requires plenty of exercise, both mental and physical. They are bubbly and playful, and some times may be stubborn, depending on their mood. Sheepdogs are excellent, intuitive and loving companions, even earning the title "babysitter" or "Dear Nanny" around young children.

These dogs are tender and catch on quickly to things like boundaries and little things such as doing a trick for a treat. These animals are gentle with other dogs and are always willing to play.

Care

The long coat requires thorough brushing at least weekly, preferably from the base of the hairs to keep the thick undercoat hair mat and tangle free. Brushing only over the top of the longer outside (guard) hairs can compact the undercoat and promote mats. The dense undercoat between the pads of the feet, behind the ears, and at the base of the legs are especially prone to matting. Trimming the hair between the toes and the ball of the foot is especially important. Matting of the dog's coat is uncomfortable and can even be painful for the animal. For those who can not devote so much time to grooming, and are not really interested in showing their dogs, trimming the dog's coat in the springtime with a professional electric shear is a great solution, and helps the dog stay cool during the summer months. 1/4" or 1/2" inch are practical lengths, and will take the coat down to the soft hair beneath the matting. The dog will also become very excited and frisky after shedding his heavy winter coat. By the time winter comes around, the coat will be completely full again for protection against the cold weather.

Matting of hair inside the ear canal is normal, and can easily be removed by a veterinarian. Clean the inside of the ears and underside of the ear flaps regularly with "Oti-Clens" (Pfizer) or other recommended solution.

Some people save their Old English Sheepdog's hair from grooming and have spun it into yarn.

Miscellaneous

Dulux dog

The Old English Sheepdog is the brand mascot for Dulux paint. The dog was first introduced in Australian advertising campaigns in the 1960s. Since then they have been a constant and highly popular feature of Dulux television and print adverts in both Australia and the UK. So much so, that most uninformed people in those markets refer to the breed as a 'Dulux dog' rather than a Sheepdog.

Over the years, different dogs have appeared in the adverts. However, they all look very similar, partially as a result of most of them being selected from a closely related line of pedigree dogs. The first Dulux dog was Shepton Dash, who held the role for eight years. His successor, Fernville Lord Digby, was the most famous Dulux dog and also made his owner, Cynthia Harrison, famous. When filming commercials, Digby was treated like a star, being driven to the studio in a chauffeur driven car. Barbara Woodhouse was employed to train Digby and his three stunt doubles, who were used whenever specific tricks or actions needed to be filmed.

Apart from Dash, all the Dulux dogs have been breed champions, and five of them have won 'Best of Show' prizes.

Famous Sheepdogs

• Alfie from Serpico

• Barnaby from Dumbo's Circus Early 1990's Children's show

• Ambrosius and Merlin from Labryinth

• Edison from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

• Farley, the first dog of the Patterson family in the comic strip, For Better or For Worse. Modeled after Lynn Johnston's own dog of the same breed who in turn was named after Farley Mowat.

• George, the pet of Little Britain's Maggie Blackamoor, who also has the same vomiting problem as his owner.

• Hobo from Please Don't Eat The Daisies

• In The Simpsons, Reverend Lovejoy has an Old English Sheepdog, who first appeared in 22 Short Films about Springfield.

• Martha, sheepdog belonging to Paul McCartney (featured in the song "Martha My Dear")

• Max from The Little Mermaid

• Mr Mugs from the infamous Canadian Children's Readers Published through the 60's and 70's

• Sam from Cats & Dogs

• Sam Sheepdog from the Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf Looney Tunes cartoons.

• Shag from Road Rovers

• The Shaggy Dog from The Shaggy Dog, The Shaggy D.A., and The Shaggy Dog Returns

• Tiny, pet of FDR

• The English Sheepdog (real name: Wolfie) from 101 Dalmatians, both the animated and live-action versions. In the original book, the character is called the Colonel.

• Digby from Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973)

• Barkley from Sesame Street

• Bebe from Captain Kangaroo

• Wordsworth from Jamie and the Magic Torch

 References

• Superbrands article on Dulux paint.

• nostalgiacentral.com on Digby the Dulux dog.