Breed Standard Old English Sheepdog 2001
General Appearance Strong, square-looking dog with great symmetry and overall soundness. Absolutely
free from legginess. profusely coated all over. A thick-set muscular, able-bodied dog with a most intelligent
expression. The outline should not be artificially changed by scissoring or clipping.

Characteristics Of great Stamina, exhibiting a gently rising top line. 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 the size of the body. Skull capacious, rather square. Well arched above
eyes, stop well defined. Muzzle strong, square and truncated, measuring approximately 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 rim is 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 aver 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 ell from ground. Elbows fitting
close to brisket. Shoulders should be well laid back, being narrower at the point of wither; than at the point
of shoulder. Loaded shoulders undesirable. Dog standing lower at 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 und 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 docked or natural bobtail.

Docked: Customarily completely docked

Undocked; Unobtrusive. Low set. Never curled or carried over back, with no kink evident. Well feathered

with abundant hard-textured coat.
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 profusion 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 the solid area to be discouraged. Head: neck, forequarters and under belly to be white with or without markings. Any shade of brown undesirable.

Size Height: dogs: 61 cms (24 ins) and upwards; bitches: 56 cms (22 ins) and upwards. 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 should be in exact proportion to its degree.
Note Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

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