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LargeHerding Group

Old English Sheepdog

The Old English Sheepdog was developed in 18th-century western England as a cattle-droving breed with a distinctive short or docked tail — hence the historical 'Bobtail' nickname.

Calculate Old English Sheepdog age
Lifespan12.1 yrrange 11–13
SizeLargeHerding Group
Weight60–100 lb27.2–45.4 kg
Senior at6 yrgeriatric at 10

Gallery (3)

About

About the Old English Sheepdog

The Old English Sheepdog was developed in 18th-century western England as a cattle-droving breed with a distinctive short or docked tail — hence the historical 'Bobtail' nickname. The dense shaggy double coat evolved to protect against weather during long drives to market.

Aging

How Old English Sheepdogs age

RVC VetCompass places median lifespan at 12.1 years (n=1,814). Hypothyroidism at 6.3% on OFA screens is typical for a large herder; hip dysplasia and cerebellar ataxia (a recessive tracked by breed-club testing) are the main inherited concerns.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 12.1 yr · range 11–13Senior careSenior at 6 · geriatric at 10Common health issues10 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
60–100 lb(27.2–45.4 kg)
Height
21–22 in(53.3–55.9 cm)
Coat type
Long
Colors
Black & WhiteFawn & WhiteBrown & WhiteBlue MerleBlueGrizzleGrayWhiteBlue GrayGrizzle & WhiteBlue & WhiteBlue Gray & White
Temperament

Temperament

How Old English Sheepdogs tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

adaptablegentlesmartsociable
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~5 yr

    Hypothyroidism

    Description and veterinary guidance for Hypothyroidism land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
45min
per day

Old English Sheepdogs are satisfied by around 45 minutes of daily activity (energy level 3/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.