Old English Sheepdog

Sheepdogs & cattledogs

Large

Median 12.1 y

FCI group 1 · Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs) · Derived from the adult weight midpoint (36.3 kg)

Median survival across 1,814 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 9–14 y

The Old English Sheepdog is a large breed of dog that emerged in England from early types of herding dog. Other names for the breed include Shepherd's Dog and bob-tailed sheep-dog. The nickname Bob-tail originates from how dogs of the breed traditionally had their tails docked.

Adaptable

Gentle

Smart

Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · reference ranges from the Kintail breed dataset

Adult weight

Reference

Male

27.2–45.4 kg

Female

27.2–45.4 kg

Breed club figure (the American Kennel Club)

Weight for age

Stock data

Male

Female

Expected range

Expected range from the breed's own adult weight, kilograms. Growth reference: Salt et al. 2017, WALTHAM (30–40 kg band).

Heat cycles · females

Stock data

First heat

8–12 mo

typical

Interval

180 d

typical

Bleeding

~9 d

typical

Proestrus 9d

Estrus 9d

Diestrus 52d

Anestrus 110d

General figures for dogs, not for this breed — individual cycles vary widely.

Questions people ask

Adult males usually weigh 27.2–45.4 kg and females 27.2–45.4 kg. Most are close to their full size by around 16 months, though the last little bit of filling out takes longer. Growth reference: Salt et al. 2017, WALTHAM (30–40 kg band).

No Old English Sheepdog cycle figures are published here yet, so this is general guidance rather than a breed number: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later.

The median is 12.1 y. Median survival across 1,814 UK dogs (VetCompass, McMillan 2024) · half live 9–14 y. How the later years go comes down to weight, teeth, exercise and regular check-ups far more than to the breed.