Old English Sheepdog Breeders UK: Advertise Your Kennel Free

Advertise your Old English Sheepdog puppies, litters and stud dogs

Do you breed Old English Sheepdogs? List your kennel on caninebreeder.co.uk so owners looking for this vulnerable native breed can find you. A free basic profile shows your kennel name, website, social media, location and categories. When a litter is planned, you can advertise Old English Sheepdog puppies for sale, promote your Old English Sheepdog stud dog, and show the hip, elbow, eye, PCD and MOD results that buyers ask about. Add your listing today.

No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.

Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
Premium showcase for your services and prices, previous customers, awards, video, gallery and health certificates, with your phone and email shown to buyers.
Sponsored articles about your breed or industry, written and published by our team.
Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.

Create your free breeder profile Advertise a litter Advertise a stud dog

Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Old English Sheepdog

The Old English Sheepdog is a large herding dog in the Royal Kennel Club (RKC) Pastoral group. It is on the RKC's vulnerable native breeds list, which covers British and Irish breeds with fewer than 300 registrations a year. Registrations fell from 424 in 2016 to 218 in 2025.

Origin and purpose

The breed's origins are uncertain. The RKC mentions theories that the Bearded Collie or Scottish collie types played a part, and perhaps European sheepdogs such as the Ovtcharka. It was regarded as a drover's dog, used to move cattle, yet the RKC still expects it to be fit to work with flocks. The breed was once routinely docked, which gave it the old nickname "Bobtail". The RKC notes that docking is no longer allowed, so most dogs now keep a tail, which the standard asks to be well feathered. Some puppies are born with a natural bobtail, which the RKC records if a vet certifies it.

Size and build

The standard describes a strong, square, thickset dog with plenty of bone, a gently rising topline and a pear shape when seen from above. Dogs measure 61 cm (24 in) and upwards at the shoulder, and bitches 56 cm (22 in) and upwards. Type and symmetry count for more than size. At a walk, the breed rolls from the rear rather like a bear.

Coat and grooming

The outer coat is harsh and shaggy but not curly, over a waterproof undercoat, and the hindquarters carry the most hair. The body is any shade of grey, grizzle or blue. The head, neck, forequarters and underside are white, with or without markings. The RKC recommends grooming every day and notes that the breed sheds. Show dogs must not have their outline altered by scissoring or clipping.

Exercise

The RKC suggests more than two hours of exercise a day and rates the breed as suited to a large house and garden, in town or country.

Temperament and suitability

The standard asks for a biddable dog of even temperament: bold, faithful and trustworthy, with no nervousness or unprovoked aggression. The RKC gives a lifespan of over 10 years. With its size, strength and daily coat care, it suits owners with the time, space and budget for grooming and long walks. See our Pastoral group breeds for related herding breeds.

Old English Sheepdog health tests

The RKC Health Standard for the Old English Sheepdog lists four Good Practice points: prioritising genetic diversity, and hip, elbow and eye screening. Hip and elbow X-rays can be taken once a dog is at least one year old. Under the BVA hip scheme, each hip is scored from 0 to 53 and a lower total is better. Each elbow is graded from 0 to 3, and the higher of the two grades is the one that counts.

At Best Practice level, the RKC lists a DNA test for primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). This recessive disease stops the airways clearing mucus properly, causing sneezing, nasal discharge, coughing and repeated airway infections, and it affects fertility in males. In August 2026 the RKC recognised a DNA test for multiocular defect (MOD), a recessive condition that can affect several parts of the eye. The RKC says MOD will be added to the Health Standard and to Find a Puppy from January 2027, and it advises breeders to test before then.

The breed is in Breed Watch Category 2. Show judges are asked to watch for an excessively profuse coat and for incorrect hind conformation or poor rear movement. Health testing lowers the risk of inherited disease, but it cannot guarantee a healthy puppy.

Health tests and schemes for the Old English Sheepdog:

BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme (RKC Good Practice)
BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme (RKC Good Practice)
BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme (RKC Good Practice)
Prioritising genetic diversity (RKC Good Practice)
DNA test for primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) (RKC Best Practice)
DNA test for multiocular defect (MOD) (recognised August 2026; joins the Health Standard in January 2027)
Breed Watch: Category 2 (excessively profuse coat; incorrect hind conformation and/or poor rear movement)

Choosing an Old English Sheepdog breeder

A careful Old English Sheepdog breeder should show you hip and elbow results for both parents, plus recent eye examination results under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme. They should also show PCD DNA results for both parents, or confirm that they are clear by descent. For matings planned now, ask about the new multiocular defect (MOD) test as well. You can check the results for RKC-registered dogs on the RKC Health Test Results Finder.

With only 218 registrations in 2025, you may have to wait for a litter. A good breeder will be open about how much grooming the coat needs and will show you the puppies with their mother. Expect to be asked about your garden, your working hours and who will do the daily brushing. The RKC's Find a Club service can put you in touch with breed clubs for advice on the breed.

In England, anyone who breeds three or more litters in any 12-month period (unless none of the puppies are sold), or who breeds dogs and advertises a business of selling dogs, needs a licence from the local council.

Questions to ask an Old English Sheepdog breeder:

Can I see hip and elbow scores and recent eye test results for both parents?
What are the parents' PCD results, and have they been DNA tested for multiocular defect (MOD)?
What is the inbreeding coefficient of this mating?
How do you groom the puppy coat, and will you show me how before I take the puppy home?
Will the puppy be RKC registered and microchipped, and do you hold a council breeding licence if you need one?

Old English Sheepdog questions

Is the Old English Sheepdog a rare breed?

It is on the RKC list of vulnerable native breeds, which covers British and Irish breeds with fewer than 300 registrations a year. The RKC recorded 218 Old English Sheepdog registrations in 2025, down from 424 in 2016.

How much grooming does an Old English Sheepdog need?

The RKC recommends grooming every day, and the breed sheds. The coat is harsh and shaggy with a waterproof undercoat, and Breed Watch asks show judges to look out for an excessively profuse coat.

Do Old English Sheepdogs have tails?

Most do. The breed was once routinely docked, which is where the nickname Bobtail came from, but the RKC notes that docking is no longer allowed. Some puppies are born with a naturally bobbed tail, which the RKC records on registration when a vet certifies it.

What health tests should the parents have?

The RKC recommends hip and elbow scoring, an eye examination under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme and a DNA test for primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). A DNA test for multiocular defect (MOD) was recognised in August 2026 and joins the Health Standard in January 2027.

Old English Sheepdog breeders