English Shepherd

[maybe532]

Does anyone on here have one of these? I've heard they are like Aussies but a bit calmer and need slightly less exercise. We are getting another dog and I was considering Aussies and Brittanys and when I came across the English Shepherd it sounds ideal. But I want to hear from real owners, the good and bad.
Thanks,
Shannon

[DoggyDaze]

Sorry, no help here. I met one once, he was a real sweetheart.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/englishshepherd.htm

[Tazwell]

Our rescue has English Shepherd mix Puppies right now :D 3 of them. Their mother was an English Shepherd.

[Goldendoodler]

Iv'e seen them before, they great little dogs.(little? i mean big!)
I was considering adopting one, but my freind beat me.Plus iv'e got enough doggies for now. :)

[HarleyD]

This is all I've heard:

Agile and energetic, this is a good worker, trainable and loyal to its master. The English Shepherd is an ideal choice for participation in dog sports, such as Agility, Flyball and others. While very friendly and playful with familiar people, this dedicated property guardian can be suspicious and confrontational with strangers and other dogs. Muscular, athletic and resilient, the English Shepherd is generally a healthy breed, although some strains have been known to suffer from hip dysplasia. The rich coat is hard and dense, most commonly seen in sable shades with white markings, but also found in black-n-tan, tricolour and black-n-white colourings. Average height is around 20 inches.

[Herschel]

I could swear that Lizmo has one. She says Lizzie is a Border Collie, I say she looks just like an English Shepherd. :)

[maybe532]

I guess they are rarer than I thought.

[Lizmo]

Sorry, just saw this thread! Herschel's right, Lizzie is probably either full ES or part ES with BC-something just because she's more the size of a BC bit looks a lot like a ES lol

Anyways....I haven't done really any research on the breed just general chararistics of the breed. Lizzie is a very much one-person dog -that could be from just bad breeding(shelter dog rescued by me at 4-5 weeks) or under socializing(my lack of knowledge then)- something you'll have to talk to a breeder or rescue person about. This is all based on my experience with ONE dog that was probably poorly bred.

The Good....
She's a very fast learner. I've tought her a "find it" command in less then an hour and it has been rock solid for a more than a year - doesn't matter the distraction, she LOVES to track things/find things. She's VERY food motivated.
She loves to herd balls, I've been meaning to get a video of her doing this...it's really cool to watch. I've never trained a stock dog - or even fully know how- but she does a good "stare", knows the command "easy"(slow down in herding world) and a not so bad "circling" the ball/s up.
She's a great watch dog - protected me more than once. I have no problems taking walks at night with her.
Does does not bark much. Only when their's a real threat.
Now, she does love to play/run/ect with other dogs who are not wanting/needing to be Alpha.
She's gotten along with both male and female, just depends on the dog.

The Bad....
She's also very soft. You can NOT get overly mad at her to the point where you lose it. She will totally shut down if that happens.
If your not making sense to her (like giving her a command she doesn't fully know) you can tell she's confused and does not know what she needs to do -she'll let you know she's confused too!
She's not much of a "people" dog except those who gain her trust - then she'll love you forever.
The only real problem I have is she does NOT like other Alpha dogs. She MUST top dog around other dogs.

[AgilityPup]

Yes! Sometihng I know something about!

When I was looking around for another different breed, I found ES,I didn't know what they were at first, but did some searching, and to me, they seem a LOT like BC Aussie mixes.

I think the body looks like a BC Aussie mix, and I have herd that the active part of them is a lot like an aussie, hyper, but has an off switch (somewhere under all that fur!!)


Sorry, guess I didn't know all that much, but I have read that they are a really great breed, and I agree Lizzie is probably an ES or has ES in her SOMEWHERE, so I'd keep talking to Lizmo if I was you (Cause she could have an ES, and because shes such a gret person!)

[maybe532]

Thanks for the great info, that doesn't really sound like the breed for my family. I was thinking it was more laid back than both Borders and Aussies, not a middle ground.
My husband thinks we should get a Golden Retriever, I think I am starting to agree with him.

[Lizmo]

Golden Retriever's are great family dogs - I had two fosters about a month ago. The male would have made a great obedience star.

[Purdue#1]

http://www.nationalstockdog.com/bybreed.html

This is a division of the IESR(international english shepherd registry). Sly is regstered with the NSDR as an aussie. Hope this helps. They look like an aussie with a tail to me.

[irenafarm]

They are definitely not an Aussie with a tail.

I've worked with a few of these in rescue - if it's black and white and has a tail, it's a Border Collie, you know. Unfortunately there is a less than responsible breeding in this area with a line of black and white English shepherds.

They have the independent mind of a hunting or protection type dog (think a Pyr), with close to the exercise needs of an Aussie or BC.

The ES has been a "Farm dog" for its entire history, being bred to do many tasks around the homestead, including guarding and hunting, in addition to moving livestock. Their watchdog/protection instincts are extremely strong, making them nosy, busybody type dogs who are easily troubled by anything out of place.

This is the real origin of the "Timmy fell in the well" tradition. If any breed today could attain that level of awareness and ability to "get help" - it would be the English Shepherd. :)

It's definitely a different kind of dog to train if you are not used to motivating such a dog. They are mentally sharp, learn extremely fast, super loyal and want to please, but have a need to learn what needs to be done, in their own way. They don't want to be shown how to do something, just what needs to be done. So, instead of learning "Come by" and "Away to me", they prefer to learn, "Put them in the pen." Although they can definitely be trained to take commands too, of course. But they have a driving need to see the big picture as soon as possible. "Why should I sit? Does my sitting improve the security of the premises? What if I sit and something goes terribly wrong and I can't do something about it?"

They are dignified, upright, and larger physically on average than either BCs or Aussies. They are actually closer to the original looks of the sheepdog that branched out 150 years ago into Collies, Border Collies, and numerous other breeds and varieties around the world. Although they are called "English" - like the Aussie they are a 100% North American developed breed.

I like them a lot and wish I had room in my life for a dog like an English shepherd. Not now, sigh.

[Purdue#1]

neat. thanks for the info. i knew they were working dogs and probably had a lot of drive, but you gave me some interesting info on them. i love high drive dogs.

[AgilityPup]

Thanks for that GREAT bit of info. I really like the sounds of the breed... But I think a BC will be best for me when we get anoter dog...

Still am enjoying this thread! :)