What the Heck is an English Shepherd?
Stop
Narrower type of head/muzzle with shallow stop; AKC-type collie often has no stop, (represented by red line.) Also note larger eyes.
Sparser ruff; white collar
English shepherds are a breed of farm dogs that are often misidentified as border collies, Australian shepherds, rottweiler mixes, collies, and just plain “mutts” when they end up in pounds and shelters. This even happens when relinquishers identify them, but workers have never heard of the breed. This guide should help you identify possible English shepherds, and also help you avoid misidentifying similar breeds and their mixes as English shepherds. Because ES are not “show dogs,” there is a lot of variation in appearance.
If you think you may have an English shepherd in your shelter, National English Shepherd Rescue can help with identification and information, and may be able to take the dog for foster and ultimate placement in a home where these sometimes challenging dogs are appreciated.
All the dogs here are English shepherds (not mixes or unknowns) that were fostered, rehabbed, and re-homed by National English Shepherd Rescue.
Ears may also be dropped like these
Registered black & white young male ES - NC dog pound
Ear Set
Ears up with excitement
Black and Tan young male ES - WI owner surrender
Common ear set but there is much variation.
Tails often make this “J” shape; may be absent/bobbed
Black & tan w/ white male ES — rural OH dog pound
The English shepherd bitch above and adolescent male right are sable and white. Sable can range from pale yellow to dark brown, with or without a black overlay, a black mask, or a black saddle on the back. There are solid sable ES. These dogs are often classed as “collies” by shelters. Note this dog’s broad skull, rose ears, and blunt muzzle, as well as her moderate coat, in contrast to the AKC in the orange chart below..
Conformation and Coloring
Female Tri- coloring Male Shaded Sable & White
Black Mask
This dog has typical proportions, but his tail is shorter than.
Often light leg feathers, heavy butt and tail feathers
Heavy neck ruff — more common in males
Black and Tan English Shepherd
Tricolor ES pup, @ 10 wks, litter surrendered to Rescue, very typical appearance
Not all ES are “classically” marked. There are dogs with more white, like the bitch at left, and even some “piebald” ES. Solid sable and solid black dogs also occur, but are uncommon. Don’t get too hung up on color when deciding whether a dog might be an English shepherd.
Malnourished black & tan female ES,
@ 1/2 normal body weight at 7 months - OH pound
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The dog may be an English shepherd if: ♦ The dog was identified as an ES by an owner ♦ The dog is identified as a “farm collie” by a previous owner ♦ The dog is not identified by a previous owner as an Australian shepherd, border collie, AKC collie, or mix of the above ♦ The dog resembles the dogs shown here, and/or at www.englishshepherd.org, and it does not have features listed at right as absent in the ES breed. ♦ The dog came from an area with many small farms and a known population of ES. |
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The dog is probably not an English shepherd if: ♦ It is less than 30 pounds or more than 90 pounds (healthy adult weight—adjust for pups, thin and overweight dogs) ♦ It has houndy, very droopy ears, or two completely pricked ears when relaxed ♦ It shows very strong eye when stalking “prey,” possibly including toys. (It is probably a border collie if it does this.) ♦ It is a color not illustrated or described on this sheet, such as brindle, white, solid gray ♦ It is an owner turn-in and the owner stated it is another breed. ♦ It came from an urban area with many mixed-breed dogs that could resemble ES. |
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The dog is not an English shepherd if: ♦ It is red or blue merle colored (like many Australian shepherds and some collies) ♦ It has a short coat (like a German shepherd or shorter) — note that puppies will sometimes seem to have a short coat ♦ It has long hair growing on the face (like an Old English sheepdog) ♦ It has very short legs (like a corgi) ♦ It has hanging flews or lots of loose skin (like a bloodhound) ♦ It has a pushed-in nose or other dwarf features (like a bulldog) ♦ It has a very long narrow “needle” nose and small eyes (like a show collie) |
Breeds Confused with ES
This is an AKC-type collie head. Note the straight skull—no stop or cranial vault—and tiny eyes. Not an ES.
This is an Old English sheepdog. Some people get confused about the two breeds because the names are similar. Not an ES.
This dog is a border collie. It can be impossible to tell an ES from a BC
by appearance. Many ES look just like this dog. But he is “eyeing”
livestock here — this intense stare is a BC trait, and is uncommon in ES.
Not an ES.
This distinctive gray/black or red/cream mottling is called “merle.” A dog with any merling is not an English shepherd. If it otherwise resembles an ES, it may be a border collie, but is probably an Australian shepherd like this dog, especially if it has a bobbed tail.
Contact National English Shepherd Rescue
408-937-4911
724-772-7837