English Shepherd

From ArticleWorld

The English Shepherd is actually an American dog breed that was very popular on small farms in the early 1900s. In fact, it was ‘’the’’ most common farm dog in that era because of its ability to act as a herd dog, a hunting dog, a child’s companion dog, and a watchdog.

History

The ‘’’English Shepherd’’’ also called the Farm Collie, even though they are separate breeds, is a descendant of the farm dogs from the British Isles. English Shepherd, Farm Collie and Scotch Collie were all names applied to farm dogs in the early 1900s and since there were no breed registries at that time, there is considerable debate as to which name applied to which dogs. The English Shepherd was predominantly used in East and Midwest, while in the western United States their cousin the Australian Shepherds were more common. These dog were ideal for farm work as they could herd many types of stock including; cattle, goats, sheep or even ducks.

Characteristics

The English Shepherd has an average weight of 20 to 30 kg (40 to 70 pounds) and is of medium build. They have a medium length coat that requires little grooming and can be one of four colors: tricolor, black and tan, black and white, or sable. This breed is both kind and caring for it family, this includes people and animals. These dogs are considered great caretakers once they have accepted people or animals as their own. English Shepherds have a strong instinct to enforce order and require a strong confident owner. These dogs learn quickly and once trained they have the ability to work hard with little supervision. Today they are often used as therapy dogs as well as search and rescue dogs.