English Shepherds are thinking dogs; intelligence and problem-solving take precedence over pure “instinct” in shaping English Shepherd working behavior. This is a subtle but important difference to consider when comparing English Shepherds to many other herding breeds.
Dogs who inherit two copies of the recessive Brown gene “b” produce brown pigment rather than black – not only in their coat, but also on their nose, eye rims, and foot pads. This color is variously referred to as “liver” (in Spaniels), “chocolate” (in Labradors), and “red” (in Australian Shepherds).
Coat Color and Pattern in English Shepherds While there are four basic color patterns recognized under the English Shepherd standard — sable/white, black/white, black tricolor, and black/tan — the color genes present in the breed sometimes combine to produce less common variations.
Article describing the unique character of English Shepherds, as a breed, and what to expect from your dog.
The founder of the first English Shepherd breed club (ESCoA), Tom Stodghill, was well known for his preference for black/tan English Shepherds. In the 1950s, he wrote: “…black and tan English Shepherds are recognized as the world’s most beautiful dog … the black and tan are the best working dogs and the most intelligent of all English Shepherds…the black and tan English Shepherd with ...
“English Shepherds have the intelligence to adapt themselves to a variety of jobs and have proved themselves useful as watch dogs in the large citiies and as retrievers and trailers in the hunting field… How could the a dog trained by time to wait so tenderly upon a little lamb fail to catch the eye of a little child… This temperament and this intelligence makes the English Shepherd the ...
Introduction English Shepherds have been bred for generations as all-purpose, working farm dogs. Their responsibilities have ranged from herding and protecting stock, to dispatching vermin, guarding the home, and watching over children. The unique ability to handle all types of livestock and a variety of tasks is the defining feature of this breed. The English Shepherd is a dog of medium size ...