Old English Sheepdog

The origins of the Old English are obscure, with probable descent from continental sheepdog breeds such as the Briard. Also called the Bobtail because it was usually docked, by the 19th century it was mainly a working dog, in use in southwestern England. Selective breeding for showing began in the 1880s. An amenable breed, it rarely shows its old aggressive instincts.

Since the 1960s, the Old English Sheepdog’s appearances in television advertisements for a British brand of paint have given the breed an assured place in the public’s minds and homes, although by the nickname of “Dulux Dog” rather than its official name. Sales of both paint and dog soared on the back of this publicity.