English Shepherds are very intelligent and love to work! They help gather or drive livestock, complete in agility courses and even help with search and rescue missions. Sometimes referred to as English “Shadows,” this breed bonds with its people/owners and develops a guardian and/or helping-hand relationship.
[The following information is from www.easypetmd.com]
“The English Shepherd, a breed of herding dog native to the United States, is so named because it descended directly from Collie-type dogs brought from the United Kingdom. The English Shepherd is considered one of the most versatile of all herding dogs and is not only capable of working with any species of livestock, but also of hunting, tracking, search-and-rescue, agility, competitive obedience, companionship, and personal protection/guard dog duty. Unlike most modern breeds which are primarily bred for appearance conformation, the English Shepherd is bred almost exclusively for working ability. The English Shepherd is known by a wide variety of names across America including the American Collie, American Herder, American Shepherd, Barnyard Collie, Barnyard Shepherd, Cow Dog, English Herder, Farm Collie, Farm Dog, Farm Shepherd, Old Fashioned Shepherd, and Old Fashioned Collie.
Very little is known with certainty about the history of the English Shepherd as this breed has always been kept primarily by family farmers who were unlikely to write about their dogs. However, it is quite clear that this dog is one of the oldest American breeds and that it is a member of the Collie family. The name English Shepherd may be confusing as this is one of the most traditionally American dogs, but it is so named because it is descended primarily from the herding dogs of England and Scotland.
The history of the English Shepherd can be traced back to that of the first Collie-type dogs. Few dog groups have an ancestry as obscure and contentious as that of the Collies. Essentially nothing is known about the origins of these dogs prior to the 17th Century, other than that they were present on the island of Great Britain for hundreds and probably thousands of years and were primarily used to herd sheep, cattle, and other livestock. Even the origin of the word Collie is highly disputed. The traditional explanation, and the one that is still favored by the majority of researchers, is that Collie comes from the Anglo-Saxon (Old English) word, “Col,” which means black. Many of the sheep found in Scotland and the Border region traditionally had black faces and were known as Colleys or Coalies. This theory holds that the dogs used to herd the Colley sheep became known as Colley dogs, which was then shortened to Collie. An Anglo-Saxon origin to the word has come under fire recently, primarily from American, Irish, and Scottish researchers. These researchers believe that Collie originated in the Gaelic words, “Cailean,” and “Coilean,” both of which are affectionate names for domestic dogs in general, equivalent to the American term, “Doggie.”
Collies are thought to be among the oldest of all British dogs, and have been found in their homeland since at least the Dark Ages, and possibly longer. Unfortunately, no written records or archaeological evidence has been discovered on their origins. These dogs were found throughout the British Isles but were historically most numerous in Scotland, Wales, and Northern England. The most widely held theory holds that the ancestors of the Collies were first brought to Great Britain by Roman conquerors in 43 A.D. The Romans were possibly the greatest dog breeders of the Ancient World and developed a number of different specialized breeds, including a number of different herding dogs. The Romans ruled what is now England and Wales for several centuries, and had a long-lasting impact on the island’s culture and technology. Perhaps the most suggestive evidence for a Roman origin for Collies is that they share significant similarities with Continental herding breeds found in other regions which were at one point occupied by the Romans such as the Beauceron and the Briard. However, many experts believe that those breeds were in fact kept by either Germanic or Celtic peoples and that the Romans actually used Molosser and Cur-type dogs to herd their livestock, a belief which is supported by artistic depictions of Roman herding dogs and the modern day descendants of Roman herding breeds such as the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog and the Rottweiler.
There are three primary competing theories on the origins of the Collies. By far the most widely held of these is that Collies were originally kept by the Celtic people. Proponents of this theory point out the significant differences between Collies and Continental herding breeds, such as smaller size, different coats and coloration, and unique herding style. It is also worth noting that until the last two centuries, Collies were almost exclusively found in the British Isles, the last stronghold of the Celts. The distribution of Collies within the British Isles also may be indicative of a Celtic origin. These dogs were always most common in those regions with the strongest Celtic influence – Wales, Scotland, and Northern England – and least common in those regions with the strongest Germanic influence, South and Central England. A small minority of researchers hold alternative origin theories as well. Some believe that Collies were actually first kept by Britain’s pre-Celtic population, although such claims are essentially impossible to investigate as next to nothing is known about those peoples. Others have suggested that the Collies were introduced by either the Germanic Angles, Saxons, and Jutes who conquered and settled in England after the Roman Empire abandoned the island or by Scandinavian Vikings who raided and conquered parts of the British Isles from 790 A.D. to 1470 A.D. However, neither of these possibilities seems to be supported by any evidence other than the fact that Collies share some similarities with both Germanic and Norse herding breeds.
The full truth of the origins of the Collies is probably more complex than any single theory. In fact, these dogs are probably the result of numerous crosses between different types of dogs over many centuries. In the opinion of this writer, Collies are most likely primarily descended from crosses between Roman and Celtic herding dogs. These Celto-Roman breeds were probably crossed with Pre-Celtic, Germanic, and Scandinavian dogs, although it is unclear to what extent. Additionally, Collies were almost certainly regularly crossed with both Greyhounds and Spaniels throughout the ages, improving their speed, trainability, and coats.
However the first Collies were developed, they became an essential part of the British economy. These dogs were absolutely necessary for shepherds across the British Isles, who could never have moved their flocks around nor kept them together without them. For untold centuries, Collies were bred for a single purpose, to herd livestock. Shepherds were often extremely poor and absolutely could not afford to keep dogs which would not work very well for them. Only the hardest working, most intelligent, and highly responsive dogs were allowed to breed, along with those which possessed the strongest herding instincts and most successful herding styles. Appearance only mattered to the extent that it impacted working ability. For example, Collies needed to possess weather-resistant coats so that they could function in rainy England and frigid Scotland, and they had to be large enough to work with sheep but not so large that they lost their agility or were too expensive to feed. Because conditions vary significantly across Britain, farmers in each location bred only those dogs which were best suited to working in their specific home. At one point, there were dozens of different semi-distinct Collie-type dogs found in Britain each of which possessed a slightly different appearance and temperament.
In 1607, the English colony of Jamestown was founded in what is now Virginia, becoming the first permanent British settlement in the New World. Jamestown was followed shortly by colonies in Plymouth and other locations across the Eastern Seaboard. Many of these settlers intended to raise sheep and cattle in their new homes and brought their livestock along with them. Much as in their homeland, the only way for these American shepherds to transport their livestock from pasture to pasture and to keep their herds together was through the use of dogs. Although there is no definitive record of when the first Collie arrived in the United States, it was almost certainly well-before 1650.
In an era when the only means to travel across the Atlantic was via wooden sailing ship, transporting dogs was prohibitively expensive. Additionally, the voyage was very dangerous and hard on animals and many individuals perished along the way. This meant that very few individual Collies made it to America. Because so few individuals arrived, it was necessary for the American colonists to breed any available Collies together, even if they were of a different variety. The resulting dogs were quite variable in appearance, and became an amalgamation of different Collies from across the United Kingdom. American breeders also had access to different breeds, and probably crossed their Collies with foreign dogs. Among the most likely possibilities include Spanish Alanos, French Beaucerons, Irish Cur-type dogs, and Native American hunting dogs.
These new dogs also had to adapt to a region which was dramatically different from their homeland. Most of America was significantly hotter than Britain, with temperatures which could potentially even kill dogs bred to survive in Northern Europe. Higher temperatures meant that America was home to different and more virulent diseases and parasites, many of which were potentially fatal. Additionally, the terrain was much more varied than that of Britain, with much higher mountains, wilder forests, and vaster wetlands. Perhaps most importantly, America was home to large populations of wolves, red wolves, bears, bobcats, lynx, and mountain lions, fierce predators which had either been exterminated from Britain long ago or had never lived there in the first place. Through generations of natural selection and deliberate breeding, American Collies became more heat tolerant and disease resistant than their European counterparts, as well as larger, stronger, and more protective of their family and livestock. Additionally, American farmers preferred a more versatile dog than their British counterparts. They frequently used their Collies to hunt squirrels, badgers, rabbits, and other small game and began to breed dogs which could both herd and hunt. This versatility is very likely indicative of substantial Cur-influence on the English Shepherd, as most Cur breeds excel at both herding and hunting.
As was the case in Britain, American farmers exclusively bred their Collies for working ability. They did not consider their dogs to be a purebred in the modern sense, but rather a general type of herding dog. They called their dogs by many names including English Shepherd, Farm Collie, and Cow Dog. At one point, English Shepherds were a very common sight across the Northeast and Midwest, and were found on nearly all family farms in the region. The historical range of the English Shepherd stretched from Maine in the East to Nebraska in the West. Although found in both the Southern and Western United States, the English Shepherd was always comparatively rare in those regions because Cur-type dogs such as the Catahoula Leopard Dog and Black Mouth Cur were always preferred in the South and the Australian Shepherd, most likely the result of crossing the English Shepherd with Iberian herding breeds, was traditionally preferred in the Rocky Mountain, Pacific, and Southwestern states.
Because English Shepherd breeders focused almost entirely on their dog’s working ability, they cared next to nothing about conformation-based dog shows. Although the English Shepherd was one of the earliest and most common breeds in America, it was rarely entered at early American Kennel Club (AKC) events and never achieved full recognition with that organization. In 1898, the United Kennel Club (UKC) was founded by Chauncey Z. Bennett as a registry for working dogs, rather than show dogs. Where the AKC was viewed with great suspicion by many breeders of hunting and herding dogs, the UKC was quickly embraced. In 1927, the UKC granted full recognition to the English Shepherd, becoming the first purebred dog registry to do so. In fact, there were no English Shepherd registries of any kind prior to UKC recognition, making the UKC the original English Shepherd registry. Initially, the UKC also apparently granted recognition to a separate breed, the Farm Shepherd, but this breed eventually disappeared from the registry and probably was eventually included in the English Shepherd breed.
Although most breed members remained unregistered, the English Shepherd remained one of the most common breeds in America throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s. As long as millions of Americans lived on small family farms, there was plenty of work for the English Shepherd to do. Unfortunately for the breed, by the beginning of the 1960’s, the family farm was rapidly disappearing. More and more Americans lost their farms to banks, and many others decided to sell them and move to the city. The English Shepherd was a highly versatile dog which was ideal for a farm which raised multiple crops and livestock. However, the large corporate farms which replaced family farms generally specialized in one or two crops species. These massive agricultural operations often did not need any herding dogs at all, and if they did they greatly preferred more specialized breeds such as the Border Collie and Australian Kelpie. By the end of the 1970’s, the English Shepherd had become a rare breed. In fact, some believed that the English Shepherd was on the verge of total extinction.
In recent years, the English Shepherd has seen a mild resurgence in popularity. Although a significant proportion of breed members is still employed as working farm dogs, the breed has found additional roles as well. The English Shepherd is beginning to make a name for itself in a number of canine competitions such as agility, obedience, fly ball, and Frisbee, at which it excels. Additionally, the keen nose and trainability of the breed are being put to use in the search-and-rescue and law-enforcement fields. Perhaps most importantly, the English Shepherd is becoming increasingly popular as a companion animal. Active families that are willing to provide their English Shepherds with sufficient physical activity and mental stimulation are finding that this breed can make an excellent pet which usually has better health and a longer lifespan than other modern purebred dogs. Although the English Shepherd is slowly growing in popularity in both the United States and Canada, it remains essentially unknown elsewhere in the world. Like most American breeds, the English Shepherd is found almost exclusively in North America and has yet to become established in other regions.”
– See more at: www.easypetmd.com