Skip to main content

Articles

Hunting with an English Shepherd

Hunting with an English Shepherd

by Dave Battle The English Shepherd was developed for classic farm duties such as herding, livestock protection, and vermin eradication, but in this day and age they also excel at all kinds of outdoor activities and dog sports. They can learn anything they put their mind to, or that you put your mind to teaching […]

Temperament Testing For Search & Rescue

Temperament Testing For Search & Rescue

by Deborah Walters Search and rescue dogs work in various challenging environments and around all kinds of animals and all kinds of people, including those wearing uniforms, big helmets and hazmat gear. There is also the potential for the sounds of gunfire (searching wilderness areas during hunting season), and sirens, heavy equipment, and power tools […]

Finlay, Search and Rescue Dog, Retires

Finlay, Search and Rescue Dog, Retires

by Deborah Walters On Sunday Sept. 11, 2016, 15 years after 9/11, Finlay and I traveled South to Miami to train with Miami Task Force 1. Finlay is a search and rescue dog. Miami TF1 is a FEMA team – a federal team that deploys to events like 9/11. Finlay and I are on Central Florida TF4, […]

Your Farm Dog Puppy

Your Farm Dog Puppy

by Kay Spencer Congratulations on your new English Shepherd pup! If he or she is a nicely bred dog from useful working parents, you have the biggest hurdle over with. The road to owning a good farm dog starts with buying a pup with the genetics to instinctively want to be a good farm dog. […]

Two Generations of Courage

Two Generations of Courage

by Vivian Flynt © 1995, 2012, and 2016 This story was told to me by a dear friend, a retired gentleman who lives in Columbus, Ohio. Jim is my hillbilly buddy, and cannot read or write. This true story of two generations of English Shepherd heroes was too good to lose, so I wrote it […]

Whiskers – To Trim or Not To Trim?

Copyright © 2014 by Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor. All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted with permission. [Editor’s note: Though this article was written about Australian Shepherds, the information also pertains to English Shepherds.] Whiskers are sensors that are necessary for the stockdog to gauge the precise distances from the face to the point of contact with livestock when performing […]

Things I remember about ES from my childhood

Things I remember about ES from my childhood

by Kay Delk Keziah @2016 Grandpa and other local farmers (most were dairy farmers) had purebred ESs in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Grandpa’s last ES died in the 60’s and later he sold out of the dairy business, but kept farming.  He had had beef cows, sheep, goats, horses, chickens and ducks. Most of […]

Judging Feet

Judging Feet

Copyright © 2013 by Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor. All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted with permission. [Editor’s note: Though this article was written about Australian Shepherds, the author submitted it because the information also pertains to English Shepherds.] “It has been said, “Most of the footprints in the sands of time were made by working shoes.” By the […]

Conformation Corner: Merles

Conformation Corner: Merles

by Vivian Flynt © 2016 Question: “I’ve been looking at getting an English Shepherd. I’m disappointed they don’t come in merle. Why is that?” Short Answer: Sables. Merling is incompatible with sables. A long time ago ES breeders decided they could have one or the other, but not both. Need more? Okay, here’s the back […]