Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever Mix: Meet the Loyal, Loving Golden Sheepdog

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever Mix

Everyone loves a Golden Retriever – or at least that is what the statistics show. This dog breed is the third most popular purebred dog breed out of 196 breeds today!

The Old English Sheepdog is less well known as far as purebred dog breeds go. However, these dogs make equally loyal and loving companion canines.

But what do you get when you cross a Golden Retriever with an Old English Sheepdog? You get a Golden Sheepdog hybrid puppy. In this article, we find out all about what this hybrid dog breed is like!

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Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever Mix

The Old English Sheepdog hails from England, as the breed name suggests. The Golden Retriever hails from Scotland originally but made its purebred debut at a British dog show.

There are other complementary things about this hybrid dog pairing that may make the Golden Sheepdog a great family pet for you.

Hybrid dog breeding, of course, is simply what happens when a new dog breed is “in progress.” While these dogs are sometimes nicknamed “designer” dog breeds, there is nothing new or unusual about crossing two purebred dog breeds to create a new breed.

See an Old English Sheepdog and a Golden Retriever Dog

This YouTube video helps you visualize the size and coat differences between an adult Old English Sheepdog and an adult Golden Retriever.

As the two dogs play, you can also see that they seem to be well-matched in temperament and energy level.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever Mix: Dog Breeds History

Since choosing a hybrid dog breed always comes with some amount of uncertainty, you can help prepare by learning more about each purebred parent dog’s background and history.

Old English Sheepdog history

The Old English Sheepdog may be misnamed in the sense that this dog breed was actually created within the last 150 years.

These dogs have a herding background – but here again, the breed name is misleading, since this dog was created specifically to herd larger livestock animals like cattle rather than sheep.

Golden Retriever history

Interestingly, the famously friendly Golden Retriever was getting its breed to start over in Scotland around the same time period that the Old English Sheepdog was being developed in Britain.

With the Golden Retriever, however, the goal was the create an ideal gun dog (hunting dog), and specifically a working dog that excelled at “retrieving.”

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever mix history

From even this brief overview of the history of each parent dog breed, you can gather that you will be bringing home a working dog when you choose a Golden Sheepdog.

In other words, you will bring home a puppy that may exhibit certain marked traits or instincts, such as herding or chasing. It is important to understand these traits in context with why the breed was developed so you can accommodate them for your dog.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever Mix Personality & Temperament

The Golden Retriever dog personality is fairly self-explanatory given how extremely popular these dogs are. In fact, most people can recognize them on sight.

The Old English Sheepdog can present more challenges when it comes to putting a name with a face. Most people just call this breed the “shaggy dog” and aren’t quite so sure what to expect in terms of personality and temperament. So let’s find out!

Old English Sheepdog personality and temperament

The Old English Sheepdog has a calm and confident personality – exactly the type of personality that you might imagine this dog would need to herd large livestock such as cattle.

While many people are not sure what to make of the OES, as breeders and fans call the Old English Sheepdog because they are so shaggy their fur typically hides their eyes.

But under all that dense, thick fur, these dogs are very intelligent and sweet. They are gentle with livestock and with people and make great playmates for kids and excellent family watchdogs.

However, these dogs are not necessarily the easiest to train because their job requires a more independent type of thought process.

So the OES can get bored with repetitive training sessions and commands they don’t always understand the value of (such as “stay,” a command a working herding dog would seldom if ever hear from their people).

Golden Retriever personality and temperament

The Golden Retriever seems quite simply born to live with people. These dogs often strike new owners as being like canine social coordinators and they are great with kids as well as adults.

The Golden Retriever has a high desire to please their people and tend to be very easy to train and obey. They are good watchdogs but are not good guard dogs because they are so friendly.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever mix personality and temperament

From this short overview, you can absolutely expect that your Golden Sheepdog will be a people dog that is great with kids and adults alike.

Your dog will be smart, but whether those smarts leans towards people-pleasing or stubbornness during training will depend on the genes your puppy inherits from the parent dogs.

Either way, you will get a good watchdog but not necessarily a good guarding and protection dog.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever Mix: Size, Height and Weight

As you saw in the video you watched here earlier, the adult Old English Sheepdog and the adult Golden Retriever can be quite similar in size.

But this isn’t always the case. Let’s find out what size dog the Golden Sheepdog generally grows up to be.

Old English Sheepdog size, height, and weight

As the American Kennel Club (AKC) dog breed overview explains, the Old English Sheepdog typically weighs between 60 and 100 pounds and can stand up to 22 inches tall (paw pads to shoulder tops).

Adult females are often shorter and lighter in weight than adult males, although this is not always the case.

Golden Retriever size, height, and weight

The American Kennel Club (AKC) Golden Retriever profile page explains that Goldens typically weigh anywhere from 55 to 75 pounds and can stand up to 24 inches tall (paw pads to shoulder tops).

Frequently adult females are about 10 pounds lighter and a couple of inches shorter than males, although this does not always happen.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever size, height, and weight

From this overview, you can guesstimate that your adult Golden Sheepdog may weigh anywhere from 55 to 100 pounds.

However, since there is quite a weight variance with adult Old English Sheepdogs, in particular, it can really help to meet each parent dog to get the most accurate picture of your Golden Sheepdog puppy’s potential adult size.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever Mix: Training and Exercise Needs

As we mentioned here earlier, the Old English Sheepdog has a known tendency to be a bit stubborn in training, while the Golden Retriever is typically an eager student.

Happily, there is a lot you can do to encourage either dog to learn their training lessons fast and well.

When it comes to exercise, let’s find out how much activity your Golden Sheepdog is likely to need in a day to stay happy and healthy.

Old English Sheepdog training and exercise needs

The main reason Old English Sheepdogs can become bored with training is that they are so smart. Keeping training sessions short and adding high-value rewards like treats and toys can help aid in learning and retention.

When these dogs are working, they are all about getting the job done even if that requires non-stop exercise.

But once the workday is done, the Old English Sheepdog is quite happy to relax. This tells you that these dogs can make do with one or two periods of more intense activity per day and then be happy to rest in between.

Golden Retriever training and exercise needs

The Golden Retriever comes from a gun dog background and is acclimated to be ready to get up and work at any time, every time.

Goldens can be especially rambunctious and active in puppyhood and the young adult years and are known to be potentially destructive if they don’t get enough daily exercise.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever training and exercise needs

From this short comparison of the two-parent dog breeds, you can anticipate that your Golden Sheepdog will definitely need daily exercise and activity to stay away from chewing your couch cushions!

How much activity your hybrid pup needs will depend on which parent dog has the most genetic influence. In either case, your dog will be smart and athletic.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever Mix: Coat Care, Shedding & Grooming

Different dog breeds can have very different needs when it comes to coat care and grooming and brushing.

Similarly, some dog breeds shed heavily while others may not seem to visibly shed at all.

It is important to learn which category your Golden Sheepdog may fall into because coat type can factor in as significant time and financial commitment.

Old English Sheepdog coat care, shedding, and grooming

As the Old English Sheepdog Club of America points out, learning to properly brush and groom an OES can be a full-time job in itself.

These dogs have thick, double layer coats that require intensive brushing to avoid tangles and mats. Unless you plan to trim your dog’s coat yourself, you will also need to invest in frequent sessions with a professional canine groomer.

Golden Retriever coat care, shedding, and grooming

The Golden Retriever also has a thick, double-layer coat that is typical of working dog breeds.

But unlike the OES, the Golden’s coat is largely self-maintaining. A brush once per week and a shower as needed is typically all you will have to deal with.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever mix coat care, shedding, and grooming

Since the coat care needs of the parent dogs are so different, it can help to work with a later-stage hybrid breeder (F2, F3, or later) if you really need your puppy to grow up with a certain coat type.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever Mix: Longevity & Health Issues

Longevity and health is such a vital part of choosing a puppy, but it often gets overlooked in favor of looks or personality.

Old English Sheepdog longevity and health issues

According to the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) database, the Old English Sheepdog breed has the following known possible genetic health issues you need to be aware of:

  • Hip and elbow dysplasia.
  • Autoimmune thyroiditis.
  • Exercise-induced collapse.
  • Cardiac and eye issues.
  • Congenital deafness.
  • Cerebellar degeneration.
  • Primary ciliary dyskinesia.

The Old English Sheepdog has a typical life expectancy of 10 to 12 years.

Golden Retriever longevity and health issues

According to the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) database, the Golden Retriever breed has the following known possible genetic health issues you need to be aware of:

  • Hip and elbow dysplasia.
  • Cardiac and eye issues.

The Golden Retriever has a typical life span of 10 to 12 years.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever mix: longevity and health issues

From this simple overview, you can get a sense of how important it is to work with a health-focused hybrid dog breeder that makes sure parent dogs have been pre-screened for genetic health issues.

Happily, you can expect a reasonably long life expectancy for a large-breed dog.

Old English Sheepdog Golden Retriever Mix: Is the Golden Sheepdog the Right Dog For You?

Is the Golden Sheepdog the right companion canine for you and your family? These smart, friendly, adorable hybrid dogs have a great deal to recommend them to the right owner.

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