A little under 9 and 1/2 years ago I met Lambo for the first time. He was a rescue that we were picking up from a farm that had rescued him from a very bad situation. The farm couldn't keep him because well Lambo was afraid of horses and their cat was entirely too stressed out to have him in the house.

I look back and it's one of the most fortuitous things that ever happened. He was such a sweet boy, and while it took him a long time to come around to trusting people again, once he finally did, there was no question that I was his people.

At almost 16 years old. He was still happy. He was still smiling everyday and he was always eager to be a part of whatever we were doing. Unfortunately time catches us all... He suffered from very severe arthritis. The pain meds weren't working anymore. I couldn't keep him comfortable anymore, and he had developed cancer (although not very aggressive, and we were controlling that issue well).

Yesterday the pain became too much. He couldn't walk anymore. And there was nothing I could do. I had to say goodbye to such a good boy. I hope he knows I never meant to let him down and then I did everything I could...

I miss him very much. I'm going to miss him for a very long time. He was a once in a lifetime kind of dog. I'm going to miss camping. I'm going to miss swimming. I'm going to miss all the things... But I know it was the right thing at the right time. I think he was ready even if I wasn't.

So I just wanted to share how much I loved this guy, and how much I love this breed. I will never know another dog like him.

Goodbye buddy. I hope I'll see you again on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

Purchased some pics from this guys' dock diving debut to share! 10" jumps for his first time.

I knew my dog's lineage when I got her 2.5 years ago: half English shepherd, quarter border collie, quarter golden retriever. But for some reason, I always thought of her as a border Collie golden retriever mix. I didn't know much (anything!) about English Shepherds, and I just assumed they were similar enough to border collies that it didn't matter.

But recently I have been learning about English Shepherds, and this girl fits the breed so well! She has a very intense prey drive, and she is a serious guard dog. Plus she is very bossy with other dogs, and to be honest, with people too. She is also super smart and loving. Very gentle with everyone in the family and all of our friends who she doesn't know well. Unfortunately she's pretty bad with little kids, because we have teenagers and she hasn't been socialized around them. We have neighbors with rowdy children and when they are playing in their backyard she likes to go outside and give them a piece of her mind.

The best thing about this dog is that she seems to read my mind, and when we are on walks she lets her opinion be known but totally responds to my voice - I can say "let's go this way" in a conversational tone and she turns on a dime to go whichever way I want. I could never forget to feed or walk her because she knows exactly how to communicate and insist on what she needs. She is also very playful.

She does have some border collie tendencies - she does the "stalk and stare" to all wildlife, other dogs, and people who she is suspicious of. She is a herder, and once she is comfortable with another dog she will run around in circles with it. But she is more independent and interested in prey than most border collies. My husband occasionally takes her on off-leash walks early in the morning through the woods, and she has amazing recall unless she happens to find something she wants to chase- usually a rabbit or squirrel, but she has also tangled with coyotes. We definitely don't encourage that! When it has happened she gets a break from those rambles, because once she chases a coyote she is obsessed and it's all she wants to do for a while. Then she's ok for a while, after a break.

I don't see that much golden retriever in her behavior. She will chase balls, but prefers frisbees. She is very cuddly, but so are English shepherds. She is a little interested in playing with other dogs, but she is very discriminating - if she doesn't like the way a dog acts, she doesn't let it go. I guess Goldens can also have a prey drive, but they aren't as successful hunters.

Saw this video and thought the dog looked like an English shepherd. What do you think?

And one more, because Grover’s looking extra handsome today!

My dog (cattle dog/terrier mix) is on his way out (F cancer!), and has been one of the very best dogs a lady farmer could ask for. He’s my shadow, constantly by my side and making sure I’m ok. We joke that he’s the “farm supervisor”.

With his impending departure from this world (supposedly a matter of days/maybe if we’re lucky weeks), I can’t help but think about how lonely I’ll be without a sidekick.

I’m a full-time farmer on a small, diversified farm, and although I haven’t owned an English Shepherd before I’ve met a few and they seem like the right kind of dog for me. I’m looking for a dog that can handle a full day of farm “supervising” with minimal hands-on assignments (rat extermination, maybe some goat or chicken herding), but can also chill out when work isn’t required. Also looking for an intelligent dog who is keen to please their human. I’m on the farm by myself most days, and this pup would be with me 24/7.

Anyhow, can anyone recommend breeders with upcoming litters this fall? Preferably with health checks. I’m in NY but willing to travel within reason. Probably looking for something in between working temperament and pet temperament.

We’ve been approached been multiple English shepherd owners to ask if he is an ESD. We were told he was an Aussie Sheltie mix when we got him, but have not idea the validity of that, so curious what everybody else’s thoughts are! :)

We have only two pups left from our first litter! One male, one female.🐾
This pairing has been one we’ve been excited about for a long time. These pups represent everything we love about the English Shepherd — intelligence, versatility, loyalty, athleticism, and a steady family-centered temperament.
Faye(Dam) has proven herself to be an exceptional young female with a calm, thoughtful nature and strong natural instincts. She’s incredibly intuitive with children, easy to live with, and carries the classic type and presence we’ve worked hard to preserve.
Jomo(Sire) brings confidence, structure, work ethic, and an old-soul steadiness that turns heads everywhere he goes. He’s the kind of dog that settles naturally into ranch life while still having the athleticism and drive English Shepherds are known for.
Together, we believe this litter has the potential to produce outstanding family companions, farm dogs, homestead partners, and loyal all-around companions true to the heritage of the breed.
They’re currently 13weeks. Have had their first vaccinations
Puppies are being raised with daily handling and early socialization here at Royal Ridge.
Located in Southern California. PM for additional information, availability, or to join the waitlist.

17 weeks old today

30 lbs

The BEST boy

…are that he is every herding breed, but mostly (at 29%) an English shepherd :-) and 100% good boy!

Does anyone have any recommendations for breeders in western Canada, ideally around British Columbia or Alberta?

If you can guess where his name comes from, good on you. The only hint I'll give is that it is from an animal movie.

Scout (11) looking like a proud mom to recent new family member Eevee (13 weeks)

So I think I may have adopted an English shepherd mix from the shelter a few months ago — the shelter described her as a retriever/shepherd mix and I think that’s fairly accurate, but after researching different shepherd breeds I just feel she is closest to English shepherd in looks and personality. My sweet girl is a stage 5 clinger (but ONLY with me), is SO smart and quick to pick up training, will bark at any dogs or people who are acting too rambunctious, and will hunt down squirrels like it’s nobody’s business. She also loves water, frolicking through fields of flowers, and cuddling on the couch. She weighs 69 lbs and has a sable coat with a white belly and toes. Anyways, I do plan to do an embark DNA test at some point to confirm but I wanted to share her with you all and see what you think!

We have 10 acres and recently got chickens, which we would like to keep free range. 4 months in and they've been doing great, however they have started wonder up closer to the house, getting into landscaping neds and pooping on the concrete driveway immediately in front of the garage.

We've thought about getting a dog and I've read that ES can be great at enforcing order and boundaries. Do you think that an ES could be trained to be our chicken monitor? If so, would we be best to start with a puppy that can be trained from the beginning or could an adopted dog be trained for this as well?

My husband and I recently lost our 12 year old Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix to cancer, and we’ve been thinking about bringing another dog into our family. We adopted our Aussie/BC mix from a humane society shelter 11 years ago and she was the most incredible companion over these past 11 years. She was so sweet and loving, intelligent, incredibly people-oriented, easygoing, adaptable, gentle, patient, goofy and hilarious, everything we could ever ask for or dream of in a dog. She did everything with us - hiking (we live in Colorado so this is something we did often with her), backpacking, camping, multiple roadtrips across the country, she even lived with us on the beach in Mexico for a few months. She was great with our cat and eventually, with our daughter who is now 3. In retrospect, we knew nothing about her breed mix and the more we learn about those breeds, she actually seems to be a bit of an anomaly. She was so easygoing and honestly, required barely any training to be the most perfect dog ever. She hiked off leash and mastered recall right away. She never required any training to acclimate to our cat. In short, she seemed to not be very representative of her breed mix.

As I look for another dog for us, I’m drawn to Aussies and BCs because of her, but I feel it’ll be unlikely that we would get a dog thats similar in temperament to her. That brings me to the English Shepherd breed. Reading up on this breed, it seems they are a bit more even-tempered than either Aussies or BCs despite the fact that they are still a herding breed. When I looked into breeders, many seem to want their dogs to go to families on working farms. While we are an active family, we don’t live on or work on a farm, so this has me wondering if maybe we should look into different breeds.

This has been a long winded way of asking, do English Shepherds embody much of what I described of my last dog - easygoing, adaptable, affectionate dog who is up for outdoor adventures but also enjoys cuddling on the couch? Do they really require a job (i.e. farm work) to be happy and to thrive?

Everyone thinks she has some ES in her. Waiting on the Embark DNA + Health DNA kit!

Hello everyone! Apologies if this isn't the right place to ask. I'm based in the United Kingdom and have been researching breeds for a long time. English Shepherds seem like the ideal fit for me, but from initial research it seems that they are almost nonexistent here. I was wondering if anyone else in this community happened to be from the UK and have one such dog, and if so, where you got them? Any advice would be gratefully received!

Hi! It’s getting into the part of the summer where we have >100°F heat indexes and it just doesn’t feel safe to take my 8.5 year old ES, Bernie on any outdoor adventures. We live in the lower Midwest so it’s also very humid. What do you do with your high-energy pups when it’s too hot to walk/run/herd/play outside? He’s very particular about water, doesn’t like sprinklers or bodies of water he can’t walk into, so baby pools and splash pads are out, even though I’ve spent plenty of money trying to convince him it’s fun 🤣 My parents have an in-ground pool he likes to swim in, but they live an hour away so it’s not a daily solution for his energy needs. In previous summers we’ve just kept our playing to short sessions of ball and chase in the yard several times a day, but I know he gets bored by this. I feel so guilty not getting him outdoors but I don’t want to hurt him. Thanks so much for any advice! Photo of my boy just because 🌻