Welsh Grey Sheepdog

Welsh Grey Sheepdog

He is not recognized by the F.C.I.

Origin

Translation

En français, cette race se dit

Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar

En español, esta raza se dice

In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd

This breed is also known as

Welsh Grey
Old Welsh Grey

The Welsh Grey was a long-haired, shaggy dog whose appearance resembled that of working lines of the Scottish Bearded Collie or the ancestors of the Old English Sheepdog (Bobtail); these breeds likely share a common origin.

Like the Bearded Collie, the Welsh Grey worked noisily and without fixing the livestock with a steady stare (a style known as "loose-eyed")—a method very different from that of the Border Collie and other collie-type dogs—and was characterized by a short, distinctive bark. In addition to its use by shepherds, the breed was also prized by drovers who herded livestock to England.

The numbers of all Welsh sheepdog varieties declined from the early 20th century onwards due to the increasing use of the Border Collie for herding. Welsh Grey dogs were still found on upland farms in the upper Towy Valley as late as the 1980s, but the breed is now likely extinct.

It is believed that Welsh Grey dogs accompanied Welsh settlers to Patagonia and that the Patagonian Sheepdog descends in part from this breed.