Old English Sheepdog Puppies: Adopt or Buy?

Should you adopt or buy an Old English Sheepdog?

It depends on whether it has to be a puppy. Purebred Old English Sheepdogs are rare across the rescues we aggregate, and the Old English Sheepdog Club of Victoria says demand always outweighs supply. If you want a puppy from health-tested parents, a registered breeder with a waiting list is the realistic route. If what you want is the dog (the clownish nature, the size, the shaggy look), an adult OES or OES cross from rescue comes with its coat, size and temperament already on show.

The RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase suggests the RSPCA or a reputable rescue first, and if you go to a breeder, making sure they are registered, visiting where the puppies were born and meeting the parents. Our guide to adopting a dog in Australia covers the rescue process step by step.

Reference only, not quotes. Figures read on 11 November 2026; breeders and rescues set their own prices and change them, so check with them.

How much is an Old English Sheepdog puppy from a registered breeder?

There is no published figure to quote. Neither the Old English Sheepdog Club of Victoria nor the OES Club of WA publishes a price; both point buyers to breeders directly. In November 2026 we looked for the own websites of the Australian OES breeders listed through the state bodies and the clubs. Few have one; the one breeder website we could open published no puppy price. Prices on listing sites are left out, because we cannot check who is selling. So the honest answer is: ask each breeder, and compare what the price includes.

Reference only, not quotes. Fees change, so check with the rescue. RSPCA NSW says its fees ensure pets are desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and health-checked.

Supply is small. Dogs Australia's National Animal Registration Analysis 2018 to 2025 lists 38 Old English Sheepdogs registered in 2025 and 39 in 2024, down from 94 in 2020. The OES Club of WA tells buyers to expect a wait of up to 2 years and suggests using that time to meet club members and registered breeders. The Victorian club keeps a puppy register and notes that there are breeders in other states when none have puppies in Victoria.

Which health tests should an Old English Sheepdog breeder do?

Start with hips, elbows and eyes, then ask about DNA tests. Dogs Victoria's breed page says the OES is generally a healthy breed, but that hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and eye health testing are the things to ask a breeder about. No Australian OES club page we read sets out a test list, so the table also shows what the Old English Sheepdog Club of America requires of breeders on its referral list. Use it as a checklist of questions, not an Australian rule.

Sources: Dogs Victoria, Old English Sheepdog Club of America breeder referral and CHIC health registry page, read 11 November 2026. This is a buying checklist, not veterinary advice. Our Old English Sheepdog health guide covers what these conditions mean once you own one.

Two of those DNA tests come from published research on the breed. Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is an inherited fault in the tiny hairs that sweep the airways clean, causing repeated nose and chest infections. A 2011 study in Nature Genetics (Merveille and others) traced it in Old English Sheepdogs to a mutation in the CCDC39 gene, and a 2014 follow-up of 578 OES in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine found carriers in 19 percent of the European dogs tested and 7 percent of the non-European dogs. Hereditary cerebellar ataxia, a juvenile-onset loss of coordination, was linked in Old English Sheepdogs and Gordon Setters to a change in the RAB24 gene in a 2014 study in PLOS Genetics (Agler and others). Both are recessive: a carrier is healthy, and a DNA test lets a breeder avoid mating two carriers.

MDR1 is a gene that affects how some dogs handle certain medicines. If your puppy's parents have not been tested, tell your vet the breed so they can decide whether a test is worth doing.

How much work is the Old English Sheepdog coat?

A lot, for the dog's whole life. Dogs Australia says an Old English Sheepdog in a full coat needs three to four hours of grooming each week, and that breeds described as non-shedding still need regular or daily brushing to avoid mats. Dogs Victoria puts it at probably 2 to 3 hours a week and notes that some owners choose to clip the coat shorter.

The Dogs Australia standard describes the coat as “profuse and of good hard texture; not straight, but shaggy and free from curl”, with a waterproof undercoat. Colour is any shade of grey, grizzle, blue or blue merle, with or without white markings. Dogs Victoria says the breed does not shed, which some buyers read as allergy friendly. Our hypoallergenic dogs guide explains what allergy specialists actually say, and why time with the individual dog is the only real test.

If you cannot do the brushing yourself, price a professional groomer every few weeks before you commit, and add it to the dog cost calculator. Our OES grooming guide covers brushing, clipping and coat care in a hot summer.

How big does an Old English Sheepdog get, and how long does it live?

Big and solid. The Dogs Australia standard asks for “a strong, compact-looking dog of great symmetry”, thick-set and muscular, standing 56 cm and upwards for males and slightly less for females. The tail may be naturally bobtail or carried naturally; the standard notes the breed was previously completely docked.

Can an Old English Sheepdog cope with an Australian summer?

Yes, with planning, and indoors. The Old English Sheepdog Club of Victoria says making an OES a member of the family inside your home is mandatory. The RSPCA Knowledgebase on heatstroke says to exercise dogs at the coolest times of day, to give a cool, shaded, well-ventilated area and water at all times, to avoid hot surfaces, to keep dogs lean because overweight dogs overheat faster, and never to leave a dog in a car. Our dogs in hot weather guide has the full first aid and state hot-car rules.

What do Old English Sheepdogs in rescue look like?

Mostly adults and crosses. Across the rescues, shelters and council pounds we aggregate, a purebred Old English Sheepdog is listed only now and then, so an alert on the Old English Sheepdog breed page matters more than checking once. Shaggy crosses, including Poodle crosses sold as “sheepadoodles”, also turn up. A cross has no breed standard, so its size and coat can vary a lot; judge the individual dog in front of you.

A rescue OES may arrive clipped short. That says nothing about its nature, and a clipped adult can be an easy way to start: you see the dog's shape and temperament first, then decide how much coat you want to maintain. It is also worth telling your state OES club you would take an adult, and asking whether they know of one that needs a home.

How do Old English Sheepdog puppy scams work?

Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites and fake social media and marketplace profiles to sell popular breeds and pets that do not exist, and that a very cheap pet is likely a scam. For a breed with long waiting lists, watch for these signs:

• Puppies available now, for anyone, anywhere. The OES Club of WA describes waits of up to 2 years and breeders keen to get to know buyers, not a seller shipping a puppy sight unseen.
• No health results. A breeder who cannot show the parents' hip, elbow and eye results is not doing what Dogs Victoria says to ask about.
• No breeder number. The Queensland Government says not to buy a puppy from a person who does not have a valid breeder identification number (BIN). NSW, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT also require an identifying number in puppy ads. Look it up on the official register, not through a link the seller sends.
• A membership number you cannot check. Ask for the breeder's Dogs Australia membership number and check it with the state body yourself.

Our guide to puppies for sale in Australia has the full state-by-state table of breeder numbers and what to do if you have already paid.

When is a registered breeder the better choice?

Rescue is not right for everyone. A registered breeder makes sense if you want a puppy from parents with known hip, elbow, eye and DNA results, if you want to show or try herding, or if you have watched the rescue listings for months and no adult has suited your home.

1. Registration. Check the membership number with Dogs Australia or your state body, and your state's breeder number on the official register.
2. A club contact. The Victorian and WA OES clubs both put buyers in touch with breeders; joining as an associate member is a good way to meet dogs while you wait.
3. Health results for both parents: hips, elbows and eyes, and which DNA tests were done.
4. The mother, in person, and where the puppies are raised.
5. A grooming plan. A good breeder will show you how to brush an OES and will want to know you can keep it up.

Is an Old English Sheepdog the right dog for you?

Dogs Victoria calls the OES the canine version of Peter Pan, a dog that never grows up, and says it is an ideal pet for someone prepared to spend time with it. Be honest about four things.

Not sure a big, high-maintenance coat fits? The what dog breed is right for me quiz and the adoption readiness check each take a few minutes.

Find an Old English Sheepdog near you

Old English Sheepdogs and OES crosses listed by rescues, by city:

• Old English Sheepdogs for adoption in Sydney
• Old English Sheepdogs for adoption in Melbourne
• Old English Sheepdogs for adoption in Brisbane
• Old English Sheepdogs for adoption in Perth
• Old English Sheepdogs for adoption in Adelaide

Local guides to adopting an Old English Sheepdog, with the rescues that serve each city: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth, Adelaide.

Weighing up other big, coated dogs? Our Bernese Mountain Dog, Newfoundland and Border Collie guides cover the same questions. The large dogs in Sydney and in Melbourne are worth a look too.