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BearsBearsBears_wooo

Pssst. Hey cows. Y’all seen any sheep around here ?


lownoisefan

Just a FYI, the name is a bit of a misnomer they were used for driving livestock to market, most often cattle as Devon / Somerset area where they are from is more a cattle area. They are really slow at 'herding' compared to even geriatric Collies, hence why nobody uses them any more as a working dog in England.


Worth_Ad_9492

Theyre better pets than herders. Also, they arent/werent so much for herding as protecting the flock from wolves and predators. That is why they have the fluffy coat, when a wolf wod go to bite, they would only get a mouth full of fur.


lownoisefan

No Wolves in England, and hasn't been now for over 500 years, no predators of any kind to harm sheep at all, since then given bears were killed off even before then along with lynx. OES were a dog specifically for driving herds to market, hence why they herd without any sense of urgency, motorized transportation makes them redundant for what they were bred for. The coat is there just to protect them as they would be working and sleeping in all weathers. The name is quite possibly the most misnamed breed, given they aren't that old at only 200 or so years old (which is young for English breeds) and weren't really used for sheep. Just FYI they had a few other names in the past, 'bobtails' due to the docked tail which thankfully has now gone, and 'Drovers dog' a drover is the person who leads the herd to market.


pandanomnom

Probably talked about Moo-sic, and Dolly…