English Shepherd Care

The English Shepherd (ES) is a medium-sized, energetic breed that is the epitome of a herding dog. Breed members are intelligent, loyal, and at times bossy; centuries of controlling livestock have developed them into canine control freaks! Overall English Shepherd care and maintenance won't take too much work, but will need to include a good bit of daily exercise.

Below you'll find details on caring for an English Shepherd including info about puppy development, exercise needs, and shedding and drooling tendencies. Get answers to your questions about raising an English Shepherd in the following sections!

As a highly energetic herding breed,English Shepherd exercise requirements are pretty extensive. These dogs are also intelligent and task-oriented, so they'll need a variety of activities that both condition them physically (walking, fetch) and stimulate them mentally (games, canine sports). They make good jogging and bicycling companions as well.

Adult English Shepherds will need at least an hour of dedicated exercise per day--and younger ES dogs will need much more than that. You can start exercising your ES puppy when it's three months old by taking it on short walks, then you can increase the walks' length as the pup grows.

Precautions with English Shepherd exercise:

• Don't exercise puppies too hard before they're nine months old
• Strong herding instincts mean a leash is required when exercising in public
• Yards must be securely fenced to keep the dog from running off

Exercising your English Shepherd every day is an absolute must. These dogs are blessed with incredible energy and stamina--and without consistent activity they'll become anxious, hyperactive, and destructive. Regular exercise will be great for both the dog's and your own peace of mind! A few English Shepherd exercise ideas:

• Walking/Jogging/Bicycling: Two 20-minute walks (or 15-minute jogs or bike rides) per day is a good target
• Fetch/Frisbee: These dogs love chasing a ball, stick, or Frisbee
• Hide-and-Seek: Good indoor activity; give the dog a treat when it finds you
• Canine Sports: English Shepherds can excel at obedience or agility trials and other events
• Dog Park: If properly socialized, English Shepherds will enjoy the company of other dogs
• Hiking: Excellent bonding activity

When indoors, access to balls or toys will allow your English Shepherd to burn excess energy. It's also good to have a regular exercise schedule for the dog, such as walks, jogs, or bike rides after breakfast and dinner and playtime in the afternoon.

Overall maintenance needed for these dogs is moderate. English Shepherd shedding is seasonal: fair for most of the year, and heavier during the twice-yearly shedding seasons. Drooling isn't an issue.

ES dogs have thick, double-layered coats that are straight or wavy. The coats shed moderately most of the time--but when they blow their undercoats in the spring (and depending on the climate, in the fall as well), the shedding is more profuse. Owners can brush their English Shepherds' coats once or twice a week with a pin brush to keep the shedding to a minimum, and hair cleanup--vacuuming the floors, and lint rollers on clothes and furniture--will be necessary from time to time. (Brushing and cleanup will obviously be required more often during shedding season.)

And English Shepherd rarely drools, though. If your English Shepherd is drooling excessively, it might be a sign of a medical issue, in which case a veterinarian's care is needed.