Old English Sheepdogs

May 6, 2004 2:35 PM

My parents have an Old English sheepdog, and while he has the most adorable set of eyes, we can't help but wonder, is there a medical reason that so many other sheepdog owners keep the fur covering their eyes? Are Old English sheepdogs prone to cataracts?
posted by invisible ink to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

My childhood into adulthood dog was part sheepdog. We did have her shaved in the summer to keep her cool; but when her hair grew out we didn't clear it from her eyes. We never thought about it; figuing, probably, that if it grew that way, it was "supposed" to be that way. Which is silly, of course, given that animal breeding can and does create many things that are maladaptive to a dog actually needing to function (and not just look pretty).

That said, it never seemed to be a problem for her.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 3:02 PM on May 6, 2004

Response by poster: Thanks, Ethereal Bligh:-) Max likes to sunbathe on the patio early in the morning, and I was thinking about all that sunlight. He also has a habit of hovering around the kitchen table, which has very sharp corners, I have nightmares of him poking an eyeball out.
posted by invisible ink at 4:58 PM on May 6, 2004

There's no reason for it other than show ring tradition (the original working dog is thought to have had a SMALL amount of hair to protect the eyes from dust, they are herding dogs after all, but they by no means had the amount of coat that today's dogs do), and they can't see through the hair any more than you can. They do tend to be prone to eye problems, but the hair won't help with that, good breeding practices are the only cure (i.e. testing all breeding stock and only using ones with eyes which test clear, asking about this is part of doing your due diligence when choosing a breeder). The hair should be trimmed or put up in elastics so that the dog can see.
posted by biscotti at 5:16 PM on May 6, 2004

And of course there's owner vanity: My coton de tulear, who looks like a sheepdog in miniature, looks really cute with his hair flopping in front of his eyes.
posted by werty at 9:18 AM on May 7, 2004