Old Welsh Grey Sheepdog

The Old Welsh Grey is a shaggy grey herding dog of the Welsh hills, largely absorbed into the Border Collie and now barely present.

History

It worked sheep and cattle across upland Wales, a rough-coated drover's dog quite unlike the smooth-eyed collie that displaced it. As the Border Collie spread through British hill farming in the twentieth century the Welsh Grey was crossed away rather than kept, and only a handful of dogs of the old type are reported today.

Temperament

Accounts describe a hardy, independent worker that drove stock by pushing rather than by eye, steady with its shepherd and unbothered by weather.

Care and training

A working hill dog needs a great deal of exercise and a job. The long rough coat sheds and needs regular brushing.

Health

Nothing is documented as specific to the type, and the population is too small to say more. These are patterns for the type rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.