# Old Welsh Grey Sheepdog

Also known as: Welsh Grey, Old Welsh Grey, Welsh Grey Sheepdog
- **Group:** Herding (FCI group 1)
- **Size:** Medium
- **Origin:** Wales
- **Temperament:** Hardy, Noisy Worker, Independent, Hard-Working
- **Status:** Extinct

The Old Welsh Grey was a shaggy Welsh hill and drovers' sheepdog that worked loose-eyed with a short bark. It is now almost certainly extinct and survives in part through the Patagonian Sheepdog.

## Overview

The Welsh Grey was a shaggy, long-haired sheepdog native to Wales. It resembled the working Bearded Collie and the ancestors of the Old English Sheepdog, with which it probably shared heritage.

It is thought to be extinct now, last seen on Welsh hill farms in the 1980s.

## History

Welsh Greys were used by shepherds and by the drovers who took livestock to England. From the early twentieth century all types of Welsh sheepdog declined as the Border Collie took over herding work.

Dogs were still found in the upper Towy valley into the 1980s. Some are thought to have travelled with Welsh settlers to Patagonia, where they contributed to the Patagonian Sheepdog.

## Appearance

A shaggy, long-haired dog, similar to working strains of the Bearded Collie. Its coat was grey, as the name suggests.

## Temperament

It worked in a loose-eyed, noisy way, quite unlike the Border Collie, and used a distinctive short bark to move stock. It was a robust, independent worker well suited to hill farms and long droving journeys.

## Care and exercise

As a working farm dog it was kept for its job and lived outdoors with the flock. Its long coat would have needed regular brushing.

## Ratings (1 to 5)

- Energy: 4
- Exercise needs: 4
- Grooming: 3
- Shedding: 3
- Trainability: 3
- Barking: 4
- Good with children: 3
- Good with other dogs: 3

Page: https://techtools.cz/tools/dog-atlas/old-welsh-grey-sheepdog
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Welsh_Grey_Sheepdog · https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7085403
Profile written by an AI model from the sources above.