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The sheep poodle
 

at home in Barnebeck
Winter in the Giant Mountains

Basically, there are no off-colors in sheep poodles, so all color variations are allowed. They are often pure black, blue-gray, gray, light wheat-colored or white. There are also occasional tan dogs with a dark mask and dark ears. The coat is thick and firm with long, shaggy top coat and a thick undercoat that tends to mat. This means that sheep poodles are ideally equipped for long periods of work outside in all weathers. Bitches are about 45 to 55 cm tall, males 50 to 60 cm and weigh 17 to 25 kg.

With the beginning of pedigree dog breeding, the old breeds of German sheepdogs were increasingly forgotten. Developments were somewhat different in the former GDR, where dog breeding was a state matter alongside sheep breeding. However, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, subsidies for sheep breeding disappeared and with the herds, almost all of the dogs disappeared. It is thanks to a few dedicated shepherds that the old breeds have not disappeared completely. Nevertheless, the breeds of Old German Sheepdogs are still threatened with extinction.

With Emil in Friedrichsbrunn
In the Harz
In the Harz

The sheep poodle has always been praised for its character, its enthusiasm for work and its vitality. It is considered to be particularly intelligent, robust, undemanding, friendly, social, gentle, affectionate and very fond of children. Well socialized and consistently trained, it is an ideal family dog.

 

 

It is thanks in no small part to the meticulous breeding work of Ms. Mechthild Jenissen-Tibbe that the population at the Institute for Holistic Sheep Poodle Breeding is slowly recovering. In her book "The Sheep Poodle", which is now in its third edition, she provides insights into such important breeding topics as:

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  • The Merle defect gene

  • Cryptorchidism in dogs

  • Hip dysplasia

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