Old English vs. Hungarian Sheepdog: How can I tell them apart?

Based on the black and white markings and the length of the coat, I would say your puppy looks most like a border collie. As they get older, the characteristics of the specific breed can become more apparent. What a cutie!

The Olde Tyme Bulldog is suppose to represent the old breed standard for the English Bulldog. This is suppose to be what the breed looked like as a working dog a century ago. The OTB is taller, longer bodies, less stocky, a smaller head and a less pronounced flat muzzle. The British or English Bulldog is the breed most of us are more familiar with. These dogs are short, stocky, have large heads and very short/flat muzzles. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

The Caucasian Ovcharka has a better temperament and is more affectionate I think. It is also a little more relaxed and should make a better companion. They both are excellent livestock guardian dogs. They both need to be trained and socialized and learn the farm boundaries and who and what they are to guard. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

Hi there! Great question. It will be hard to make a distinction until Simba is finished growing, but he looks to me like what we would call an American lab. American labs are taller with a longer muzzle and narrower head, while English labs are shorter, with a bigger, block like head shape (similar to Newfoundlands). These distinctions are merely a result of breeding and are not recognized as distinctions by groups such as the American Kennel Club (AKC) who set breed standards. Hopefully this answers your question. One thing is for sure, Simba is absolutely adorable!

The working lines are usually smaller, have very little angulation. They are bred to have a very high pain tolerance. This means they do not respond very much to pain. It also means he will not respond to normal corrections and requires much harder discipline to get the dog to obey you. Working dogs have more 'hair trigger' aggression, and generally a higher Prey drive.

It's actually perfectly safe to use Heartgard (which has the active ingredient ivermectin) as a heartworm prevention if you like. It's true that Old English Sheepdogs and other herding breeds can sometimes have a genetic mutation (the mdr1 mutation) that makes them more sensitive to certain drugs, including ivermectin - this means that it might not be safe to use high doses of this drug in these breeds, such as the doses often used to treat scabies or demodectic mange. But at the very low doses used in Heartgard and other heartworm preventatives, these breeds have no issues at all - so it's fine to use this product if you like. If you're still concerned and want to choose a different drug entirely, Sentinel is another very effective heartworm preventative that has a different active ingredient (milbemycin oxime) which should not cause any issues at all.

Looks can be deceiving but these photos do look like purebred dogs. It’s hard to say if they are working or show lines. I recommend to call the breeder as they are most familiar with their bloodlines. You can also contact the breed club as they likely have excellent resources. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions!