Welsh Sheepdog

The hill dog of Wales was kept for work rather than looks, so size, coat and colour vary from farm to farm, and eighteenth-century drovers took these dogs with them on sheep-selling journeys. It is loose-eyed: where a Border Collie crouches and stares, the Welsh Sheepdog stays upright and moves stock by presence, working well without close direction. No major kennel club recognises it, so puppies mostly come from working farms rather than show breeders. Expect independence and stamina, and a dog that makes its own decisions in the garden as readily as on the hill.