Forequarters
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"Neck-Fairly long and gracefully arched."
"Shoulders well laid back and narrow at the points. The forelegs dead straight with plenty of bone. The measurements from the withers to the elbow and from the elbow to the ground are practically the same"
The OES must have a fairly long neck with an arch through its neck. It helps the OES to see over animals when he is working. When judging, make sure that the neck has not been stripped along the sides and right behind the withers to give the appearance of length of neck. Sometimes exhibitors will cut the coat around the front of the neck right below the head giving the dog a "westie" look, which is NOT correct.
When examining the Old English Sheepdog check carefully where the chest and elbow are, because the length of the chest coat can be very deceiving. Do not hesitate to lift the chest coat to actually see the elbow and the body of the dog.
If the coat has been cut short, the dog is shorter on leg than he appears. If the dog has super long chest coat, check to see where the chest actually is, relative to the elbow.
"The forelegs dead straight with plenty of bone"
