The history of the breed cannot be traced back much further than 150 years despite claims to the contrary by A. Hopwood and others at the turn of the century, who were to be charitable trying to popularize the breed. Unlike gundogs and hounds kept by Landed Gentry whose records go back over 200 years. The Sheepdog was kept as a working dog by shepherds and drovers whose only interest was the working ability of their dogs. However, there seems little doubt that the Old English Sheepdog was evolved from various drovers dogs in the Southern Counties of England, hence one of their earlier names “The Sussex Sheepdog.”The breed was first scheduled at a dog show in 1873 at Curzon Hall in Birmingham, when there were three exhibits. It is first mentioned in the Stud Book in Volume 2 published in 1875 when two dogs entered were both named “Bob”, under the title Short Tailed English Sheepdog. Apart from Volume 8(1881) when they were called Colleys(English Short Tailed) and Volume 12 (1885) when they had the name Sheepdogs(Bob-Tailed) they kept this name until 1893 when the current name of Old English Sheepdog was first used.

By M.G. Taylor (Breed Historian UK) from the Centenary Yearbook of the Old English Sheepdog Book (UK) 1988

The Old English Sheepdog was introduced to the United States by Freeman Lloyd. He co-wrote the first US Standard (1905) and helped to found the Old English Sheepdog Club of America in 1904 and it was accepted in 1905.