An Old English Sheepdog owner's main dental job is managing a big, powerful mouth hidden behind a lot of hair: this 60–100 pound herding breed has well-spaced teeth and a strong scissors bite, so the priorities are preventing fractured teeth from over-hard chewing and keeping plaque from quietly hardening into tartar where you can't easily see it. Daily plaque control — brushing, an appropriately sized dental chew, or ideally both — is the backbone of the plan.
We've spent more than 25 years at Ark Naturals making dental chews in the USA without artificial flavors or colors, and the shaggy breeds hold a special place in our hearts. That famous OES beard is adorable, and it's also very good at hiding gum problems until they're advanced. Here's how we'd protect those teeth.
Why is the Old English Sheepdog's mouth different?
Start with sheer scale. A mature OES carries 42 adult teeth in a broad, square muzzle, and the temporalis and masseter muscles driving that jaw were bred for a drover's working day. That gives the breed real advantages: the teeth are generally well aligned, crowding is uncommon, and saliva flows freely around a roomy dental arcade. Large-breed dogs like this tend to develop periodontal disease later than toy breeds do.
The trade-offs come from power and coat. Chew force in a dog this size is enough to crack a tooth on an antler, cow hoof, or hard nylon bone — the upper fourth premolar (the big carnassial tooth that does the shearing work) is the classic casualty. And the profuse facial furnishings around the lips trap food particles, moisture, and saliva against the skin and gumline. Damp beard hair can mat against the lip folds, feed odor-causing bacteria, and disguise drooling or bleeding that would be obvious on a short-faced dog.
One more quirk worth knowing: with all that hair over the eyes and muzzle, many owners simply handle their Sheepdog's mouth less often. Out of sight really does become out of mind, which is why a scheduled routine matters more for this breed than for a dog whose teeth you see every time it smiles.
What are the top dental risks for an Old English Sheepdog?
Fractured teeth from hard chewing. Veterinary dentists see slab fractures of the carnassial teeth most often in enthusiastic large-breed chewers. A rule of thumb we like: if you can't dent it with a thumbnail or flex it in your hands, it's probably too hard for your dog's teeth. The American Veterinary Dental College notes that dental disease is the most common clinical condition in adult dogs, and fractures with pulp exposure are painful even when a stoic breed hides it.
Gradual tartar accumulation. Plaque mineralizes into tartar within days. Because an OES has a large mouth and a patient temperament, owners often skip inspections, and calculus builds along the upper premolars and molars where the salivary ducts empty.
Lip-fold and beard-related irritation. Chronic moisture around the mouth can inflame the skin at the lip margins and let bacteria flourish right next to the gumline. Keeping the beard trimmed, clean, and dry is genuinely part of dental care in this breed.
Gum disease that hides under hair. Red gum margins, early gingivitis, and even a loose tooth can go unnoticed for months when a curtain of gray-and-white coat covers the muzzle. By the time breath odor is bad enough to notice through the beard, there's usually established disease. Your veterinarian can grade gum health during annual exams — ask them to show you what stage your dog is at.
How do you build a daily dental routine for an OES?
Brush what you can, as often as you can. Daily brushing with a dog-specific enzymatic toothpaste is the gold standard, per the AVMA's pet dental care guidance. For an OES, part the facial hair, lift the lip, and focus on the outer surfaces of the upper premolars and canines — thirty seconds per side is a win. Pair brushing with a treat and most Sheepdogs, being famously agreeable, learn to tolerate it quickly.
Add a properly sized dental chew. On days when brushing doesn't happen (real life happens to all of us), a functional chew keeps mechanical and enzymatic cleaning in play. Our Brushless Toothpaste dental chews are built with a toothpaste center wrapped in a ridged outer texture — just be sure to choose the large-dog size from our full dog lineup so the chew is big enough to force real chewing rather than gulping. Our DENTA-METER system on each box shows whether a formula is a starter or advanced option. For senior Sheepdogs or dogs that need gentler chewing, Soft Shield Protection+ delivers the advanced formula, including Asta-Shield with astaxanthin — a carotenoid antioxidant studied for its free-radical-scavenging activity (PubMed) — in a soft-chew format.
Choose safe recreational chews. Skip antlers, hooves, hard nylon, and ice cubes for this strong-jawed breed. Rubber toys with some give protect those carnassials.
Groom the muzzle weekly. Wash and thoroughly dry the beard, trim hair at the lip corners, and use that grooming session as your inspection window: lift the lips, look at the gumline, sniff the breath.
Book professional cleanings. Anesthetized cleanings with dental X-rays are the only way to assess below the gumline. Most large breeds need them less often than toys, but your veterinarian can set the right interval for your individual dog.
When should you call your vet about your Sheepdog's teeth?
Because the coat hides so much, treat any of these as a reason to schedule an exam rather than wait: breath that smells foul even after beard washing, a suddenly wet or stained beard (excess drooling), chewing on one side or dropping kibble, a chipped or discolored tooth, blood on toys, pawing at the muzzle, or reluctance to have the face handled in a dog that used to allow it. Sheepdogs are stoic; behavior changes are often the only symptom of a painful tooth. When in doubt, let your veterinarian take a look — a quick exam is far cheaper than an extraction.
Old English Sheepdog dental FAQ
At what age should I start dental care with an OES puppy?
Start handling the mouth the week your puppy comes home, and begin gentle brushing as adult teeth erupt around 4–6 months. Our chews are formulated for dogs 12 weeks and older — pick a size matched to your puppy's current weight and move up as they grow. Your vet can confirm all 42 adult teeth arrived on schedule.
Do Old English Sheepdogs have more dental problems than other breeds?
No — their risk profile is typical of large breeds, which generally fare better than small dogs on periodontal disease. Their two distinctive vulnerabilities are fractured teeth from powerful chewing and gum problems that go unnoticed beneath facial hair, so prevention and regular inspection carry extra weight.
Are dental chews enough on their own?
Chews are a strong supporting player, not the whole team. Daily brushing removes plaque most effectively, chews help on the days between, and periodic professional cleanings handle what home care can't reach. Look for products with credible mechanisms — the Veterinary Oral Health Council maintains a list of products tested for plaque and tartar control, which is a useful benchmark when comparing options.
How do I keep my Sheepdog's beard from smelling?
Wash the beard with a gentle dog shampoo once or twice weekly, dry it completely, and trim the hair shorter around the lip folds. If odor persists after cleaning, the source may be the mouth itself — gum disease or a bad tooth — and that's worth a veterinary visit rather than more shampoo.
My OES cracked a tooth on a bone. Is that urgent?
Yes, treat it as urgent. A fracture that exposes the pulp is painful and becomes an infection pathway to the tooth root. Stop offering the hard chew, save the tooth fragment if you find one, and call your veterinary clinic the same day. They'll advise whether extraction or root canal is the better route for your dog.