At one time there existed many sheep-herding dogs peculiar to Wales; during the 18th century Welsh drovers taking sheep for sale took with them five or six sheepdogs as "herders on the narrow roads, guards against highwaymen, and providers of game on the route". These were an early type of Welsh Sheepdog, higher on the leg and more racily built than the modern day breed.

However, by the 1940s the group had decreased to two or three breeds only. The ancient pure breeds of Black-and-Tan Sheepdog  and Welsh Hillman were almost extinct, and were scarcely seen working. The type best known in Wales at that time was mostly descended from the old Black-and-Tan with an infusion of working Border Collie blood.

In the 1940s the Welsh Sheepdog was still common throughout the north and central Welsh counties. In herding activities, it did not normally work low to the ground in "the showy manner sometimes seen in the work of the working [Border] Collies", as British dog fancier C. L. B. Hubbard put it in 1948. It was variable in type; approximately 18 in (46 cm) in height, but the weight ranged from the lighter built, leggier dog of North Wales at 35 lb (16 kg) to the more solid 40 to 45 lb (18 to 20 kg) dogs of Glamorganshire and Monmouthshire. There were no dog show classes for the Welsh Sheepdog as it was purely a working breed.  Welsh Sheepdogs are primarily herding dogs who have a natural ability with large flocks of sheep or cattle. Some have been trained to compete in dog agility trials, obedience, rally obedience, flyball, tracking, and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at non competitive herding tests. Welsh Sheepdogs can be trained to compete in stock dog trials.in more recent years, efforts have been made to maintain the indigenous Welsh Sheepdog as a distinct variety. They are able to work independently without necessarily being under direct human control. Welsh Sheepdogs are most often used for herding sheep, but also readily work cattle, goats, and even horses and pigs. Traditionally they were often used as droving dogs to take cattle and sheep to markets locally or elsewhere in Britain. 

In the next twenty or thirty years the native dog breeds of Wales could disappear. Sadly, but it must be faced, all the Welsh breeds of dog are either extinct, under threat or struggling to emerge. Never listed by the KC were the Welsh Hillman (the longer-legged uplands sheepdog of Wales), the Old Welsh Grey (the bearded sheepdog of Wales) and the Welsh Black and Tan Sheepdog (the shorter-coated ‘valleys’ sheepdog of South Wales) D Hancock & Photo

The Welsh Hillman was an ancient landrace or type of herding dog in Wales, used for herding and droving. The variety was thought to have become extinct around 1990. Thought to have been descended from ancient Welsh herding dogs. It was possibly the oldest Welsh sheepdog and may have been the descendant of the old gellgi or Welsh wolfhounds used around 1,000 years ago. Some sources, without any obvious evidence, suggest it was crossbred with similar dogs seen in North Africa.

It was a large but rangy dog, up to approximately 25 in (64 cm) in height, and described as fast and fearless, with an appearance not unlike a lighter-built German Shepherd. The ears were pricked. The coat was usually of a light fawn, sandy or red-gold colour with a black saddle, a white chest, white on the legs and the tip of the tail and a blaze on the face. Blue merle dogs were also occasionally seen.

The breed was uncommon in modern times. C. L. B. Hubbard, writing in 1948, described it as "almost extinct" and "scarcely ever seen working today".The last known Welsh Hillman, "Jess", was purchased in 1974 from a hill farm near Hay-on-Wye by the author and broadcaster Jeanine McMullen, and was spayed before her owner realised her rarity.

The Welsh Sheepdog's life span is 12–15 years. As this breed  has been untouched by the KC and bred for Brains not beauty this breed is the nearest we have to one of the orginal breeds which made the rough collie. So it was a no brainer to use this breed  to cross with the rough collie  to improve the health the DNA and to put diversity back into the genes of the rough collie, thats why the Tofty project exsists. We hope in the future that more breeders will incorperate the Tofty into breeding programmes.