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| All of this info is available here on forum.oes.org | I purchased an OES puppy 2 years ago, I named her Emily. She was an alpha dog. She was very agressive with my small (adopted dog), taking away toys, eating first and sometimes an all out fight. Luckily he was never seriously injured. One day I reached to take her collar and she turned and bit my arm. She continued to show aggression toward me on a regular basis. I returned her to the breeder, very reluctantly. Unfortunately the story does not end there, or maybe fortunately for Emily. The breeder (gave? sold?) her to someone else.
This person never removed my collar or tag. She became lost? abandoned? (I don't know) and almost a year later I received a call from a nice lady 65 miles away asking if I owned a dog named Emily. I notified the breeder and thought things were taken care of. No, a month later I receive another call and later in the day another call. They say she looked allful, skinney, matted, dirty.  I went to get her. She was a mess. She was so happy to see me and my boyfriend. We gave her the works. Haircut, numerous baths and flea treatments. After two months she is fat and sassy.  My problem is she is ferrocius with other dogs. She can't even get near one without going wild and wanting to fight. She is living with my boyfriend right now, but he can't keep her. He doesn't have the time and resources (fenced yard) that she needs. I now have a wonderful golden retriever pup and my small dog. There is noway to put Emily anywhere near them. I don't have anyone else that wants her. She deserves a home with someone that will give her alot of love and attention and no other dogs. Any suggestions.  | |
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wtheisenhalsey wrote:
Why would anyone intentionally cross a purebred with something else. [...] If someone breeds a purebred with another breed that is not very responsible breeding and negates what a breeder's goal should be which is improving the breed...not the reverse. |
"[...]not very responsible breeding[...]"
I think that you should preface that with "in my opinion" or "I think" as others may have a very different opinion than you do.
In fact, moorefarm's opinion was that this mix made for the sweetest of dogs.
In other's opinions, some of the actions of "responsible breeders" as you would call them, have developed traits in breeds that others would call questionable. Some breeds have been developed (improved?) to the point that they can't breathe, and can't give birth naturally, and a whole host of other problems.
And "improve" to what? To the standards set by whom? Fluffiness? Size of the stop? Check out this quote from the AKC standard:
Quote:
Any shade of gray, grizzle, blue or blue merle with or without white markings or in reverse. Any shade of brown or fawn to be considered distinctly objectionable and not to be encouraged.
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Brown hair is distinctly objectionable?
The breed standard goes on for a couple of pages, then ENDS with:
Quote:
Temperament
An adaptable, intelligent dog of even disposition, with no sign of aggression, shyness or nervousness.
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Hmmmm. 1 sentence, quite vague. Are they trying to improve the quality of show dogs, or the quality of our human/canine relationship? Which should be more important?
Personally, I don't have a problem with what most breeders are trying to do. I also can't fault someone for wanting the breed, whether purebred or mix, that they want. I further would like to see all shelters empty.
There are many, many MANY purebreds filling the shelters. So by your logic, should all breeders stop breeding until all the shelters are empty? | Hi,
Sounds like you have a tough situation on your hands and wish I could come up with the right answer. This is my suggestion, I would contact a dog trainer and see if they can make a home visit. The money you spend now will outweigh any future vet bills and heartbreak.
To my knowledge, although one dog emerges as the top dog..whether there is two or several, but for the dominant one to hurt the other(s) as you described is unusual in my opinion. In the wild it is extremely rare for animals to fight to the death or hurt one another severely as they only want to establish their dominance.Once done they will stop the attack and the submissive one will always adhere to the dominant one. (even in the wild in wolf packs if the leader is deemed to be too mean, the other wolves will oust him as leader)
Worrisome is if your dog shows this type of aggression with other dogs. In some areas dogs are put down if they even bite another person or animal just one time. I know when I first got "Shaggy" (she was a pound dog) she showed a lot of aggression towards little dogs, taking her to doggie obedience and learning some helpful hints really helped. You may have to emerge as the "leader" of the pack and teach your dominant dog that is not tolerated. Again the trainer in my school showed me how to do this and it worked wonders.
I wish you the best of luck and hopefully other members may come up with other ideas. | Woogie is four years old. He gets along great with big dogs, but immediate bites little ones and is very nervous around small dogs. If a small dog attempts to sniff his face he thinks they are trying to bite him and he will snap at them.
We would like to get another puppy, but we're worried that he will bite it. We would like advice on how to handle this aggression. Thanks! | I have a similliar aggression problem with my 3 yr. old OES, Daffy. She is a wonderful dog that adores people almost to a fault, but is not always as endearing towards other dogs. Despite early extensive socialization, Daffy is aggresive towards other dogs only when she is taken out in public places, ie.) Pet Smart. However, she gets along great with Dogs she meets on her own turf. I have found that love, patience, and solidifying basic obiedience commands have bee hepful in working to resolve the problem. However, it seems to be an ongoing proccess that must be constantly reinforced through praise and rewards. Also, being aware of your response to your dog's behavior is important. If you are tense about your dog's response to another dog, your dog will pick up on it. Thus, your dog will become increasinly tense and more likely to lash out at another dog as a result. In addition, using a head halter is very helpful.
Hope these tips help your OES.
~Ashley & Daffy in Maryland | Goodness, what a challenge you have.
From my reading, and some amount of experience, dog-dog aggression is a tough situation to work with. I have fostered a sheepie that was very aggressive to my two passive sheepies, to the point of bloodshed. Since she was a foster awaiting a suitable home for placement, there wasn't a lot of time to work on her "issues". My recommendation was that she be an "only dog" and that has proven to be a correct assessment. She was VERY sweet with people and in fact, submissive with people, but very aggressive with dogs.
I currently have a visiting OES, who is also dog-dog aggressive, but not with dogs he knows. He's mostly fine with my two, a few minor squabbles over resources (food, bones, who is closest to mom) but he is so bad with strange dogs, he's been banned from our playgroup. I understand he was attacked by a strange GSD before he came into the rescue program.
His behavior is probably fear-based, but outside of keeping him leashed in a "sit stay" when a strange dog is present, I don't have confidence that his behavior can be permanently altered, although it's possible that a behaviorist might recommend medication.
You might want to check out the books by Dr. Nicholas Dodman who is an animal behaviorist at Tufts Univ. vet school. They are probably at your local library, bookstore, or online. If you live in New England, you might consider an office visit with him, or if you live in another part of the country, send me a note with you address and I can try to find a vet school with a behaviorist near you.
Good luck, this must be a heartbreaking and nerve wracking situation. | Paula,
I hope someone has answered you before now, but if not, you might want to check this board for other postings on the same subject, dog-dog aggression.
You can do some research on the Internet, and there are some good dog behavior books by Dr. Nicholas Dodman, check your library and bookstores.
I know how difficult this situation can be and certainly wish you luck! | Gosh, I hope someone has replied to you before now.
Barring a medical problem (tooth, gums or ?) this is certainly a strange situation. Sounds like your pooch is now practicing "resource guarding" and what on earth triggered that?
Also sounds like you are familiar with the practice of sitting the bowl down and making the dog sit/wait until you tell him he can eat, then intentionally taking his food away and making him do something (sit/stay) to earn it.
I would do a couple of things
-- make him sit and stay after you have put his dish down. Attempt to take it away. If he growls, take the whole bowl away and leave the room. After a short period of time, come back, and make him sit, and give him one kibble. Essentially, give him his food one piece at a time, making him earn each piece.
-- think about getting a Gentle Leader head collar and leave it on him even in the house. It means you dont have to grab his collar to direct him, and getting control of his head means you have control of him. The Gentle Leader folks actually have an attachment for in-house training, and their literature explains how to use it.
-- make sure he isn't also subtly challenging you in other ways like eye contact, going through doors first, etc. The resource guarding may just be one sign that he is challenging you and you may not have noticed the other signs.
-- make sure he knows that the "big snip" is coming (just kidding)
-- make sure he is eating food with the appropriate protein level; check with your vet, I forget when puppies need to be changed over to adult food. I do know that high protein dog food (over 20% ish) is not good for dogs with aggression issues
-- make sure, again, with your vet that there isn't something medical going on
-- look for articles on the web on "resource guarding" and/or think about hiring a good trainer for a session
If you ever have trouble getting him to eat, you could try my secret method -- STINKY CHEEZE. I put a pinch of parmesan on the kibble, or better yet, romano, the stinkier the better.
Good luck, I'd love to hear if you find out | So the dog has on 2 collars, attached to two leads? Or is it just one lead, doubled? I better go look this up, I did not remember anything about weights. I thought the dog was free to lunge on one lead, but you held the other one and interrupted any lunging. Instead, it sounds like there's weight on the other lead, so that if the dog tries to lunge towards something (dog, cat, person) , it is kept grounded by the weight on the other collar.
I must admit to being defensive about my dog having aggression problems. She has NEVER bit anyone or any other pet. She has caught a few birds and injured one of them. But she dropped it at my feet. She was rather proud. I spent 6 weeks nursing the bird back to health. So Abbi doesn't think much of birds, but she doesn't go after them with her former zeal either.
She wants to run something. If the something will run, then the chase is on. And she cannot be allowed to do this. And she isn't allowed to do this, but she still wants to, as you would notice if you saw her whining at the window when a dog or cat comes into (or even towards) our yard.
And this training method actually seems less harsh than a lot others I have seen.
I need to make time to look into this. Thanks for all of the input.
Danik! Hola. I tried rolled up newspaper and "Stop!" when she was a puppy. Abbi now stays away from me if I am even reading a newspaper. The newspaper works when you constantly use it, but it doesn't actually train the dog. It trains her to stop and watch you if you have a newspaper in your hands. It gets her/his attention. But it does not change the dog's behavior.
And when I try to use it for making her not run after things, she doesn't even notice me, the newspaper, or anything. Just the small animal running away from her. I want her to know she cannot chase ANYthing without my commanding it.
The newspaper will help you show dominance. After that it is annoying to the dog and it makes it look like you need something to control her. Of course, you don't. I am sure your Shanti would do anything for you if he knew what you wanted or if there was a good reason to do it --like a treat. No treats for bad behaviour. But you cannot be running after your dog with a newspaper or yelling No! all the time either. You need to make sure he does something good and knows that you will reward him.
You probably do that when he sits for you, so you know what I am talking about.
Abbi used to jump up on the counter when she was a puppy. One day I followed her around and scared her or told her "no!" every time she even tried to jump up towards the counter. Every once in a while she tries again and I tell her "no".
Then there was the barking. She use to bark at my kids. So every time she barked we would say "Speak!" (Digame!). She quit barking unless we said "Speak" because when she does we give her a good treat (peanut butter, fish, or something she likes). Now any of us can point at her and say speak. She is just so good at it.
A few months later we had to put Abbi outside because we had sprayed poison in the house and she kept licking the floors. And she started barking. So we said "Speak" right as she was barking. Then ran out and gave her a treat when she barked. Then we went in and she started barking again. So we said, "Quiet!" (Silencia!). She quit barking and we ran out and gave her a treat and hugs. Then we went in. And she barked. We waited and then said"Quiet!" When she quit barking we said Quiet again and ran out and gave her a treat.
After a day of this we quit giving her the treat for being quiet. Instead, if she barked again, I would just say "No!". Now she doesn't bark unless we leave her out all night. And she will not bark then if I correct her once (after she starts barking --I say "NO!") before I go to bed.
Point is, we do different things to "train" Abbi. If she's doing something we really like, she knows it because she gets praise and maybe a treat. If she does something we don't like we make a decision. Should we try to train her to do it on command? Or should we try just correcting her.
Usually the first thing you try is a simple "no" or correction with loud noise or a noisy newspaper. But if that doesn't work ... well try the if you cannot beat them join them school of thought (train her to do the bad thing -- at least you have control). And remember to try, try, and try again. It is hard to let the dog know exactly what you want in a way that he understands and you can relate.
Training is a tricky skill. You have to do what works best for your dog at the time.
And maybe its time to look into the Q collar. I am not that great at scheduled training sessions though. I would have to train myself first. | We bought Abbi at 8 weeks. We were told to give her some milk with her food.
Turned out that Abbi was allergic to straight cows milk. She had problems later because we gave her Too much calcium in her food. She ended up having a sensitive stomach and now only eats lamb and rice mixtures, where lamb is the first ingredient.
Why lamb? I am not sure, but have been told its the only meat with no additives of any sort. Rice is mild, easy to digest, and can counter-act Abbi's bouts of diarhea. Chicken works fine for most though. Don't feed them anything with onions or spices in it or you will regret.
Feeding puppies 4 times a day is a good idea. Even when they are 6 months, it is good to feed them 2 or 3 times a day. Big dogs can get to where they bolt their food down which can lead to deadly stomach twists and extensions. Teaching the dog to eat smaller amounts is best, and for puppies, the only way to go as they have a high metabolism.
Later, when they are older, just feed them before bedtime.
Sometimes when Abbi, who is now 4 years old, starts bolting down her food I take it away from her. I wait at least an hour before givng her the other half.
There's many reasons for this. One I don't want her thinking she has to scarf down he food. I dont want her to go running off afterwards and either up-chuck or get stomach problems. And I want to make sure she never gets possessive over the food bowl. We have too many not-very smart kids coming over to take a chance on any kind of aggressions.
Teach you puppy early not to growl or become possive of its food or toys, by taking them away, petting the dog, then givng them back. Never do it as a punishment, but more as another family interaction event. When you are sure the dog is used to 'the event", let someone like hubby try it, then the kids.
Our dog has no issues over her food or water bowls. Now her toys, we haven't actually gotten all of those possessive( i cannot spell to day!) tendencies worked out. Abbi will still go bury her most favorite toys. I think its because I throw the really torn up ones away, and they are usually her favorites. | Dear Laurie
I'm sorry you had such a bad experience, & I do feel terrible for that poor puppy that was left abandoned at the airport, I hope there is some kind of agency you can report the breeder to, people like that have no right to breed. I myself found my puppy on the internet but have had such a wonderful experience with him, that he has made all our lives so much happier. I first did some research on the breed with the help of the internet. When i found a puppy for sale, I had called a breeder and she had sold all the pups, she was kind enough to refer me to some one else. When I talked to the next breeder she was so helpful and informative, you could tell she loved her dogs. She did give me a number of reference's to call and I made sure that I called a few of them. I think that that was a very important part of my buying the puppy. I know that there are a lot of breeders out there who don't really care about the breed and who are only doing this for monetary rewards, so you must be careful and do some research on the breeder and her dogs. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. Many OES puppy's go through a teething stage or nipping stage, but most do grow out of this, but biting as a form of aggression is something else, I don't actually know what that is like. My Dog would love to bite the back of my legs and ankles, but he did grow out of this stage, and he will give us these little nuzzle bites, were he rubs his teeth on us never to hurt us but it is almost like a grooming technique.
If you are still interested in the breed I can give you the name of our breeder. Good Luck. They are really beautiful and very sweet, sweet dogs. I truly hope that one day you get to experience the wonder and happiness that these dogs can bring to a family
Dawn & Buddi | If the charcoal was just plain old charcoal, there really isn't anything wrong with it. They put it in dog bones and such to help with mouth and stomach odors.
But if it is the quick lighting type or any kind with additives-- such as lighter fluid, then it would be a BAD thing.
Just to keep the mess to a minimum, I would put the charcoal where she couldn't get it. Charcoal absorbs odors, including gas fumes, so unless it is washed and "activated" by heating at a low temperature, it isn't usually recommended for consumption. But dogs eat anything. Abbi ate dirt for a while. I changed up her diet and start watching her more closely because we have to put out ant bait in the dirt for red ants and I didn't want her to eat it.
You might try buying her chew toys, palstic/cornstarch bones, or make home-made "toys (plastic milk jug with some food in it) to chew and play with, or maybe a tennis ball to chase. At nine months they go through the teen years and need to take some of the aggression out on something. Also they eat and chew on everything almost as much as when they were teething -- at least Abbi did.
Good luck! | Fritzi,
My sister lives in Peru and has a 1 year old Snauzer. She wants to send him up this Christmass to stay with me until spring, when she moves back to the states. I have a an almost two year old male sheepy that has shown no aggression toward other dogs, but acts funny around feeding time, guarding, eating a bit then running around, then eating other bit. I free feed him twice a day because he is such a finicky eater. Do you think this will cause problems? Should I force him to eat at regular interval for a preset duration or should I wait and see if this causes a problem when the other dog arrives? | Dogs have no hands. So they use their mouths. If someone plays rough witht them, they will respond by using what is available, mouth and brute strength. It is not like they go running to tell on anyone, they just take care of it as they see fit.
Until no one is getting bit or chomped on, either your husband or you will have to monitor the play time with the kids. Most kids react when a dog grabs their hands by jerking or pulling away. When they do, they sometimes run their hands and arms across teeth and it looks like a bite, but it is actually a misjudgement that needs correcting. It would be great if the kids could do the correcting, but they do tend to over-react and to be as irrational as the dog. They are all going for YOUR attention. And they are all competing -- always.
No, all sheepdogs do not bite, chomp, run over, bump, or otherwise tromp on people. But the ones who don't are trained. Training brings a form of communication and understanding. Dogs want to understand and someone in the family needs to help yours figure out that chomping, biting, or any other physical bullying will not be tolerated. BUT at the same time the dog needs some way of playing and interacting with all. Do not isolate him.
Instead, train your kids how to act with the dog, how to care for the dog, and how to train the dog. Go to the library and see if there's not several training videos available. Check out books about dogs and read them with your kids. Make sure the dog learns how to COME and SIT for EVERY member of the house (using lots of small treats -- hot dog, liver, ...). Also make sure the whole family Participates in giving the dog play toys and helping him play with them.
Whenever you have to punish the dog, make sure that you also ask it to do something like sit and you reward it sometime afterwards... keep the channels open and work on better behavior for ALL.
PS: Do not allow your dog to ever bite even you. Say NO and reprimand the dog accordingly. Try to warn him that he will be reprimanded first. Be FIRM but FAIR. And do not let the dog ever know it has any type of advantage over you--size or might.
If you read over old topics about aggression you will get a better picture and even better advice. One of our members made some very good observations and suggestions about aggressive behavior -- I think under this topic.
Good Luck. And make sure you have fun with your dog and kids at least once a day! It makes it SO worth the trouble. | Congrats on your new puppy! If this is your first OES, welcome. You're in for one of the most fulfilling relationships you've ever had. With that said ...
8 weeks old is not too early to start training. Never EVER let your dog show signs of aggression against you in any form. I'd classify the growling & nipping in response to discipline just that. Some of the "nippiness" will just go away with age .... but you can never be too careful.
Do not be afraid to punish your puppy. She'll get the point. In this case, I'd probably grab her by the top of the head, get 100% eye contact, then pop her on the nose along with a good, deep, loud "NO!!". Then isolate her for about 5 minutes. She'll come to understand that aggressiveness isn't acceptable. Be sure you train her to do something she can do, like SIT or STAY or DOWN, so that you can reward her for something when that 5 minutes of isolation is over. Hopefully, you'll go through not more than a couple of weeks of this before she gets the message. If she's really bright, you won't need to do this more than a few times.
Your sheepie will grow to be minimum 50-60 lbs ... she'll be able to knock people over before you know it, and she'll have one heck of a bite. Make sure she learns who's in charge NOW, before it gets any harder.
Peace,
--jt-- | The dog was jealous. Since he hadn't been disciplined to accept ANY competition in his other home, he used his strongest method to get rid of his competition.
If he goes in a home with children or a demanding spouse even, he will need to be worked with extensively. A stay-at-home type of person will have to devote some time adjusting the dog to accept the fact he has to share attention.
In a pack a dog gets to eat first and the best treatment if it is closer to the leader or is the leader of the pack. Dogs seem to guard and try to progress up the power scheme of whatever household they are in, unless they get conditioned to accept their status. Usually the ones that are "gentle" to children know of the rewards of being gentle and loyal--and were raised with children with some good parenting. Some dogs are just born this way it seems, but most need the conditioning or socialization.
Sorry to hear about everyone's bad experiences. It is hard to help with aggression on-line. An experienced person with losts of patience and persistence is needed.
Hope you all found suitable solutions and are having better times!
Snapping unexpectably can also be a sign of hearing or sight loss. Some even attribute low thyroid activity with aggression. | Your pup is going through "growing pains" or adolesence. He will act out a lot. Actually he will probably go through this a phase again in a year or so.
There's a lot of information on this under various posts. Look up at the header. See the magnifying glass with the SEARCH feature. Tap on that. Then enter aggressive or aggressiveness. (or adolesence or growling).
I am going to do it and will come back with the seach results. I am going to search for the words contained within the posts, because most of us mislabel or do not use the SUBJECT line.
Below is a "quote" of what my search turned up. I found that if you enter Aggressive and puppy and growling it narrowed it down even more.
Quote:
A Forum for Sheepie Lovers
FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups
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Search found 12 matches
forum.oes.org Forum Index
Forum Topics Author Replies Views Last Post
Behavior growling
justamy 11 242 Sat Dec 27, 2003 5:19 pm
cajaga
Rescuing a Sheepdog I was approached to adopt an OES, but need some advice-HELP!
my3sons1122 9 129 Tue Dec 23, 2003 11:43 pm
Marianne
Behavior Biting kids while playing in the backyard
saulmr 3 97 Tue Dec 23, 2003 10:42 am
saulmr
Behavior jumping
justamy 7 175 Sat Dec 06, 2003 12:48 am
Vero
Behavior My dog goes crazy when she sees another dog.
agingright 9 189 Tue Oct 07, 2003 10:43 pm
agingright
Behavior puppy aggression
sasha 23 1300 Tue Sep 30, 2003 9:41 am
danik
Behavior Is a sheepdog for me? Help!
sheepiecrazy 6 334 Sat Sep 20, 2003 11:26 am
Barnaby
Behavior Horrible behavior at groomer and vet
rachel&zackie 1 174 Mon Mar 03, 2003 1:28 pm
willow3152003
DOGS IN TROUBLE Between a rock and a hard space
Barbara 3 521 Sat Feb 22, 2003 8:09 am
mmydogmax
Behavior Submissive OES
guest 0 144 Sat Dec 21, 2002 1:15 pm
guest
Behavior OES and birds......
Suzzie 4 204 Sun Dec 08, 2002 5:12 pm
Suzzie
Behavior Wanting to place an OES in a home with kids
Shawn 2 358 Thu Oct 24, 2002 1:34 pm
odo
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Personally, when my pup went through this I reacted to her aggressivenees and disobedience the same as I would one of my 2-year old daughters. NO biting or growling (fussing with siblings for no reason) is allowed of either, and I disciplined them both with either an IMMEDIATE spanking or time-out, or reprimand and loss of priveledges. The way you handle it is of personal choice and depends on conditions; as long as it conveys the message never do this again it will work.
You never over-discipline or discipline becomes an attention that is better than no attention. That is, dogs and kids will misbehave to get punished if that is the only attention available.
This is a skill. A good obedience class will show you how the teacher has mastered the skill. You usually have to adapt it to your style in the end, because it is something that has to be done whenever it is needed consistently to get the point across that you are dominant and will remain so no matter what "stages" of life they (or you) are encountering.
Simple, but tricky.
We all have trouble from time to time. A lot of times, after being stern with the dog, behavioral problems just seem to clear up by themselves. Sometimes we find the dog was sick, had an infected ear or tooth, was losing its sight or hearing. All of these things will make anyone irritable and snappy.
Life wouldn't be so great if it wasn't for the "tricky" or "bad" times, so just hang in there. And keep trying. | well....
the trainers reports were that walter is a fantastic dog. he said he listens and hes very laid back. when i picked him up i saw how wonderfuly he performed sit, down, stay, and go to place(sitting on a bed and not getting up until told to do so)
unfortunately when he got home he thought he was boss again. he bit my brother on the arm and growled at me, but i know hes just testing to see if hes in charge or not. my family is helping me out and were not letting walter take over again.
he wears a choke chain and leash all the time and gets corrected if he breaks the rules. we also started feeding him in a cage to eliminate problems with food aggression. he has a training routine and although he rebels a little bit hes starting to listen to me a lot more.
were making progress at least! | Hi from Kingston Ontario!,
We too are looking to add an OES to our family. My kids are currently 2 and 4 yrs and we'll be waiting till Isabelle's at least 3 (probably 4). The reason being that the sheepies are so rambuncous and can unwittingly hurt the young kids.
I am also a stay-at-home mom and plan to be the primary care giver/trainer for this dog too. We have been to many dog shows trying to pick the right breed and now have purchased books on the OES to learn more.
I believe we'll be getting a female - to minimize the run-ins we might have with dog aggression or battles for Alpha dog position. Although my husband and I both have been raised around dogs in the home, this will be our first dog as adult 'owners'.
I agree with the previous poster that checking out the parents will give you a good idea about the potential personality of your pup. I also think it's a good idea to be very clear about what you expect in a pup - and hopefully the breeder will do some temperament testing to make a good match.
I'm probably as intrigued as the original poster for this message - as we hope to have a sheepie some day.
Please write more!
(I'd love to know more about the shedding/non-shedding - as compared to say a Golden or a Bernese or a lab?, ie/ does it come off on your pants by just brushing past a sheepie?)
Thanks!
Victoria in Kingston Ontario Canada | i was wondering if anyone else got their oes from rolling h farm, they breed white german shepards and oes in tennesse. i got walter from there this summer and we have had so many problems with them that i am thinking of suing.
so i just wanted to warn people that i think they are a shady organization who refuses to fess up for mistakes that they made.
ive had so many problems i dont know where to begin:
1. when i started to inquire about their puppies i made it abundantly clear that i wanted a puppy at the youngest age possible. for them this was 8 weeks, but at the time their youngest pups were 10 weeks. after being reassured that my pup wouldnt be too big i said ok. i picked out a pup via pictures (something i now know wasnt the best idea) and got him about 2 weeks later. but when i brought him home he was almost 30 lbs! i couldnt believe it so when i looked at his birth certificate and found out he was 3.5 months old i was furious. when we emailed them to tell them that we were slightly disappointed with this they were incredibly rude and didnt take fault instead they just said there was a miscommunication within their offices. everyone tells me that its my fault for accepting the puppy, but after a dog i had my heart sent on got sent here by plane from tenesse im not going to just send him back on the plane!!
2. he came with ticks. i had to pay for tick medicine. thats fine i understand it can happen anywhere, but it still sucked that i wasnt informed.
3. the day before he was to come the lady called me to tell me that walter had a herniated umbilical cord. i sort of freaked out because at the time she just said 'your dog has a hernia, its nothing to worry about'. so i called their vet and he told me it was just like an outie belly button and its no problem for a dog im not going to show. but when i took him to my vet he said that it was absolutely imperative that walter had his hernia removed. it wasnt serious but if he didnt get it fixed he could have serious problems later. so heres more money in vet bills that i dont think i should have to pay!
4. because i didnt get walter as soon as possible he went through a lot of socialization at the farm he was bred at. when we got him he already had signs of food aggression, he would cry at and whine around his foodbowl and was a little protective over it. because they didnt make this clear to me i had no idea, so i tried to correct it on my own by sticking my hand in his foodbowl and trying to make him more comfortable. of course that didnt work and ive now spent more than 1000 on training.. not to mention all the stress and physical pain. his aggressiveness is either a sign of early socialization problems (i dont completely exclude myself from the fault but it definitely wasnt all my fault) or it was a result of genetics. either of which the breeders are responsible for.
5. since i got the dog they have not been receptive to my attempts at communication at all. ive called them many times and written emails to try and ask them about walters behavior problems and to tell them about the problems ive had. the one time i got a lady on the phone she told me her husband would look into it and call me back. of course i got no call back and the machien every time ic alled. |
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