Getting my first OES...He's a rescue! Advice needed.

Last week, my future MIL was walking into work when she saw the dog catcher wrestling with a little ball of white fluff in the parking lot. She asked him what he was doing with the dog, and he told her he was bringing it to the pound. Her town doesn't have a humane society, so after a dog is there for 5 days they euthanize it. She's a softie and she knew we were looking for a dog so she went and picked it up. He's staying with her for now, while he gets his shots etc... and then he is going to move up with us. The vet told her that he is an Old English Sheepdog, (or at least mostly, obviously he didn't have papers or anything) and we are very very very excited to meet him.
I am also really nervous. I haven't had a dog since I was a junior in high school and I've never had a dog this big before.
All the advice I've read online is geared towards people getting a very young puppy from a breeder. He is around four months old we think.
What do I need to know? What are the basic things I should buy before he gets here (more specifically, what brands or type of things are better for an OES), what can I expect from the first few months he's with us?
My FMIL says he is doing really well at their house, is doing pretty well with potty training and socializing great with their other dogs. We've decided to name him Silas.
Thanks!

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Be prepared for some exciting times! The pup should be with you as much as possible so as to bond immediately. No back yard pups, please. Most people here crate train their dogs, that is provide them a secure place to sleep and relax. The crate is not a punishment, it is the dog's den, their safety area. While we encourage you to put the crate away from the bedroom, you'll probably have it there so the pup can see and smell you during the night.

Potty training is in order. We have many posts in archieves about that.

Food, don't skimp on quality. No telling what he was fed before, so select a good puppy food and stick with it unless it is really causing problems. Avoid "flavorings" as you'll be doing that forever. Water of course.

Toys, oh yeah, lots of toys as it will take him mind off his mouth as he looses teeth. He'll be chewing a lot.

Training........go thru our archieves. You'll probably find answers to most anything he throws at you.

Above all stock up on patience. The first few weeks will be interesting. Remember he's a baby and will do some pretty strange things. Patience, patience. No yelling or hitting.

Lots of play time but you have to be in charge. Most of us temper any tug of war play as it can lead to more aggression.

Most of all, prepare for some sleepless nights as your little one will test your patience and insist you play, cuddle or whatever.

In addition to the wonderful list provided above.....consider getting an enzymatic cleaner such as Nature's Miracle to help clean up "accidents".

And just have a good sense of humor - OES puppies are incredibly cute. They need to be due to everything they get into.

Good Luck and congratulations on the new addition to your family.

Jennifer, Baxter and Cassiopia

and don't forget plenty of pictures!!! We want to see them too!

(how did I miss the enzyme cleaner?? It's still used here even with adult dogs for that once in awhile middle of the night "urp.")

All of the above plus a great big WELCOME!!!!

Thanks!
I will make sure to get some of that cleaner before he gets here.
If I can't play tug of war/wrestle with him, what are other ways we can play? Will he be old enough to fetch? Do OESs fetch? What kind of games/play will he enjoy the most?
I assure you, he will not be a "backyard dog." Or a basement dog, a garage dog or anything like that. We do have a fenced in backyard and a nearby dog park that I look forward to letting him run around in, but mostly he will be hanging out with us inside.
I was also thinking of taking him on two actual walks per day. I work quite a bit, so it's my fiancee that will be taking care of him/spending the most time with him. If I walk him once in the morning and once in the evening when I get home I figured this could be "our time." How long is an ideal walk for a puppy of that age? I'd like to make him sleepy (especially on that night walk!) but not push him too far.

thewatergirl wrote:

he is going to move up with us. and we are very very very excited to meet him.

Congrats!! I hope Silas brings you many many years of joy. Be patient, he will not know where he is or why he is with you so it will take some time to get use to one another. Poor Patch had so many homes in a year she didn't understand anything for a while, but she is now my velcro girl so we have bonded very well. Silas will also eventually bond with you, just be ready for some frustrating moments. Again, congratulations.

Congratulations on your new puppy! :cheer:

Bless your future MIL, her intervention came from her heart.
Not a surprise he has settled in nicely at her house.

You may want to look for training lessons (essential) as
they grow up quickly.

Also, find a groomer who enjoys working with OES.

You can help him by brushing and combing him yourself
so he gets used to people grooming (or in the the case of the
Vet, examining him.)

Here is some info from dixie oes rescue

http://www.dixieoesrescue.org/docs.maintenance.html

Best wishes!

I am soo excited for you!!! I can't wait to see pictures of your furbaby!!

You have gotten some very good advice already.

Here are some things I have thought of.....

You can play a lot of games with Silas and there are many websites that will give you ideas. Also check the Tricks for beginners on the forum.

I am playing 'catch' with my 14 month old, Heart. We play hide and seek with many objects, including me!!! I put a favorite toy under a blanket for her to look for. Then when she is not looking, I'll go hide somewhere in the house and she will sniff me out :lol:

Heart also loves to retrieve, especially her favorite toy!!

Anything you do with your puppy can be a game.

To housetrain Heart, we would go outside and when she did her thing, I would say, GOOD TO POTTY!!! and give her a treat immediatly. Now when she goes out, I say GO POTTY...and she is almost peeing on command. It does help, especially when you want them to go out and in when it is raining or too cold to stay and wait. :wink:

And finally...just enjoy every moment of this first year. Laugh, laugh. laugh..and sense of humor is essential!!!

at his age you can play tug - if you start it and you end it. I played with both of mine - they have lost interest as they got older. I play with mr newfie puppy and he is 6 months old of it gets too aggressive we stop an play fetch. it can be a great bonding experience but you need to be in control of it. the old theories about tug are just that - theories and changing in the current climate of dog training.

welcome and good luck.

I had to laugh about your remark about the papers - you would think in a suit with that much flulff he could have had pockets with papers in them

thewatergirl wrote:

I was also thinking of taking him on two actual walks per day. I work quite a bit, so it's my fiancee that will be taking care of him/spending the most time with him. If I walk him once in the morning and once in the evening when I get home I figured this could be "our time." How long is an ideal walk for a puppy of that age? I'd like to make him sleepy (especially on that night walk!) but not push him too far.

My Tonks and Luna are about 10 months old now. At 4 months, I could get them around the block (its a big block). By 6 months we were on a 25 minute walk around the neighborhood. Not long after that, we started a 45 minute walk around a nearby golf course. Now we do the Golf course in the morning (if I can get my butt out of bed before the day's heat gets to be too much) and the 25 minute walk around the neighborhood at night.

Teaching him to walk on a leash now, while he's relatively small, is smart. OESs can get pretty large, and you don't want to be dragged around your neighborhood by your dog!

He's so cute! We don't get him until Sunday still (my boy is going to go pick him up) but his mom is up for meetings for a few days and showed us photos and a video on her cell phone. He's the most perfect thing in the whole world. I'm getting so excited!
I'll put pictures up as soon as I have some of my own.

welcome from fla get your camera ready they grow so fast

DarthSnuggles-

I love your dogs names. We almost named Silas "Seamus" but the boy said we couldn't have TWO pets with Harry Potter names and we already have a hamster named Neville Shortbottom. I'm going to show him your post and point and laugh at him for being wrong. It turns out you can have two!

thewatergirl wrote:

If one of the girls had been a boy, Neville was one of our choices, as was Albus!

Oops, well, I showed him. And then we looked at your profile and went to the website you have listed there (very cool by the way, you are incredibly talented). And it turns out you are a browncoat. Or at least know enough about Firefly to draw some characters from it.
So he said "see honey, it's not normal to name your pets after fictional fantasy characters, it's just that she is as nerdy as you are. Your argument is moot."
Maybe if I call him Seamus enough it will stick.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be thick, but is there a possibility that someone's puppy got loose and maybe they are looking for it? I can't imagine a stray out running around at 4 months old... Doesn't sound like that the pound is giving ample time to reunite a lost dog.

We thought of that, but the vet said it was amazing he had survived, because he was obviously out in the wild for a while. He was pretty malnourished and had ticks everywhere and a flea problem (all fixed now). If he was a lost dog he would have to have come from pretty far away, because they live in a pretty small town (ok, a REALLY small town) and they have advertised that they've had it for almost two weeks now (5 days at the pound and a week with them). No one has said anything.
Unfortunately, they live in an area that is doing pretty poorly economically and people abandoning their pets is very very common. Like I said before, the shelter in their town is a kill shelter. They keep the animals for five days in case they are claimed and advertise the pet on their website and in the local paper and then on the 6th day they put the animal down.
So basically, yes it is POSSIBLE that this dog was lost or ran away from a family, but it is UNLIKELY. And even if he did belong to someone, if she hadn't claimed him he would be dead by now.
If he had been wearing a collar, had been well groomed or anything like that I think I would be more worried that he was somebodys. As it is, I'm just grateful we can give him a loving home and that he won't be dead in the woods or in a cage.

thewatergirl wrote:

Are you kidding me? I am super nerdy (but I like to think I can make it look cool). My first choice in names for Tonks and Luna was "Storm" and "Trooper". My equally nerdy boyfriend shot it down. And we did consider "Kaylee" for a while, but our friends have a daughter named Kaylee (also Browncoats) and we thought it might get confusing.

Geez, when you said 'white fluff' in the parking lot, I totally didn't envision him being undernourished with ticks & fleas... kind of sounded like a dog running loose.

Thanks for being able to provide a loving home for him. There is a ton of info here on the forum.

Yeah, I guess that did sound a bit like he was already clean and fed and happy. Oops!
I've only ever seen pictures of him after he was groomed and had been fed for a week or so and I guess my inner story teller just came out a little too much with the "little ball of white fluff." Well that's what he looks like NOW.
Sorry!

OK, well he's here! So far he's been very good. He had one accident but that was probably my fault for not taking him out quick enough. He is so stubborn! It takes me forever to get him to go someplace he doesn't want to --- like up the stairs last night to go to bed! As soon as I can figure out my darn camera I'll get pics up!
Anyway, I'm writing because I have a question. Silas is extremely malnourished, due to being out in the wild for some time as a puppy and the fact that up until about a week ago he had hookworms (ew!)
I'm feeding him kibble twice a day (mornings and evenings). I'm giving him the amount and brand recommended by my FMIL's vet. (2 cups Pedigree Puppy). This doesn't seem like enough to me and the poor baby is just skin and bones (and tons of hair). Is there something better I can feed him or should I feed him more, or give him a supplementary food?
Also, this is kinda gross but Silas is probably not pure bred and even if he is, not from any reputable breeder. He didn't have his tail clipped as a very small puppy. They just had him groomed before he came up but with that tail and all that hair he has some SERIOUS mud-butt (that's the most polite way I can think of to describe it). Is there anything I can do about this? Can I just have a groomer shave his bottom? Is that weird?

Feeding:

there's a GREAT super informative thread her on OES.org called Grade your dog food:

http://forum.oes.org/viewtopic.php?t=9674

there's lots of great feedback about brands and quality of foods. You may want something with more "people grade" ingrediants in it for Silas.

And how much of the butt do you want to trip? My vet does what she calls a "hygiene shave"; just a zip with the clipper down the path that tends to get some clingy bits stuck to it.

thewatergirl wrote:

I played tug with all three of mine. ( Two OESs and a Bouvie ). If it got to agressive we stopped and played fetch with a frizbee. All three still love the frizbee, but the oldest is getting on in age and can't play for as long.

I would start with a block walk, maybe two and work your way up. See how how he tolerates it. It's also great "heel" training. Trust me you WANT to train your pup to heel. He'll be walking YOU otherwise.

You will want to find a good groomer and maybe keep him "puppy cut". OESs are WONDERFUL dogs but a lot of work. Plan on brushing him at least three to four times a week for 15 to 20 minutes. Because of their fine undercoat their hair does tend to mat. I use a good steel comb on our three, plus a good knot buster when they get tangled up. Be careful using the knot buster. They are sharp and can cut both the pup and yourself. Grooming is one reason that people get sick of their OESs ( Bouvs too ), and either abandon them on the street or turn them into shelters. Sad but true. I've never understood that when an hour or two a week will keep your boy happy and looking good.

Also watch your shoes. I'm not sure what it is, but all three of my OESs just LOVED eating my wifes. They all out grew the habit, but OMG it cost me a mint replacing my wifes good shoes. I guess they made great teething rings.

You have a wonderful pup! We love our OESs to pieces and would not part with them for any reason. I find them to be big clowns and just wonderful companions in general.

I see many other people have given you great suggestions so I won't go on. Other then to say welcome!

Jim

thewatergirl wrote:

I free feed my puppy so she eats what she wants. It's ok to do that, you don't have to measure the food. That might help fatten the dog up.

ETA: My puppy messes her bottom up all the time. All I can figure to do is cut the hair shorter there and hose her buttom off when she messes it up before she comes in the house. I tried baby wipes, but those did nothing. Maybe someone has a better way to deal with a dirty bottom. I wish I knew how to prevent it!

ella wrote:

thewatergirl wrote:

Even if you free feed, you should still monitor how much you're feeding your dog. I leave food out all the time for the dogs but it's still measured. Not only does it keep you from getting a fat dog, it helps you to understand potential health problems related to eating because you know how much or how little the dog is taking in.

I agree with ButterStotch; I free feed, but I measure out the portions. Even so, I'm concerned about Luna getting chubby. I think she's eating her portion, and then having some of Tonk's too. So I am considering putting out smaller portions; obviously Tonks is eating less if Luna is getting some of hers, and Luna is eating too much if she is putting on extra weight.

By measuring out the free feeding portions, I can make decisions like that.

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