when to add a new pup?
She is not doing well- missing zak a lot and she HATES it when I leave her- is it best for her to get used to being on her own or to cheer her up with a new friend? I know there is no rule to this but I am wondering what others have done in this situation. thanks, Mark |
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| I'd do it when you're ready. I think Stella will adapt no matter what you choose. It might take awhile for you to find a reputable breeder with puppies so it never hurts to start searching right away no matter what. |
| I agree with Jill. But, I had a situation where I had to replace a mate before I was fully ready. I used to have chinchillas. My Jonathan Swift lost his mate Lilliput. He refused to eat, take treats, or even come out of his house for weeks. After a month, it was evident that he was not snapping out of it. I got him a new roommate and he came around.
Chinchillas are different then dogs, for sure. Dogs have the benefit of being free-roaming animals that can be happy with human companionship. I'm so sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you and your family. |
| Hi Mark.
Firstly I'm very sorry for your loss. I lost Mitch(my older one ) 9 months ago and like you my first instinct was to start looking for a pup for Marley to bond with. When we lost Mitch Marley went into depression almost immediately and stopped eating and wouldn't bother with anybody . For the first week after losing Mitch Marls was ok on walks then he seemed to lose all confidence . If any dog or person came near him he hid behind me and started panic barking.Mitch was the lead dog and Marley was brought up by Mitch as Mitches little pup.Any dog or person that came near Marley had to be vetted by Mitch first. Marls and Mitch were walked frequently on their own with no problems from Marley before Mitches death. So my idea of getting a pup stopped at that moment when Marls lost his confidence. So going by my experience i would take your time and let Stella be herself for a while and see how she reacts. If i had brought a puppy in to early with Marls i don't think he would of coped to well. At this present moment Marley is a much more mature dog and is able to deal with most things that come his way (he is still a little scared of a couple of Irish wolfhounds we meet  ) .I know it might sound funny but i can honestly say i have watched Marley grow up in the past 9 months and he is now an adult OES.
I now know the time is right for me and Marls to start the pupster hunt  |
| Julianne- That is the exact same situation I was in with Zak and Stella.
Stella would not eat, take a treat, go outside, ANYTHING without Zaks approval. She Used to circle the food bowl and whine and run to find zak until he decided to get up and take his first bite allowing her to start eating- sometimes I think he used to purposely take his time to get her riled up. So now that he is gone she is dazed and confused, wondering, not only where her zak is, but also why her routine is messed up. It makes sense that she should get her footing and maybe feel a bit more capable of making decisions on her own before I mix her up again with a new pup. I'm going to keep my eyes open and begin contacting breeders, but not be in any hurry. She needs to be my priority for a while. Thanks for the replies. |
| Mark you and stella will know when it is time to add to the family in another fuzz kid.
At the moment what stella is displaying is not out of the ordinary I fully believe they know and mourn especially as Stella was Zaks right paw. I know after I lost my peppa, even though we had brie here, Kelsey was a mess for a few months. After when she snapped out of it, she bonded closely with Brie. We just needed to give her time, stella needs that now to adjust to her different situation of not having her best mate around that she has known for her whole life. Bringing another into the house will be great for stella, I think you will find Stella taking on a mentor roll with a new baby, but only you will know when the time is right for you both. Kelsey went into not eating etc for a few weeks, as she was so use to peppa being her surrogate mommy and them doing everything together. She snapped out of it and was so pleased to see her bloom more as an individual and a more confindent girl and also finally spending time with Brie who at the time was only a puppy when peppa went over the bridge, prior to that she was not at all interested in the annoying pupper. Now brie mourned Kelsey when we lost her earlier this year and was a mess for about a month mostly because she grew up with her and Kelsey doing everything with her as well, they do feel the loss of them and also the routine they all had together. Maybe give stella a bit of one on one time to develope her own sense of who she is as she blooms and finds herself without Zak now by her side, then you will both know when the time is right to add to the family for yourself and companionship for stella. Always hard to know, sometimes you all need just a bit of one on one time together beforehand.  |
| I agree. I wish I had a little more time alone with Nigel before Bella came. I would have been able to get his training going a bit more, but then she may have had trouble with an older established dog. Either way it worked out, but the options are open for you. |
| I agree that it would be wise to start looking for a breeder you like as it can take a long time to find one with a litter and puppies available. Your search may take longer than you anticipate, so I wouldn't delay too much.
When we lost Merlin, Archie had never been an only dog. This happened at a time when our human children were moving on to college, independent living, etc. so instead of having a human around most of the day, Archie was left on his own for the first time. He did well in the sense that he didn't become destructive. He was never a big eater and this did not change. He had always been Omega to Merlin's Alpha and again, this did not change: he remained a follower and not a leader. He still seemed very young, even at 7, not the rock solid mature adult Merlin had been for many years before crossing over. We gave him lots of love and attention, some of which had been missing while Merlin was declining and required so much care. But something still seemed to be missing. While he seemed to be doing ok, I worried about the upcoming fall when fewer people would be in and out of the house all day as Archie seemed lonely. His routine remained the same, with the same feeding schedule, number of walks, etc. But... he seemed lonely. Maybe it was just that we were lonely, and so we got not one, but two puppies: Sophie and Sherman who are litter mates. While I would not recommend adding two puppies to the family at the same time, I can say that Archie did perk up. The big change I saw was that Archie morphed from a child into an adult and immediately took over the role of becoming the mature leader/parent to the puppies. As to how Merlin felt/now feels about the nearly 4 year old Sophie and Sherman: he enjoys them, but also enjoys having his people all to himself from time to time, sometimes manipulating the younger dogs into wanting to go out into the fenced yard and then, at the last minute, deciding HE wants to stay inside. He looks very pleased with himself when he manages to pull the wool over their eyes. Yet he clearly loves the younger dogs, as well, particularly Sherman. Sophie is very bossy/bitchy and while Archie was intially entranced/in love with her, he came to not appreciate her bossy ways so much. However, he does adore Sherman, who is equally unwilling to be the alpha. |
| I really appreciate all the great insight. I am currently looking for a puppy so if anyone has any leads, please send them my way.
Zak never allowed Stella to be a puppy and so she grew up very fast and calm- I think a little puppy energy is just what we both need right now. She is so proper and reserved- sometimes shaking things up is the right medicine. A little boy would be perfect. : ) |
| Mark,
I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you fin some peace knowing waht a great life you gave Zak. I am no expert on when to get another pup. But I am wondering...are you looking for an OES pup, a rescue pup or any particular breed? If its an OES, I would agree with everyone that the time to begin your search is now. It took us almost a year to find a pup when we were looking. And I would start with the breeders referral list off the AKC... |
| I would recommend checking the breeder referral list on: www.oldenglishsheepdogclubofamerica.org. Breeders listed there are required to follow the club breeding code of ethics plus meet other requirements. There are also some very good breeders out there that are club members & required to follow the breeding code of ethics but not listed there sometimes because they really don't have that many litters & didn't feel a need to be listed there. Sometimes it can take awhile to find a breeder you feel comfortable with that either has a litter or is planning a litter. |
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