puppy choice
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Guest wrote: I have the choice of one of two female pups. Who should I chose??? Get both. Problem solved.  |
Sheepie2 wrote: Guest wrote: I have the choice of one of two female pups. Who should I chose??? Get both. Problem solved. I'm the dummy that got both!  I got the sturdy, plucky, fun loving dog, and I got the runt snuggle bug. Here they are at about 4 and 5 weeks old: And here they are now; you can see my "runt" didn't stay that way:  Luna, my "runt of two litters" is the dog on the right in both photos. Both girls are from the same breeder that had 2 litters 5 days apart. I adore both of my dogs, and you should know my runt, 2 years later, is 5 pounds larger than my "sturdy" dog. My runt has excellent hips, and no real health issues. My Sturdy Dog has urinary incontinence, and did almost from when we got her home, long before her spay. BUT! Before you actually start considering getting both, know that having two litter mates is beyond challenging. If you consider your blue-eyed under-dog, know that two blue eyes is often a sign of deafness in this breed. Your best bet is to go in educated; what is your breeder's opinion of the two dogs? Perhaps they can help steer you towards a decision you are comfortable with. Good luck! |
| Wow, the 2 blue rule should be to test the puppy before you select it. 2 blues don't automatically mean deafness. In fact you should test both. It is one of the tests you can do on young pups. Separate them so they can't see each other and clap or make a loud noise when the pup isn't looking at you. If there's no reaction, realize your pup might be deaf. That's not to say it won't be a great dog, just one with an extra little "something." I tried never to select the most bouncey nor the one sitting back watching all. I tried for a even temper pup who participated in all games but didn't go crazy. You'll love either one. |
| I had read that you shouldn't go for the overly friendly, yappy, bouncy puppy. So I knew how much trouble I was getting myself into when I picked Tonks. And yes; to this day she is high energy, borderline hyper active. But she climbed into my lap when the rest of her litter mates ran around and played with each other. She picked me, and I was determined to see it through. I also read what a disaster it was to take home two litter mates, especially two females. But when her 1/2 sister also climbed in my lap, I was doomed. I had a BF that said he didn't want a dog, and in that moment suggested we get both. I knew it was trouble, but thought it might be my ONE chance to get an OES, so I gladly wrote the check for both pups. Two years later, with extensive training sessions, classes and such behind us, and I've got two amazingly awesome dogs! But again; its a TON of work. This isn't the easiest of breeds to raise in the best of circumstances. I don't mean to scare you, but I do like to be a cautionary tale: Allison, the owner that did everything wrong when she picked her puppies, but made it work anyway. |
| My OES with two blue eyes is definitely not deaf. Goofy, yes, but not deaf. I have a hard time looking at a litter of puppies without feeling that I certainly should get them all. However, I also took home litter mates (male and female) and indeed, it was a difficult year, especially the first 6 months. They're all fine now, but I have to say that the litter mate thing has continued as they turned 4 years old. Sophie still tries mightily to boss her brother around and for the most part, he simply ignores her. I would not worry at all about the runt issue. Growing up, our very best dog was a beagle who was the runt of the litter. We also had his litter mate who was significantly bigger when they were puppies and only slightly bigger as an adult. But the runt had much the bigger personality. Oh, and the previously mentioned Sophie was the runt of the litter. She definitely makes up for it in personality and although her litter mate Sherman (aka MOOSE) outweighs her by at least 15 lbs, she finds relative size to be no deterrent in her determination to reign supreme. The runts I've raised were very hardy dogs indeed. I am somewhat anticipating health problems for Sophie down the line but this is not because of her status as runt but rather that I was very unwise in choosing pups from a less than careful breeder. If you're unsure, talk to the breeder about what you are looking for, personality wise. You want a puppy who is sound, physically, and mentally. And I would also say that you should not choose a puppy out of guilt. |
| Thanks for the info.....I think... I had no idea that 2 blue eyes meant she could be deaf! I thought she was just cute! The things that usually happen to me are epilepsy, cancer, eating problems down the track etc.. Now I'm really confused. I would love to have both but space doesn't permit it. If she were to be deaf I probably wouldn't have noticed for ages since she wouldn't have to lift a paw for anything, I tend to run after my dogs to the point they hide for some peace. I tried clapping etc to get her attention but she doesn't seem to react, just looks at me a lot. Could she just be content? |
Forgot to say, Darth Snuggle, they say everyone and everything has a double somewhere on earth and I think I may have your pups alter egos here! All 4 dogs look the same! It's amazing! The little one with the white head is also the runt over here. lol I will take some pics in the coming days and ask the owner if it's ok to post them.  |
| A reputable breeder won't let you get two puppies from the same litter. They know that's a recipe for (potential) disaster. If this breeder thinks that's a good idea, probably time to find a different breeder no matter how cute the litter. Two blue eyes doesn't have to mean deaf, it just increases the risk of deafness, because it's linked to lack of pigmentation. Not that a pup with two brown eyes can't be deaf. Since this breed has a problem with deafness, the litter should be BAER tested (tested for whether they can hear or not) I would ask the breeder if this will be done before they go to their homes and also if the parents were BAER tested (two bilateral hearing dogs can nonetheless produce a deaf puppy, so that's no guarantee either). The "clapping" test is not scientifically reliable  Just about every litter has a "runt". Here's mine  She actually turned out to be the pick of the litter from a structural point of view, as was her granddam, so you never know. In other words don't assume because she's the runt that no one will take her or she won't get a good home. If you have your heart set on the other puppy, go with that. On the other hand, if the parents' hips (OFA usually, see http://www.offa.org ) and eyes haven't been checked, along with hearing, this probably isn't the breeder for you. To see what health problems are prevalent in this breed go to http://www.oeshealth.org and to see what health testing we should be doing go to http://www.caninehealthinfo.org/brdreqs.html?breed=SD Read through these sites and you'll have a better idea what questions to ask the breeder to get a good feel for whether or not this is a breeder who is aware of the health problems in the breed and tries to avoid producing them. Hope you find a great puppy! Kristine |
| You don't say what goals you have for the new dog. If you want a quiet house dog, or a performance dog or what. That should help direct your choice. Kristine I don't think I ever saw that picture aabefore. Mace looks lovely - you look very happy |
kerry wrote: You don't say what goals you have for the new dog. If you want a quiet house dog, or a performance dog or what. That should help direct your choice. Kristine I don't think I ever saw that picture aabefore. Mace looks lovely - you look very happy Of course she is happy - that is the day Macy finished, by taking BOB and going on to take a Group 1 as well!!!  ...and I took the picture, so apologize for the off center - but was staying out of the way of the photographer...lol |
kerry wrote: You don't say what goals you have for the new dog. If you want a quiet house dog, or a performance dog or what. That should help direct your choice. Kristine I don't think I ever saw that picture aabefore. Mace looks lovely - you look very happy What Dawn said! No matter what she says, her pic is so much better than the official one (where I look like a dork, Dawn - knows to wait till Marnie stops yelling instructions at me and the deer in the headlight look has subsided ). I should hire her Kristine |
| I say go with your gut. The puppy that you connect with the most is the one that you should choose. I was fortunate enough to get the puppy that I wanted and I had penultimate choice! I love my brown-eyed girl. She sounds much like the runt, very, very loving, she's energetic, but a walk will calm her down. Just because the puppy has blue eyes doesn't mean she'll be deaf. My Wendel has blue eyes and he can hear the treat back from a dead sleep!  |
| Be sure to read this: How to Pick the Right Puppy for your Family |
| Ron, with all due respect, and I know that kind of testing was all the vogue for a while, those puppy testing evaluations are (1) only as good as the person conducting the test and (2) very dependant on the day they were tested, the phase of the moon, etc etc etc A good breeder who knows the litter up close and personal, knows the line, and knows what you're looking for can do a better job of picking the right puppy with her eyes closed. Mind you, if you pick one yourself it won't be based on those aptitude tests anyway, but what your gut/heart whatever tells you.  Don't get me wrong. It's an interesting read. Just take care not to get too hung up on it because the predictive value can be very questionable. Kristine |
Quote: Why do I feel so guilty? I'm sure there's some textbook explanation but I think it has to do with our need to protect and nurture... the underdog looks like she needs us most. But if the pup you don't choose is with a good breeder, you won't need to worry about her. There's probably someone else that will make her their first choice. Enjoy this special puppy experience no matter which pup you choose... |
| With my golden retreiver I had no choice. He was the runt and the only male left. He grew...to be 76lbs of high energy and love bug. |
| I'm sure Darth Snuggle won't mind me saying, before you decide to get both pups, take a few hours to read through Darth Snuggle's posts from the beginning. You will see just how much work, patience, time, money and dedication it takes to raise two littermates successfully. Seriously, I couldn't begin to imagine how hard that is, many experienced sheepie owners wouldn't attempt it. I say go with your gut feeling -but ignore all feelings of pity as that may skew your decision |
Hint of Mischief wrote: I'm sure Darth Snuggle won't mind me saying, before you decide to get both pups, take a few hours to read through Darth Snuggle's posts from the beginning. You will see just how much work, patience, time, money and dedication it takes to raise two littermates successfully. Seriously, I couldn't begin to imagine how hard that is, many experienced sheepie owners wouldn't attempt it. I say go with your gut feeling -but ignore all feelings of pity as that may skew your decision AGREED! Two years + later, and I'm glad we did it. But its TERRIBLY expensive (our pups were also BYB dogs, and not healthy-- another huge mistake I made) and we had a good deal of training issues to tackle. Professional trainers and training classes also are pretty expensive when multiplied by two. Like I said earlier; I'm glad to act as a cautionary tale! But it sounds like you are aware that you can really only take one dog; and that's a good thing. |
| I kept two from my last litter would I do that again? Probably not. Each step is really hard with double the trouble and training. The other thing people forget too is two the same age as puppers means two the same age as elderly dogs with the usual old age issues. People say the puppy stage is challenging but the other end of the spectrum is harder. Now as far as blue eyes are concerned, Mad dog answered that, not the eye colour as far as deafness is concerned, you can have wall eyes and even brown eyes with OES being deaf, here is my 2 blue eyed man, he was also one of the smallest in the litter of 6 boys and 2 girls, which means diddlysquat. He is now 41 Kg's and a big solid boy with supersonic hearing, he can hear a wrapper being unwarpped on food miles away. Also if a reputable breeder then BAER testing would of been done on both the sire and dam as well and as Maddog said also before the litter goes all the puppies have been tested as well. So go on which baby takes your heart, not the size or eye colour. Also talk to the breeder as to what type of personality you require for your home to help you make the choice. The more if they are close you can see them and watch as they develope and personality blooms then the better for making a choice.  |
Sometimes the puppy chooses you  When we met Amber for the first time I picked up a cute wall eyed boy and snuggled with him. I put him down and picked up several others. The entire time we were there the first boy never took his eyes off me, not once. My husband told me on the way home the decision had already been made and not by us, and he turned out to be our Gabriel  |
| I absolutely love these 2 here..... originally i had not intended to keep 2 from the last litter, it just turned out I kept the boy and the girl too. Would/will i keep two again? NOT at this time! Trouble and double trouble. I love them both very much and they are such gifts to me. But they are definately bonded to each other........ Checker's sucks on Caly's ear (EUKKKKKK) all the time i am continuolusly yelling at him to QUIT it! Two are a handful.................. |
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