wanting an oes puppy
I'm brand new here. I started looking through the forums a couple weeks ago and have been absorbing as much information as I can since. Thanks to all of you because this site has been a veritable treasure trove of info. My fiancé and I are in the beginning stages of looking for an OES puppy. We went back and forth on a few breeds but recently decided an OES was the right dog for us. We're in our mid-30s and live in Chicago (South Loop). We're in a dog friendly building and our condo is pretty good sized at around 1300 sq ft. Thankfully, our place is within a few blocks of 2 existing dog parks and one that is in the planning stages at this time due to open next summer/fall. We don't have children yet but most likely will in about 3 years. We settled on the OES because they're super playful, loving and just great companions. My fiance's family had one when she was younger so she's well aware of everything they bring to the table. From everything I've heard, read and seen, I couldn't be more excited. I'm guessing the grooming will be tougher than we expect but we'll probably opt for the puppy cut to keep it somewhat easier (keyword being "somewhat"). Another big reason we decided on the OES is the fact that they are minimal shedders. We know there's no such thing as a “shed free” dog but since she had one growing up, the amount of shedding that does occur isn't a problem for us. We will definitely exercise the dog appropriately via regular schedule of walks throughout the day and whatnot. Initially, we thought about a rescue would be the way to go. However, after reading through this site and others, we just feel a rescue would be best for someone who has more experience with the breed to better work through any potential behavioral issues an older dog may have that we'd have a tougher time being able to sort out. The big thing I've learned through reading up on stuff here is to make sure we find a reputable breeder to ensure we get the healthiest dog possible to minimize health problems down the road. Sounds like everyone is pretty big on the breeders listed in the OESCA site and avoiding those not listed there. With that, I was wondering if you guys could give any other advice on how to go about getting a puppy . Do you know of any approved breeders that are anticipating litters next spring? If there are any available sooner, that would be fine though we'd prefer to do the potty training stages in warmer weather if possible  Not a deal breaker by any stretch of the imagination though. We're in Chicago so we're used to the cold weather. Would love to just get in contact with the right people to learn more about their dogs and how they go about selecting people appropriate for their puppies.Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! |
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| HI and Welcome to the OES Forum!!!! It sounds like you have been doing your homework about this wonderful, silly, endearing breed! I have 2...Pearl is 14 years old. and Heart, the baby, is 3 years old. I will always have an OES in my life!! Both of mine are therapy dogs and do performance ( Rally, OB, Agility). Pearl was a rescue from the Missouri Humane Society, and Heart is my Suri Cruiz pup...born with a silver spoon in her mouth !!!  When I was looking for a breeder, I contacted a couple of them by email to find out which would be the best fit for me. Also, other breeders let me know if or when they planned on having litters and if they knew of any litters around. Once you get to contacting a couple of them, I am sure they will be able to help you. Good luck and keep us posted!!!!!! |
Yay!  Welcome!I found my baby girl via the internet. I didn't use one of the approved breeders, because none were nearby at the time. However, I found many, many, many websites for breeders by searching "Old English Sheepdog breeders", and read through their philosophies and whatnot about their dogs. Then I e-mailed the breeders and let them know about myself and my hopes for getting a pup, just as you did here. I also asked about the parents, what health certifications they had, their temperament and activities, etc. Some of the breeders e-mailed and automatically tried to push a pup on me without really responding to my questions. They seemed like they were looking more to "unload" than to match a great puppy with a great home. The two I narrowed it down to were both breeders who e-mailed back the answers to my questions, and then asked more questions about me: what was my housing situation, was I aware of the amount of time grooming would take, was I willing and ready to spend money and time for grooming, etc. In other words, they were interviewing me just as I was them. They were not going to let me have one of their puppies unless they felt certain I could give it a good home. I ended up choosing Ecco, my baby girl, because she was slightly older than the pups in the other breeder's litter. Ecco and her brother had been reserved to be a family's Christmas puppies, but the buyer backed out just before Christmas. Ecco and her brother spent an extra month with their mom and pop while the breeder looked for another buyer. I could not be happier with her. She learns quickly, is eager to please, and always in a great mood.  Good luck with your search. We will want to see pictures when the little one arrives.  |
| Thanks for the replies. I've sent emails to a couple breeders (Wynward and Lambluv) as they are the closest to us. I guess I'll just wait for replies and take it from there. Hopefully they won't take too long to get back! I'm really excited to get the ball moving along. When we started talking about getting a dog a while ago, my fiance was the one who was most excited and now I'm the one who cannot wait! I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm secretly hoping someone has puppies available sooner than next spring but regardless, I can wait a few extra months for the joy we'll be getting years to enjoy for years to come. We'll see. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again. |
| Welcome! There are a number of us here in the Chicagoland area. ( I am in the northern suburbs - Libertyville.) I don't know anything about Wynward, but I would love to own a Lambluv pup. The breeder at Lambluv, Jere Marder, is still showing and winning with her dogs, and as far as I know, Lambluv enjoys a good reputation. In addition to Illinois, you might want to check OESCA referral list for breeders in Indiana. Best of luck in your search for a puppy! Laurie and Oscar |
| ...oh...and don't limit yourself to breeders around your area. I am in Missouri and my Heart  came from Colorado via plane. As long as you go with an OESCA quality breeder, you can get her///him from anywhere!!! |
| Hello again, I have a question for you guys about OESs and children. Let me tell you what we're thinking and you guys can tell me if I'm crazy, on-the-ball or who knows. As I mentioned above, we're now engaged and will be getting married late next year. Being in our mid-30s, we'll probably be trying for a child not too long after that. Odds are, we'll be having our first child sometime in 2013. So even if we have the baby in, say, February 2013, that would probably mean our pup would then be 2 years old. Additionally, the dog would have seen her go through the entire stages of her pregnancy which I feel like dogs can pick up on. So I'm hoping that by the time our future baby is born, the dog will be two years old so somewhat less rambunctious than a 1 year old, seen my fiance (then wife) go through her entire pregnancy, then see us bring home a newborn baby, slowly watch said baby get bigger and eventually crawling around. If an OES goes through all that, and if the dog is raised properly in a positive reinforcement way to know its place in the family, would you say there's a pretty darn good chance that once the baby can move around on its own if it happened to grab the dogs ears and poke it around a bit, there really isn't much, if any, concern that the dog would snap at the baby? I'm sure once the baby can walk around, the dog will occasionally knock it over a bit because of its size, but that's not really my concern. Maybe we're over-thinking this but we really want to be sure we're not missing anything. Obviously we don't want to get a dog and someday have to give her up because we didn't research enough and it turns out it isn't good around kids. Everything I've read so far looks like it shouldn't be a problem but most posts I've read about OESs and kids speak to people who already have babies and bring a puppy OES into the home vs. the route we're looking. Any feedback would be great. Thanks! |
| From what I have read about Old English Sheepdogs, they are called the """Nannies""" of the dog world. Since they are herding dogs, they like their 'family' to be together. Pearl has always been great around kids. Being a therapy dog and visiting childrens hospitals gave her a great start to being a kid friendly pupper. When my grandchildren were born, and visited, Pearl was always close and watching the little 'thing'~of course we were always there with her to make sure there were no problems. Heart came into our family 3 years ago..and was pleasantly surprised by her 5 litter mates...(my grandkids, ranging in age, at that time, from newborn to 7yrs.) Again, outside of herding the kids when they run around, we have not had any problems. I need to say that Heart does not nip or grab ankles or clothing, as some sheepies do. I think you are wise to look at the whole picture. Looking into your future and thinking of the pluses and minuses..but, until you get your sheepdog, it will be hard to foresee what will happen~~ It will be all about your puppy...temperament?? activity level??? health???? And all about YOU>>>>>>....training??? training??? and much more training???.... I am sure others will be responding to this....I just thought I'd give you my two cents ~~~ |
| You are wise to plan for the future and to make sure your dog is a very important member of the family. From a rescue perspective, problems with OES and small children (rough play, nipping and even biting) is the #1 reason for owner surrenders to rescue. The best thing that you can do is never let a young child alone with any animal. Even dogs with the best of temperaments can only take so much if hurt or startled. Be sure the breeder you go with actually breeds for temperament as well as health. Just because a breeder advertises that their pups were "family raised" or "raised in our kitchen" does not necessarily guarantee a desirable temperament. Genetics can play a big role with that. You are on the right track with the breeders you've mentioned so far but as Val noted, don't limit yourself to a specific location. Good breeders will ship a puppy and do a great job of selecting one that will fit your family. Puppies very rarely come into rescue so your wait could be much longer than waiting for a litter from a good breeder. We've seen more adult OES rescues from homes with young children due to economic problems for the family. Many of these dogs are fabulous with kids and if one would become available it may be a good choice. Better yet, they're already housebroken! Nita Midwest OES Rescue |
Oscar's Mom wrote: Welcome! There are a number of us here in the Chicagoland area. ( I am in the northern suburbs - Libertyville.) I don't know anything about Wynward, Laurie and Oscar I do. Liz has nice dogs (not that Jere doesn't). Mind you, she doesn't breed very often, but she's very knowledgable and therefor an excellent breed resource. I would definitely talk to her and also Jerri Hoppe (Four Square OES - She's on the forum on and off) You can learn a lot from both of them. Being in Chicago, you're sort of lucky because you not only have local breeders, you actually have a local OES club: http://www.coesc.org/ The Chicagoland club also does rescue, though like us they don't get a lot of dogs in. Still, you never know. Why not contact the club and get involved with the breed that way? You can meet some breeders as well as other OES owners and hopefully do some "hands on"  research.Best wishes, Kristine |
| As far as the dog being 2 years old when the baby is born....that shouldn't be a problem as long a you go with a pup from a reputable breeder & they breed for good temperaments. PLEASE CHECK OUT THE BREEDER REFERRAL LIST ON THE OESCA WEBSITE ALSO. You sould fine the breeders you mention on it as well as others in your area. Best way to assess this is to visit the breeder & their adult dogs. Give them about 5 minutes to settle down once you arrive & if at all possible take along a young neice or nephew or a friend's child with you to see how the adults act around kids. This will tell you pretty much right off the bat. I have a family in town here that bought one of our show girls as a pup after they were married about 1 year. They had the dog for a little over 2 years before they had their 1st (and so far only) child. The dog will turn 5 this December & the little girl will be 3 years old on March. They have NO issues with the combination. I've even heard the little girl say "Livvy, go away now" & the dog gets up & walks away to the other side of the roon & lies down. She's been very patient when the little girl was learning to walk & very observant & watchful when others are around the little girl. As long as you continue to give your dog the individual attention it needs when the child comes along there shold be no problem. And it is a great way for a young child to learn how wonderful this breed is. |
| I have two young children and we got an OES puppy last summer. My husband and I each came into the marriage with a dog, and both our dogs died a year apart. Our first child was born when my husband's dog, a large mixed breed, was 11. It was a great source of stress for me after the baby was born, because I just never knew what the dog was going to do. Sure he was sweet with us (the adults), but he had never lived with a baby before, definitely did not like anybody getting too close to him when he was chewing a bone or toy (he would growl), and was old and grouchy. He died when our first child was about one, and it was sad but for the best. Having the baby and the dog together was just too stressful for all concerned. My husband and I decided to wait until we were done having kids to get another dog. That meant we went years without a dog, which neither of us had ever done. We had each lived with dogs our entire lives. We really wanted a dog! But we had our hands full with the first child and then a second, and it was nice to not have one more thing to worry about. We decided to get a puppy this past summer, when our kids were 4 and 6. In a perfect world, I would have waited until the kids were 6 and 8. My recommendation would be to wait until you are done having children to get a puppy. That might be an unpopular opinion here, but it really is just my take on things. Having children is very overwhelming and very expensive. You will have very little time for anything for the first three years of your kids' lives. I know this sounds grim, but it's true. While a dog may well pick up on the pregnancy and be very protective of the baby, the dog might also be jealous of the baby, or too rough with the baby. You just don't know until you're in the situation. This is why I wanted to wait until the kids were old enough to be taught how to behave with the puppy before we got one. I think it is very difficult to raise a puppy (or get an adult dog) when you have babies or small children. There are just so many things that can go haywire, and there is just so much work. I have several friends who had dogs prior to having kids, and now, with babies in the house, are trying to place their dogs in rescue. They are overwhelmed with what it takes to raise a baby or two, and simply don't have the time or energy to be walking a dog every day, making sure the dog doesn't chew up the baby's toys, making sure the dog doesn't bark and wake the baby that you FINALLY got to sleep, etc. It is HARD. Now for some people it might be easier. Some couples seem to have boundless energy and can handle anything. This is definitely a personality type. If you feel like you can remain calm and upbeat under lot of stress and around a lot of chaos, getting a puppy now and having a baby in a couple years might not be a bad idea. A lot of careful planning is helpful, but you know what they say about the best laid plans... I hate to sound negative, but I just wanted to put this out there. It's something to think about. haganaga wrote: Hello again, I have a question for you guys about OESs and children. Let me tell you what we're thinking and you guys can tell me if I'm crazy, on-the-ball or who knows. As I mentioned above, we're now engaged and will be getting married late next year. Being in our mid-30s, we'll probably be trying for a child not too long after that. Odds are, we'll be having our first child sometime in 2013. So even if we have the baby in, say, February 2013, that would probably mean our pup would then be 2 years old. Additionally, the dog would have seen her go through the entire stages of her pregnancy which I feel like dogs can pick up on. So I'm hoping that by the time our future baby is born, the dog will be two years old so somewhat less rambunctious than a 1 year old, seen my fiance (then wife) go through her entire pregnancy, then see us bring home a newborn baby, slowly watch said baby get bigger and eventually crawling around. If an OES goes through all that, and if the dog is raised properly in a positive reinforcement way to know its place in the family, would you say there's a pretty darn good chance that once the baby can move around on its own if it happened to grab the dogs ears and poke it around a bit, there really isn't much, if any, concern that the dog would snap at the baby? I'm sure once the baby can walk around, the dog will occasionally knock it over a bit because of its size, but that's not really my concern. Maybe we're over-thinking this but we really want to be sure we're not missing anything. Obviously we don't want to get a dog and someday have to give her up because we didn't research enough and it turns out it isn't good around kids. Everything I've read so far looks like it shouldn't be a problem but most posts I've read about OESs and kids speak to people who already have babies and bring a puppy OES into the home vs. the route we're looking. Any feedback would be great. Thanks! |
Serpico wrote: My recommendation would be to wait until you are done having children to get a puppy. I discussed this with my husband, and he thinks I'm completely wrong and your should go ahead and get the puppy.  While my argument is that you never know what kind of baby you're going to get and what kind of dog you're going to get (and if they'll be a good combination), my husband's argument is that you can't predict anything in life and have no idea what's going to happen, ever. So he says get the puppy now as planned and just go for it. I will point out that he wasn't the one home changing diapers all day, or carting babies back and forth to doctor appointments, preschools, and playdates, and he's not the one now who grooms the dog or walks the dog or takes the dog out every morning in the cold and rain. But I digress. |
Serpico wrote: I will point out that he wasn't the one home changing diapers all day, or carting babies back and forth to doctor appointments, preschools, and playdates, and he's not the one now who grooms the dog or walks the dog or takes the dog out every morning in the cold and rain. But I digress.  Points well taken  Thanks for the chuckle. Kristine |
I agree with waiting till you are done having kids. I got an oes puppy and when he about 1 yrs old I had a baby. He was very jealous. He didint want to be around me anymore. He wouldnt even sleep beside my bed like he use too and he would growl at me when I tried to groom him. It was awful. Long story short, After he bit my husband and almost killed the neighbors dog, I ended up turning him over to rescue.  |
| Where is Mrs. J on this? We need her opinion! |
| We rescued our first OES at 2 yrs old while living in Alaska...poor baby had lived outside for two years and received very little love. My girls were 4 and 6 at the time...they were in Florida with grandparents, husband was away at a school so I took her in, cleaned her up and spent a week with her to make sure it would work with my girls. She was so loving and appreciative...just the greatest so we kept her...really hard to tell husband that we had an OES when he returned inside the house...he was also worried about being military and being able to take her with us. Now I only have the two tibetan terriers who are extremely loving, smart and great therapy dogs as a rule...they love the grandchildren but I now have to gate them as they worry themselves silly over the baby 6mths and the 2 1/2 year old wants to dance, sing and is louder at times...they get scared when she runs towards them. I am working with her to teach her to be quieter around them and we spend time just petting them and loving on them but I can't just leave them with her and hope nothing happens. It takes all my energy taking care of both girls let alone watching where the dogs are and their every movement. Gating them protects the dogs and the grandchildren. I now remember why we waited until the girls were 4 and 6...yes, working, taking care of babies on little sleep took all our energy as well as the expense...at the time we didn't have alot of extra money. I spend alot on vet costs, grooming costs and food for my two. My two require alot of my attention and make sure you can take care of them well before deciding...getting married, having babies is alot to adjust to in the beginning...a puppy is the same as having a baby in most respects. Congrats on your engagement! |
| Hi all, Just thought I'd give an update. Unfortunately we will not be able to get a puppy right now. I was unfortunately laid off from my job so I'm now one of the many looking for work. We were so grateful that the breeders we talked to were willing to sell us one of their puppies but we just didn't think it was the best idea to bring on a new puppy while I'm trying to find employment. Hopefully my search won't take too long and we can get back to looking for a new addition to our home soon. Thanks again to everyone for all the replies and all of the information spread across this site. I'll be lurking around from time to time and will definitely be posting when we're ready for a puppy (hopefully not too long!!) Take care everyone and have a safe and wonderful new year! |
| Good luck to you in your job search. Maybe things will work out and the puppy dream can still come true. |
| You sound like smeone who would truly make an excellat home! Waiting until you find employment is so smart. No way can you bring a new pup home now, look for a new job and start a new job with a new puppy. And never mind the financial issues. Hope you find employment soon so you can settle into the new job and then get your new pup. As everything else in life, you need to take care of yourelf first before you can truly take care of anything or anyone else. Good Luck to you. Sending my good thoughts and prayers out that you will find a nice job and then find a nice puppy! Keep us posted...an, oh, by the way...sometimes it takes a while to find a litter. You might want to keep in touch with some of the breeders. It took me almost a year to find a puppy available from one of the OES referral breeders. |
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