Advice on 2nd sheepie needed
We are beginning to discuss a sibling for Kolby. My 14 yr. old would love a lap dog and wants a Crested Maltese. My hubby feels a 2nd Sheepie might be better so Kolby would have a true playmate (which then would give Daddy a little break from constant playtime - hee hee). Although we've been told Crested Maltese's have tons of energy and do well with all kinds of dogs (despite their small size). Any opinions out there in regards to which breed would be best? We do have a rather large home on an acre and a quarter so space is not an issue. And we have tons of room in our hearts :0) Thanks for your feedback in advance! Jackie |
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I'd tell your 14 yr. old that Old English Sheepdogs can also be lap dogs. Granted, they are some of the heaviest lap dogs you'll have to endure, but just try telling them they can't be in your lap.    |
| In all seriousness; some OES do well with smaller breeds. But these are big, energetic dogs. If you have a "fragile" small dog, it may be easily hurt playing with such a big playmate. I don't know a thing about the Crested Maltese; these designer dogs are (at the risk of sounding rude) are simply glorified, over priced mutts. Now there's not a thing wrong with a mutt; all of my friends have pound dogs, mixes that are the loveliest pets I've ever met. BUT; when you pay for one of these designer dogs the way you would for a pure breed, you are counting on getting a very specific kind of dog. People have an expectation of breed standards that these mixes simply cannot promise; if they could, then the AKC would likely register them as a new breed. But these mixes often don't have consistent results. Some pups may be more like their Maltese parent, which is a dog that seems to be more strongly built than say their Chinese Crested background parent, which looks very fragile to me. I guess what I'm saying is this; don't go into a deal for a designer dog with expectations that your breeder can give you what you want. Your breeder is going to get what they are going to get. The litter could favor one parent or the other, or each pup could be significantly different from its sibling. Do OES do well with small dogs? Sure, I've seen many that do. Quite a few seem to do really well with Yorkies. My girls love to play with Corgies and Jack Russell Terriers. But some don't do well with small dogs at all; one of my girls is REALLY way too rough with any little dog that isn't a Corgie or a Jack Russell. So you may want to take your dog to a park, see how he does with other dogs. My Luna will play with anything, any size, while her sister Tonks is partial to dogs with mushed in faces; boxers, pitbulls, bulldogs, etc. She loves Boston Terriers and French Bulldogs-- little dogs with mushed in faces. It can be almost too much for her; too exciting. I say try socializing Kolby with some lap dogs, and see how he does. You may find that he helps you make this decision. Good luck! |
Hi Allison - Thanks so much for the great advice and I absolutely adore the pix you posted! Kolby actually is a 70 lb. lap dog as well :0)  We took Kolby to our dog park many many times this summer. Not too many tiny dogs there. He had a fantastic time romping with lots of dogs but did seem to gravitate toward those closer to him in size and energy level! I appreciate the quick reply and will certainly heed your advice! Happy Holidays! |
Sorry to hear about your loss of Molly.  Oscar is a big sheepdog, at 115 lbs. His favorite dogs are large (Retrievers, Goldendoodle who is 90 lbs.  ) or medium sized (loves Cocker Spaniels). He does not like small dogs, mostly terriers and miniature schnauzers, because they are hyper, and they tend to lunge at him. Sounds like Kolby tends to like the bigger breeds as well. I, too, would worry about a small dog getting stepped on by a sheepdog's huge, clumsy paws. A Chinese Crested is similar in size to a Chihuahua, right? That is a little dog!Whatever you decide, may you get a healthy, happy playmate for Kolby. Laurie and Oscar, who loves being an only....  |
Darth Snuggle wrote: I'd tell your 14 yr. old that Old English Sheepdogs can also be lap dogs. Granted, they are some of the heaviest lap dogs you'll have to endure, but just try telling them they can't be in your lap. ASKA DOES THIS ALL THE TIME   She thinks she's a lapdog |
| I didn't read it all until now, and I'm so sorry about your loss of Molly ! |
| Sammy our sheepie loved our Westie Max! They were best friends until she passed. Max was able to hold his own during some vigorous play sessions. Westies may be small but they are tough and not hyper or yappy. |
| We weren't looking to get a second OES, but fate brought us one and it was the BEST thing to ever happen to our first sheepie. The two of them share a bond that I never could have predicted and they truly seem to know that they are the "same." The pressure for us to keep them constantly entertained has lifted, though they will still want to play wherever you are hanging out. Our small rescued lap dog (20lbs) has no problem telling the big boys to leave him alone, but occasionally I do have that rush of anxiety when I see the 80lb puppy bumbling full speed in his direction. |
Sheepie San Diego wrote: We weren't looking to get a second OES, but fate brought us one and it was the BEST thing to ever happen to our first sheepie. The two of them share a bond that I never could have predicted and they truly seem to know that they are the "same." The pressure for us to keep them constantly entertained has lifted, though they will still want to play wherever you are hanging out. Our small rescued lap dog (20lbs) has no problem telling the big boys to leave him alone, but occasionally I do have that rush of anxiety when I see the 80lb puppy bumbling full speed in his direction. Do you find that they play constantly or do they also just hang out calmly together? We have been having these terrific play dates with Winston, a 3 month old OES. He and Mady play beautifully together and it is very fun to watch, but I wonder, if we had a 'Winston' of our own, would it be crazy fun all the time or do they relax? One thing I like about Mady is that she can be layabout on occasion. |
| they do relax and often together. I've had Tonks and Luna since they were littermates. They do everything together. Play, Relax, Walks, Training.... sometimes Luna gets to guarding things from Tonks, who feels she has the right to anything Luna has or wants. We get some small squabbles, and on the rare occasion not so small. But training keeps them in line; that way they know I'm boss first, and they come after. Whats nice, is that we both work from home, and Luna really likes to be with me in my studio, while Tonks likes to be with Adam in his. Sometimes the girls will both crowd into mine, or both try and fit under Adam's computer table. But they really are the best of friends. |
| i have had my second sheepie for 12 days, she is 19weeks and her new big brother is 13mths. from the minute she came through the door they played CONSTANTLY for 7.5hrs. now after 12 days they are down to around 3hrs with a sleep break and then another 3hrs. thankfully they sleep through the night without a peep, which was my biggest concern as my neighbours might have had something to say. cappi sometimes gets a big rough but she lets him know, this has been a bit testing for us, cappi is deaf and so cannot hear when puppy, dippy, yelps, she seems to have worked this out and as soon as he over does thing she flies at him all guns blazing, putting him on his back!!! go girl  i ummed and ahhed about a second dog but it has been the best thing, they play and sleep together, i am no longer the sole focus of his attention, as lovely as that is, it can be exhausting. walking two on leads has been a steep learning curve but we are getting there, the first few times it was very push me pull me, and my arms being stretched both ways. a bit of practice around the garden has helped and when dippy gets a bit taller i will try a doubler lead. i was told a year ago that sheepies are addictive and one would not be enough............................ |
Mady wrote: Do you find that they play constantly or do they also just hang out calmly together? We have been having these terrific play dates with Winston, a 3 month old OES. He and Mady play beautifully together and it is very fun to watch, but I wonder, if we had a 'Winston' of our own, would it be crazy fun all the time or do they relax? One thing I like about Mady is that she can be layabout on occasion. Bacon (2 yrs) is a medium-low energy level but Turkish (1 yr) is a high-very high energy level. I think this helps balance out the play with the leisure. Some days it seems like they will never stop playing, but other days they just laze around. Their favorite thing to do is wrestle aka give each other haircuts. Poor Bacon ended up with a reverse mullet so I had to try trimming his bangs in order to match what Turkish had pulled out around his neck and top of his head. The only time I can keep their bangs pulled back is when we leave the house - at home the rubber bands just end up on the floor. The best though is when they sleep they will often spoon or snuggle back to back - it's adorable! My favorite is when they sleep butt to butt (sometime face to butt) in the bathroom. It may be double the trouble and double the grooming, but having two sheepies is quadruple the love!    |
Awwww, such cuties. They look like a pair of book ends.   |
Mim wrote: Awwww, such cuties. They look like a pair of book ends. HAHA - so true! I like that observation. |
| My Oliver is 13 Months. I had already had 2 shishapoos. Poodle/ shitzue mix. They were rescues. Oliver is a big boy now and he tries so much to play with them .But they are very much afraid of him. I think he is to rough. I have tried to help but it is hard. That is why we are trying to get another sheepie (rescue) So that he will have a playmate.I am really excited to see how they are together. I hope so much that they are a good match. Sometimes I don'[t think that he realizes that he is a big dog. I think that he thinks he is small like them Traci |
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