Transplant from Texas to Pennsylvania interested in OES
 I have always liked OES and would like to know more about them. I am hoping to get to know them through your forum and decide if one would be a good fit for my life now. My oldest BC died just before I moved here from Texas in June and it will be a while before I am ready for another furry friend. I've also done agility, flyball, obedience, therapy dog and other dog venues as well as taught puppy classes and trained and shown other peoples dogs in herding trials. So I like the idea of staying with a herding breed, although I've never seen one work. I look forward to do a lot of listening in and asking some questions. Thanks in advance for your patience.Jenny |
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| I've yet to hear of a sheepdog playing Flyball, but it doesn't mean they aren't out there. As for the rest? Very much a part of the Sheepie repertoire! I think you'll find the OES a bit different to train than the border collie. My understanding is that the boarder collies really live to do commands, and soak up training like sponges. Sheepies live to play, and frolic, and generally pretend they don't know what you're talking about, when they know DARNED well what it is you want of them. I think them one of the smarter breeds to be sure, but you may need to approach training differently, is all. And, if you've had all the experience you say you have, this would be a great dog for you! Often times, families just aren't right for an OES. Not enough time to train,and keep them active. To be sure; they don't need to be as active as a border collie. But still, walks, dog park time, training classes... these are all things that I know are a part of our lives to help keep my two OES girls stimulated and happy. |
| There is a sheepie in our training club who is doing flyball. I haven't seen him go yet but he also does rally and agility. I'm not sure how long it took her to get him to do the flyball but she says he has loads of fun with the "game" |
| I'm sorry to read of your loss. Each OES with whom I've been so fortunate to live has had a very different personality. Jake (pictured in my avatar) was my big 106 pound fearless man. He was first out the door to lick all intruders. He was only fairly smart and totally stubborn!!! He NEVER learned to take a treat gently, and was quite the counter surfer. Winston was our foster boy for four months. He was afraid of his own shadow after having suffered abuse for years. He was the most eager-to-please dog, but he just didn't understand everything. Our current boy Mulligan is by far the smartest dog yet. He understands and is quite trainable but is not so eager to please. Unless you have a treat. Then he can get so excited that he forgets what he knows. I've always thought that owning a BC would be neat, but I've read/heard that they need constant stimulation or can become destructive? I've also wondered how much of that (if any) is overstated. Welcome to our little furry corner of the web! |
| Welcome! We do most of the stuff you listed  Chewie, my 4 yr old OES is a show CH, has his CD, RAE, and novice agility titles with AKC and CPE. We also tried flyball, and he absolutely loved it. But, because the jump styles are so different (for an OES more so than a BC), I needed to pick one or the other and we went with agility. (I just posted agility vids from this last weekend in the pictures section). I'm also an obedience instructor, and evaluator for CGC and TDI. Chewie also has done some basic herding - has his AHBA HCTs, and we also raise sheep. He's had his CGC and been a therapy dog w/ TDI since he was 1 year old. He also runs lead with sled dog teams, backpacks and is a weight pull champion with 2 different organizations. My guy while being a clown, is a pretty serious OES with a really strong work ethic. He lives and breathes to do things with me....my husband has mentioned it's a good thing he's not an insecure guy!  So yes, all that stuff is certainly possible with the right dog and a human who loves to do it all! |
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