I was approached to adopt an OES, but need some advice-HELP!
My situation is that I was approached to adopt a 4 year old OES named Bear who is very loved, but cannot be kept any longer. His owner passed away a month ago due to cancer (a single mother who had 2 sons). Her children have went to live with their uncle, and their housing situation is not at all condusive to a dog. They have had a very difficult time finding a home for Bear. There has been several couples interested in him, but none that the family felt "right" giving him to. They want him to go to a good home. Soooo, I got the call tonight asking if I would take him. I have always loved OES's, and have always wanted one, but I don't believe in getting a pet before you know the whole story...so I'm doing my homework. 
Our home is an old renovated farmhouse...humongous...so I'm not worried about space. We have 5 birds, whom we love dearly, one inside dog (a mixed breed of what we don't know...lol...rescued from the pound), 2 outside dogs, a german shepherd and a beagle, both rescues from people we know, and 3 boys, ages 4,5 and 9. The thing I was most worried about was the birdies...but his owner had 8 birds, so I think that should be okay... And they say that his temperment is very docile, and was raised with kids, so that should be great... I am just looking for any insight that any of you might have. Another question I have is a shedding question. OES's are soo cute and fluffy, but I'm concerned with getting hair all over my home. Any pointers?? 
Thanks |
|
|
| Sounds like sheepie Heaven to me!
Woof loves birds - birdsong fascinates him (he sits listening for ages in our garden), and certainly he'd chase them as they fly around the fields - but it's only playful. He doesn't get agressive as far as I can see. As for hair - well, I'm not going to lie to you.....they don't "moult" in the strictest sense, but Woofer loses hair pretty much all the time so we have to vaccuum pretty much daily  and we do spend several hours a week grooming him of course (don't forget that!) The benefits of having a sheepie far outweigh the drawbacks though...... 
Best of Luck! |
| OESs don't shed like, let's say, a German Shepherd or a Husky. The hair just doesn't ever come out in bunches, except when they "blow" their first puppy coat. They have a lot of hair, and just like my wife, some of it breaks off or falls out...
If you keep your dog in a puppy cut, say never letting your dog get longer than 3 or 4 inches, then you porbably won't see too much in the way of excess hair just lying around. Good luck, and thanks for rescuing dogs! |
| My OES, Truman does not shed! No kidding - I literally never find hair around the house. Now, the cat, on the other hand......... |
| I am one that does not like Dog Hair. So thats why I got a sheepie. We had one when I was younger and I remembered that they did not shed. My 5 month old pup sheds more in clumps at tleast for right now, I think he is losing his puppy hair. They are great dogs! |
Thanks so much for all of your input. It's really hard to believe that these dogs really don't shed!!!!! That was the one big drawback that I had. I talked things over with my hubby and I guess we're going to give the big lug a home...I can't wait!!!  |
| I hope everything is GREAT!
What section of the country do you hail from? Please visit us here if you have any questions or just to share. If you need HELP, be sure to let someone know, too. OES Rescue programs are located throughout the country, and could be helpful if you need advice. But you probably won't, since you sound like an experienced dog owner. Then again, these ARE Old English Sheepdogs, and they have some adorable peculiarities. They are thieves! They steal your heart. 
Of course you know that you can't tease us with phrases like "the big lug" and not post a few pictures!
-Ron. |
| Thanks again, and Ron, I loved your post, and you can be sure that I will post a picture or 12 or 13...lol.
As my post states, I'm getting him tomorrow at around 5pm....yipee!!! Our family is so excited to meet him, I really feel like he was meant to be with us (or us be with him)
We are from Northeast Ohio, and I have only seen one other sheepie in this area, there of course could be more, but they aren't in abundance, that's for sure. Thanks to all of you for your help....I honestly don't know if we would have taken this venture if it hadn't been for all of your caring thoughts and this forum. Reading articles and information is nice, but it just doesn't give such a personal feeling. I know your sheepies are in the best of hands. So I just might take you up on that offer to ask a few questions if and when the need arises. When I got the call last evening that they were bringing Bear tomorrow, the current owner was so excited, it just warmed my heart. He said that they just got back from the "beauty shop", and had his hair and nails done just for us...He said he looks so darn cute that maybe they'll have to change their minds...of course he was joking...lol...
I'm sure glad that he's moving in!!!!!  |
| Hi! Well, we got Bear last night, and he is sooooo cute!! He is a bit smaller than I thought he woudl be (a pleasant surprize:-) He acts like a 6 week old puppy, jumping all aroud, wanting affection all of the time.
One problem is the jumping up thing....apparently, he was allowed to where he lived before, and I don't go for that...especially since this guy is so big, I wouldn't want him to hurt anyone. My grandma visits alot, and I'm sure he would knock her right over. So, we're working with him on that. The other biggie is the barking. Last night, be bellowed for about 5 hours straight.  I know it's because he was afraid of the new situation, and my heart went out to him.
When they dropped him off, the 2 boys just sobbed, it broke my heart. They have been through so much loss with their mother passing away. I almost felt bad for taking Bear, although I knew it had to be done. Thanks again for all of your support, wish us luck!!! |
| Congrats on your new addition! Sounds like Bear just needs time to settle in with your family. I just spent 2 hrs on the phone the night before with the OES people discussing different behaviors regarding OES and brought up the jumping issue. While my new pup Merlin is only doing it occasionally to others I wanted to nip it in the bud...as Shaggy my other OES did this continuously (although she didn't with old people and young children as if she knew she'd knock em down)
I've heard they just want to give doggie kisses which is the reason for the exessive jumping in this breed. Here's a few things that some trainers have suggested and I'm not sure really which is the best method and hope others reading this will suggest what they found works best. Leash...Have one person hold the dog's lease and if Bear jumps up on the second person a firm NO and tug back on the leash. This is not always feasible as you need two people to do this for a few days. It is however how I stopped Shaggy from jumping on others. (Tho" she still jumped on me) The Knee method..looks terrible and I never felt comfortable doing this one but it was suggested at my first doggie obedience class with Shaggy. You hold up your knee when they are jumping which kinda knocks them back. The holding the paw method: Suggested to me by some experienced OES trainer...doggie jumps and human grabs both legs and walks backwards. Dog is uncomfortable and eventually stops the behavior. With the barking ...the OES trainer suggested not diciplining the dog as that reinforced attention seeking and the human talking which resulted in the dog doing it more for attention. Instead they recommended standing and calling the dog and using a distraction method...with a toy or something else. hope that helps and good luck. A great site I found on line is http://www.doggiedoor.com which may help with some problems you may experience. Have fun with Bear! |
| We have an OES and he is a good boy. Just be advised that they are a lot of work. They need lots of attention and exercise, grooming is a must, their ears need almost daily attention, and they are quite stinky during the warm season. Not negatrives, just life with an OES. They are great pals and will give you all of their love and devotion! |
| I rescued my OES "Budgie" about 10 years ago, and it was the best thing I ever did. He was wonderful. He passed away last week. He had Myastenia Gravius and Arthritris. He was and will always be my best friend. The breed is fabulous!!! He was so intelligent, loving, kind, gentle and the best dog I had ever had. I highly recommend taking him on. But beware they are prone to bad cases of Arthritis and hip displasia. But they are so worth it. Good luck and Good wishes to you and Bear. Also, they are very territorial and may not get along with your other dogs. Introduce them slowly. Mine brought home a stray Shihtzu that never left his side.
Good luck. |
| im just wondering how Bear is doing??seems like once again another great rescure story....im waiting for the day someone walks up too me and ask if i want to adopt their sheepie......i bet id have the sheepie in my arms before they could ever get the words out!!LOL!! |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|