Getting a puppy in a few weeks. New here!
I have been lurking for a while now. I jsut put my deposit down on my new fur baby. He will be comming home arounf feb.12-14th YAY! We are so exctied. I have a few questions. I realize that he may not want to sleep much at night...what have most of you done with them at night. My mom has a papillion, and she used to let it sleep with her,until it pooped and peed on her pillow at 2 a.m! now it sleeps next to her bed under a basket type dela so she can get up with him to go potty easily. Also I am a tiny bit concerned as the breeder assured me that all OES she has encountered are very non-aggressive and friendly. I have read several posts here about OES that are showing aggressive tendencies. I have 2 small boys..2 1/2 and 5. they are both wondeful with animals as we have a persian cat,they adore and are very,very gentle. Also we spent time at moms with her new papillion who weighs all of 3 lbs,and the boys were EXCELLENT with him. Ofcourse I'd never leave them alone. so any tips are appreciated. we are so excited! |
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| I wish you the best of luck, I have a few concerns, not about your puppy but about the breeder. OES are individuals just like humans some are timid and some are agressive and you can't really tell when they are a little tiny puppy. Of course any aggressive tendencies can be corrected with love, training and positive re-enforcement, I don't think your breeder is being honest with you.
Have you previously owned and OES? I hope you are not getting one just because they are "cute". OES require a lot of care, they need a ton of exercise, and constant grooming. The good news is that for every ounce of love you give you will get 1 lb of love back. As to small children and OES puppies I got to warn you that puppies use their mouths like babies use their hands, if anything you will need to train your kids. Puppies love to wrestle and they really don't distinguish between humans and other puppies, avoid wrestling with the puppy. I know it is tempting to get on the floor with little razor teeth and play wrestle but remember that they grow fast a lot faster than your kids and they will want to continue that wrestling behavior. These are enormously strong (strength and willed) dogs, so setting the tone of who is in charge is critical. The other thing to be aware of is that OES can be a bit clumsy as they grow and they tend to knock snall children over. They are not stuffed animals (even though they look like it). Please consider your choice carefully as far to many people get an OES because "it's cute" then find out what it takes to really own one and dump the dog to a rescue group. The other dog you mention weighed 3 lbs. Your OES puppy will weigh 10 lbs when it gets home and be at 50 lbs by the time it is 6 months old and maybe 70-80 lbs when it is 9 months old. When it is 9 months old it will still be a boisterous puppy. What are my qualifications? I have raised 5 OES from puppies in my life. Everyone was different but everyone was large, playful and ready to rock and roll constantly. The 10 minute walk in the morning and at night does not cut the mustard. My current girl is 15 months old, I take her to a dog park 5 times a week for 1 1/2 hours at a time (in addition to the morning and evening 30-40 minute walks. She wrestles and runs with other dogs the whole time she is there and this barely wears her out. I don't want to sound negative but you asked so I spoke. If you are really ready then I wish you the best of luck. PS: They want to sleep on your bed and they could care less if you have any room or not. |
| Hi SleepyMom,
The advice you recieved from Sheepies4ever is exactly what I would have advised as well. Merlin, my four month old pup is my third Sheepie and my 6th dog. As I haven't had a puppy since I was 10 -( the other dogs were all aquired as adults) I forgot the amount of work it involved. Getting up every two hours to take him out the first month..feeding three times daily. Merlin at four months old is now 54 pounds - people describe him as a bull in a China Shop! I HAVE to take him to the offleash dog park every single day as well, to let him run off his energy. A group of 8 of us meet at the same time and let our dogs play for 1-2 hrs. Only then does he appear calmer. I also take him for a walk later in the evenings with my other two dogs. These dogs are gentle with kids but most really don't do well with young children for the following reason. They are herding dogs and inately want to "herd" the children which causes them to hip check and try to round up the kids. A small child can be sent flying. I don't want to scare you off this breed as they in my opinion are one of the most lovable and comical breeds and truly love kids. They just don't seem to know their size as pups. Merlin occasionally will try to "bump" me or other people at the dog park. As a petite person weighing just above 100 pounds, I can attest they are strong dogs and gasp he's only four months old!!!! So...still a baby and learning but not realizing that he's a big boy so in time will learn to control this. Jumping is also another thing that these particular dogs like to do to give kisses - again each is an individual and vary in behavior patterns. However, it does seem to be a strong trait in this breed..all three of my Sheepies jumped and it took several classes of doggie obedience to stop this behavior. Although, with my female she continued to do it right up until the age of 14 and only arthritis stopped her. My new pup is on the large side and I believe his eventual weight will be 100 + pounds in adulthood. Which is why it's so important for him to be trained correctly as a pup. I know from experience what's cute now will not be cute when he's 100+ pounds so I am very firm with him. I have also signed him up for another round of dog obedience to reinforce good behavior and training. I too am only trying to be honest about this breed and giving you a little info on what to expect. Good luck with your new puppy and don't hesitate to ask for advice on this forum as you can see from the many post here, people are willing to help. I wish you and your family well and please keep us informed. 
Marianne |
| Hi,
When we brought Truman home, we had a crate ready for him. For the first few nights, we had the crate in the bedroom right next to the bed. We took turns getting up about every 3 hours to take him out to relieve himself. After the first few nights we put the crate in our kitchen which is quite large and the center of a lot of activity and he is perfectly content to sleep there at night, even with the crate door open. He has never wanted or tried to sleep on the bed (that's the cat's domain!) Good luck! P.S. I noticed you are from Kansas. Me too - Wichita. Where do you live? |
| I used to raise large animals...steers and sheep, and have owned a bull mastiff so I am really aware of how big 80 lbs is.
I have been wanting an OES since I was 16, but dad said I had to many pets already and would have to wait until I was in my own house for more 
I'm a runner, so exercise is not a problem on average I jog 5 miles per day. If I'm not jogging my kids are out running for hours.We hike, bike, take long walks,we are an active family,looking for a dog that can keep up. I'm aslo a stay at home mom so grooming and what not isn't an issue. I have a persian cat *tiny comapred to the dog I know* who I enjoy grooming/washing and bathing. thanks for all the wonderful advice. I'll be taking him to puppy training as soon as he is old enough.I'm hoping he'll love the outdoors as much as we do. were really excited to be adding "cooper" to our family. thank you for all the advice. |
| deskwench-
we are down near kansas city..overland park |
| Sleepymom:
Sounds like you are ready to rock and roll, I didn't mean to sound so negative but far to many impulse buyers are out there with the old "I want it" mindset. Often these dogs end up at the ASPCA or a Rescue and that was my prime concern. Sheepies are a lot of work, hard work yields good results however. I know that my breeder would be quite reluctant to send a sheepie to a home with small children out of concern for the children and the future of the OES. The good news is that once you get past those initial stages your kids will have a friend and protector for a long time to come. Sheepies love their human kids,  |
| the breeder I am getting cooper from also rasie newfie's and she has her granchildren lving there *I think the youngest is 3 or so* I'm hoping that means my guy will be used to seeing little ones.
-i undertand what you mean about impulse buying. My friend got an english bulldog despite my warning's about all the care they required *wiping wrinkles daily etcx* she ended up giving him away when he was about 18 months old =( we are deffinetly in it for the long wrong. I adore animals and can't waitfor my little guy |
Sleepymom wrote: above was from me..dang it I keep forgetting to log in. I'll ge tthe hang of it soon. sorry!
HINT: Click on the "Log me on automatically each visit " checkbox when you sign in... then if you don't sign out, the next time you come to the site using that computer, you should be remembered by the site. UNLESS you log in from a public terminal, then it's not the best thing in the world to do, because anybody coming to this site from that computer will be able to post as if they were you. Good luck! Ron in Volcano, Hawaii |
| i read sleepymom's topics and all the replies. we too are waiting for our first oes. we bring home joe rugby (joby for short) jan 31st. we have other pets and have shown before - not oes. we are so excited. we are already buying new grooming stuff (have shihtzu mix and an aussie) so you can tell grooming is relaxing for us. good luck to sleepymom!! |
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