OESs and small children?
We are planning on getting a new addition to our family. So I've been doing quite a bit of research on different breeds that would be right for our family. We have 2 beautiful kids, a 3 yr old and a 4 1/2 yr old, and 2 prescious cats. I had found on a couple of websites that had OEMs at the top of the list for being good with kids. Then I found out that the rescue organizations around the northeast will not let you adopt one, if you have kids under 10. They state that this is because that typically OEMs are not good with children. Now I'm confused. I did just read another post with quite a few people saying that they have small children and their dog is great with them. You all are the ones who would know! Please help! Thanks! Trish |
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| It's true most rescues won't place a dog in a home with small children, mainly because of their herding instincts. If the people are not experienced OES owners or even experienced dog owners, if something happens with the dog and children, the dog usually gets sent back to rescue. The rescue's first concern is for the dog.
OES's are very smart dogs, not just cute and cuddly. Formal training is pretty much required. You must be very diligent to never let the children and the dog alone together. The dog must be trained to know that the children are above them in the pack, and the children must be trained on how to interact with the dog as well. When kids run around playing and yelling, the sheepie's first instinct is to chase and herd them. It's not impossible to have every child in the house, 2 legged and 4 legged, get along and become great friends, but it does take diligence. The most important thing is for the dog to learn that you are the alpha, always. As well as researching this forum, there are a few great books to read. The Dog Listener: Learn How to Communicate with Your Dog for Willing Cooperation, by Jan Fennell is excellent. I have not seen his show on Nat'l Geographic Channel, but some forum members swear by Cesar Millan's training methods, too. All that being said, my own children grew up around sheepies. We had our first dog before our first child was born. Buford was 5 when our son was born and he became very protective of Spencer. They were great buddies, but it took work. Buford was our first sheepie and if only we knew then what we know now, we could have avoided some conflict. It's a work in progress. Good luck in your search! I'm so glad you're researching before you decide. Personally, I think sheepies are the best breed on the planet, but that's just me. 
Chris |
I have the EXACT same household...a 3 yr old, a 4.5 year old, and 2 cats.  We got Jasper last January, as a puppy, and he has been a dream. Now, there have been incidents. Like my 3 year old had to get stitches once because Jasper nipped him a little too hard. That was all when he was a baby and in the nipping stages. Now, he might knock them over when he's in "hyper dog" mode, but he never hurts them. It hasn't been easy. I worked with Jasper for 20 minutes a day, every single day, from 3 months up to just under a year. He's smart and picked up on things quick, but I just wanted to drill them into his head. He listens very well now. He's been a great companion for them, and I'm sure it's a friendship that will last the next 10-15 years. I look forward to seeing them all grow up together. |
| This is a real touchy subject.....Nothing is chisled in stone when it comes to Placeing a Baby.....Tanking in consideration most of the Babis end up in rescue because of children.... People just wants one and a irresponsible breeder doesn't ask any questions about children. Doesn't ask if the person has any experience with a Sheepie. JUST SEND ME THE DEPOSIT AND I WILL PUT YOU ON THE WAITING LIST....... Children { uprights } are just kids....With out supervision and being taught how to play with the Sheepie Baby correctly you can have a real problem... Although they are wonderful with upright children they can knock over a small child and hurt it and not mean to.... They tend to be mouthy and can nip a hand or butt and not mean to hurt the upright child.... We in rescue have to be very careful to not make a mistike in placeing a Fur Baby......A lot of the decision is based on the Family and there experience with a Large Breed......The age of the children......Who is home with the Fur Baby....Supervision most of all. We can't be to careful in placing them....... I know many people get upset with me because I won't place a Fur Baby in a home with very small children........ I think they children need to be at lest 5 years old and used to being around dogs.....Then it has to be a Fur Baby that has been rasised with children........ A lot goes into making that that decison......Kaye Second Chance OES Rescue |
| This upset me a lot when I was looking for my OES too. I don't have a child who lives with me, but my granddaughter is a frequent visitor. I found it hard to understand because my Aunt and Uncle had a sheepdog when I was a small child and that dog looked after us and was absolutely great with us. Of course what I didn't think about is that my Aunt and Uncles dog, actually worked for a living, he owned a dairy farm and Bowzer was responsible for herding up the cows for milking.
Once I got Barkley it began to make more sense to me. When I first got Barkley he would often nip at me when we played, he also has a tendency to nudge into me when he wants some attention or is playing. If I were a small child, he could easily knock me down when he does this. He's also jumps up a lot. He's a large dog, I'm a small person. He could easily injure Ais accidently if I weren't watchful. Barkley is a great dog, and I don't believe he would harm a fly on purpose, but I would never, ever leave him alone with Ais--not even for an instant. And something else that I never thought about until after the fact is that I am small--I am 4 ft 11 weight 106 pounds. Barkley is 9 months old and weighs 86 pounds. He's far from finished growing. I am single. I am in good health and physically fit but even with that--I can't lift Barkley into a tub. I can't lift him at all. I've recently thought about what might happen if he were to get injured or get sick and I had to lift him to get him into a car to get medical care. I'm sure I'd find a way, but its one of those things I didn't really give too much thought to. |
| Rescues don't even like placing smaller dogs with young children. Often the history of the dog is unknown, and if that history contained bad experiences with children, there is a huge chance of injury. And if a dog is not raised with kids, then small children may scare them very easily. The run fast, and scream, and make funny sounds and have noisy toys. And even if the kids are well-behaved and dog-savy thier friends may not be. So unless the dog is known to be bullet-proof around kids it is not a chance that a rescue wants to take. If a rescue dog does end up causing injury, out of fear or by accident there could be a lawsuit and/or it could be a death sentecne for the child and/or the dog. |
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