Considering getting an oes but have some ?s
My first question is, in your experience, are oes good with children? This is a major concern. We want a loving and friendly family dog. We currently have a toddler and will most likely have more children some day. If anyone has both an eos and children I would love to hear your experiences. Second, on a scale of 1-10 how bad do you think the shedding factor is? Growing up I had a great pyranese and I loved him dearly but he shed like crazy. This wouldn't be such an issue if I wasn't concerned about my daughter (and any potential children in the future) crawling around and picking up doggy fuzz and eating it
And lastly (and this is very important) has anyone with allergies had any luck owning a sheep dog? My husband has a very mild dog allergy and some breeds seem to trigger it more than others. I hope to find a breeder that will allow us to come and visit before we decide whether or not the oes is the breed for us (and if they will trigger brett's allergies.) Thank you to anyone who replies. I really would love to get an old English sheepdog , they are my very favorite breed. I'm hoping they will turn out to be the right match for our family. Any thoughts are also appreciated |
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| Welcome to the forum! All of those questions are very popular ones on the forum. Search through the topics and I know you'll find all sorts of answers and opinions! |
Note: All those "eos" were supposed to be "oes" as I'm sure you all guessed  |
ButtersStotch wrote: Welcome to the forum! All of those questions are very popular ones on the forum. Search through the topics and I know you'll find all sorts of answers and opinions!
Thank you very much. I'll do that  |
| hi! glad you found this board.
They aren't known to be shedding dogs, but if you had as much hair as an OES, imagine how much hair would be on the ground. Non-shedding breeds are compared to humans a lot of times, as far as shedding goes. They may not "shed," but loose hairs fall out. Loose hair comes out of my short hair, and I can tell you that I have clean up a lot of my own hair from the bathroom floor. All of my husband's coworkers have joked with him because he comes to work with OES hair all over his hat. They are just strands of hair that are easily taken off unlike hair from a lab or pug. Clumps of these strands are also found on the floor if they've been scratching themselves or it just comes out of their coat. People on this board have a wide range of opinions to "do they shed." Generally, a healthy dog doesn't (outside of what I described). However, their grooming is high maintenance and takes a lot of work (from ear cleaning, trimming their pads, trimming the hair around their butt, and the brushing). Things also stick to their leg hairs easily if they are outside (twigs, leaves, snow, etc). |
| Does it matter if babies and kids eat a little dog hair? |
If it does, we're in trouble. There's ALWAYS a piece of dog hair coming out of lil j's mouth. 
btw, i have a 11 month old, and my dog and him are best friends. she lets him pull on his hair, he uses her to stand up and walk, and she is always there to clean his face after he's eaten. we're working on that though because my son doesn't like being licked to death, and i don't like her getting food she's not supposed to.
I like your avatar barney |
Joahaeyo wrote: I like your avatar barney
Thanks! It's my parents' sheepdog Maggie. She looked so festive I couldn't resist! |
| Actually, one of the reasons I investigated getting an OES (I currently have 3) is because my readings claimed that they are relatively good with people with dog allergies. My husband and one of my sons are mildly allergic and I certainly didn't want to get a dog that we'd have to give up if someone became ill. We also wanted a larger dog, rather than a smaller one and standard poodles didn't appeal much to us. No one in the family has had any allergy issues related to the dogs, at all.
Do they shed? Well, when you brush them, you'll get a huge pile of hair from an adult dog, but they don't leave much hair around the house, aside from that. One of mine likes to rub against the couch, and he leaves some hair behind that way. One guy I work with looked at my computer and saw a picture of two of my dogs and asked if my house was covered in hair. I pointed down to my black slacks and the lack of hair and remarked that I simply grabbled my clothes and dressed, without checking for hair. I think one time, someone noticed hair on my pants because I had brushed my dogs the night before and not done as good a job as I should have cleaning up. I picked up some of the leftover hair when I was putting on my shoes. Easily wiped away, and then, I was hair free. I vacuum once a week; it could use a second vacuuming, I suppose, but right now, I'm working too long hours. We got our first OES when my kids were 13, 9, 6 and 4 years old. He was wonderful with all of our kids, although you have to realize that an OES will grow quickly (my larger 8 month old puppy is 78 pounds) but still be very much rambunctious puppies for a couple of years, at least. Kids do get knocked down. My dogs have always had a gift for knowing and understanding what could and could not be expected from children around them, and geared their expectations and activity levels to the age of the child. My first OES would tolerate any behavior from a small child; by the time a child was about 6, he expected them to have some manners. Archie, who is now 7, used to pull the little girls next door around on their roller blades: he'd pull the small one very slowly, the next girl up a little faster, the biggest girl, a little faster. They held onto his coat as he trotted up and down the sidewalk. Archie and the puppies love babies and small children--the puppies do need to be held in check so that they don't wash the faces of every child they see. They are learning to sit or lie down to be petted, but they are still puppies and their enthusiasm gets the better of them if we don't keep them under control. Keep in mind that some small children are just overwhelmed by big dogs. Nothing wrong with the kid, the dog, or the parent. It's just how some kids (and adults) are. In this category, there's another thread devoted to the reality of getting an OES puppy. Lots of thoughts there. |
| I have been breeding and showing Old English for 20 years (since I was 11) so I have alot of experience with them.
I now have three children, ages 4, 2, and 1. I could not ask for better family pets. All of my dogs are house dogs, and my children can lay on them, play with them with absolutely no problems. In my experience mine are very gentle around my children, especially my 1 year old. Now mind you, mine have very, very laid back temperments. My puppies are also raised with my children, so the pups are used to being around small children. I highly recommend a Sheepdog as a family pet. As far as shedding, you will not find dog hair around my home. Any dead hair comes out with their weekly brushing. I think it is a good idea you visit the breeder with your husband to make sure he will be okay with a sheepdog. My younger brother has asthma and allergies, and is absolutely fine with the sheepies. Golden Retrievers and breeds like labs with the short hairs that shed alot really bother him. Its still best to make sure before you bring a new pup home. I hope my advice helps! Amber Dupont Blueshire Reg'd Old English Sheepdogs www.blueshireoes.com |
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