As a first OES owner... some misc. questions
2- what is the normal age to neuter, since puppies take longer to mature? 3- do any of you have puppies pee and poop in a specific spot? if so, how did you do it? any chemicals or sprays for the pet store, or you just made it happen that way? 4- what is the percentage of bed sleepers? I'm concerned after reading behavioral issues that moving to bed once potty trained may not be the best approach. My current dog and cat sleep with me... but don't want to have respect/herding any issues.... I'm sure I have more. That's my main thoughts right now. Trying to get in my mind what my game plan is before Cambridge gets home Wed evening. I feel so blessed to have found this breed. I'm hoping we are as good a match as I think we will be. WHO KNEW they would be low to no shed? My hubby loves our poodle, and doesn't want hair all over. (he must forget we own a cat who drops hair like I would like to drop money) I'm so ready for puppy breath. There is nothing like it! And you all are such a great bunch. I've been trying to read as many posts as possible and there's only been like 2 neg./crazy comments, both from guests and both to a question that really did deserve it. There are so many forums out there that get WAY out of line. I like your common thread that the dogs bring you together no matter what religion, politics, etc... Very cool. Blessings to all, and Happy Reformation Day! |
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Quote: 1- do all OES noses turn black? about 90-95% do.....a few retain some pink spots. 2. Quote: 2- what is the normal age to neuter, since puppies take longer to mature? Don't be in a hurry......we have several threads on this so there's plenty of time to discuss this later. 3. Quote: do any of you have puppies pee and poop in a specific spot? You train by taking them to the same spot, let them do their business and of course clean up the poop immediately....they don't like to step in poop either. There is plenty of residual scent for their very good noses. 4. You allowed the dog and cat to move in, there's nothing "herding" involved. You set the rules in the house and make sure they obey them.....everytime. Puppy can sleep next to you.......on his own bed, but not on your bed. Would be better if puppy were trained to a crate though for times of danger or stress. Each dog likes their own "comfy cave" and you have the peace of mind the pup is safe......let's say when a repairman comes to the house. |
Hi again  I picked up a night shift...so I'm glad you are posting and have questions.  1 - noses black: yes they should be 100% black and large. It is part of the breed standard. 2 - neuter: there are many threads on this here. Generally, it's best to wait until full bone growth is obtained - usually that is sometime between a year and 1.5 yrs. Many reputable breeders have it in their puppy contracts (or at least discuss with their puppy families) that they prefer you to wait at least a yr to spay or neuter. This is mainly to prevent orthopedic abnormalities, but also those hormones affect personality and behavior.For structure concerns, the wait is for when the growth plates are sealed and then it's a better time. 3 - potty spots : mine have naturally preferred to poop in the same spots, and even to get out of the yard if possible. We live on a farm, so this means they go to the weeds out the edge of the yard and into the hay fields or crop edges. This breed loves habits, so it shouldn't be a problem. Just taking them out to potty as a little pup in the spot you want should do the trick. We also have a fenced dog yard out one door, and most of my dogs each have a poop area of their own. They are all males except one, so they all pee on the other's spot.  4 - bed sleeping : not allowed here, as we have too many dogs and a full size bed for 2 people. The cat is the only one allowed to sleep w/ us in bed. At shows and trials, my basset (now retired) used to sleep in the bed w/ me. But Chewie (OES) is a warm guy and never would sleep in the bed at the hotel - way too hot. He prefers tile or cement floors - he doesn't even like furniture, carpet or dog beds.  |
| 1- do all OES noses turn black? Lily's did 2- what is the normal age to neuter, since puppies take longer to mature? Dunno, mine is a girl 3- do any of you have puppies pee and poop in a specific spot? if so, how did you do it? any chemicals or sprays for the pet store, or you just made it happen that way? By the fence, did it on her own. 4- what is the percentage of bed sleepers? I'm concerned after reading behavioral issues that moving to bed once potty trained may not be the best approach. My current dog and cat sleep with me... but don't want to have respect/herding any issues.... Herding has nothing to do with sleeping in the bed. All my dogs have their own spot on the bed. (I kick the DH out) lol. I'm so ready for puppy breath. There is nothing like it! No theres not |
ruforgvn wrote: 1- do all OES noses turn black? They are supposed to, yes. As a young girl, we had an OES who had a scar on her nose and it stayed pink-- but earlier this year one of my girls had a bad wound on her nose and while I expected it to scar and remain pink, it turned black again (much to my relief) ruforgvn wrote: 2- what is the normal age to neuter, since puppies take longer to mature? Some will say 6 months. Some a year. There's some discussion about the dogs needing the hormones to properly mature, and what the "right" age is. I have girls and I went for 6 months. ruforgvn wrote: 3- do any of you have puppies pee and poop in a specific spot? if so, how did you do it? any chemicals or sprays for the pet store, or you just made it happen that way? Its something you can train for. My girls don't go in a specific area, but we DO have a command to do their business. This comes in really handy in bad weather or when we are traveling. Essentially, use the same words when you take your puppy out to potty. We would tell the girls "Be good!" and they associated those words with us wanting them to potty. I'm sure if you led your dog to a designated area and had them on-leash until they pottied there, it wouldn't be long before they figured it out. ruforgvn wrote: 4- what is the percentage of bed sleepers? I'm concerned after reading behavioral issues that moving to bed once potty trained may not be the best approach. My current dog and cat sleep with me... but don't want to have respect/herding any issues.... My girls didn't get to be on the bed until they were over a year old. It was situational- we had older cats and the dogs were too hyper around them. So the cats got the bedroom and the dogs got just about everything else. When the dogs were far enough into their training that I trusted them, I began trying to get them to behave around the cats. Which naturally meant training sessions involving the bedroom and the bed. As a result of such a late introduction to the bed, they like to sleep on the floor more- I think all the bedding is too warm for them. So they'll start their night on the bed to cuddle, but will move to the floor for sleeping. Here is an old photo of Tonks training to be calm with the cats on the bed. You can see she's no little puppy!  This is more typical; Tonks on the floor at the foot of the bed. We were staying at a Westin and Tonks really liked the blankets!   ruforgvn wrote: I'm so ready for puppy breath. There is nothing like it! Puppy breath wasn't so great for us. It ALWAYS smelled like poop. It was a while before we figured out why. My girls didn't come from a great breeder, and they were eating poop because they'd learned to do it being raised in a very unclean kennel!!!!  ruforgvn wrote: And you all are such a great bunch. I've been trying to read as many posts as possible and there's only been like 2 neg./crazy comments, both from guests and both to a question that really did deserve it. There are so many forums out there that get WAY out of line. I like your common thread that the dogs bring you together no matter what religion, politics, etc... Very cool. I like to think that we enjoy trying to be helpful!  This can be a tough breed to get used to- lots to know and lots to do. But so worth it!!!! I had my share of trials with my 2 girls. But knowing what I do now, thanks to this message board, the community of sheepie lovers here,and a great trainer we had the good fortune to find, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat! |
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