is this a silly question?
coming to me. LOL! I started thinking last night about the size of a sheepy versus MY size. My hubby is 6'6...perfect height for a large dog, IMO, BUT I am only 5'2 and 110 lbs. How does that work? I started thinking that I am going to be the one during the week primarily responsible for it's care, grooming, etc. as I am home all day. Is this going to be possible? Will a dog of this size take me seriously when giving commands, etc.? What about walks? Anyone else out there own a sheepy who is small in stature? It's kind of funny to me to be writing this but I think it is a legit concern. I would hate to toss this breed aside simply because I am short. Feedback, please!  |
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| It's all in your attitude Training is key for walking nicely on a leash, obeying commands etc... Consistency, firm voice, repeat, repeat, repeat. I used to be little too, 5'3" and usually around 105-115. I don't think it ever made a difference with the dogs. Facebook recipes are killing me though so I currently have to lose 20 lbs   |
| Stacey is dead on about the training. My wife Jen is 5 foot even and prior to her arthritis blowing into overdrive, she had no problem handling two sheepies on leads. Now though, she can only handle the older, more laid back adult, Zoey. Caitlyn is still much the wild woman so we don't even try. If you get a puppy, get them into obedience training as early as you can and stay on top of it; you'll be fine. Vance |
| My sister is 5ft and handles her st bernard just fine. Trust me when i say her almost 200 lb saint dwarfs every sheepie i have ever met. |
amysland83 wrote: Anyone else out there own a sheepy who is small in stature? It's kind of funny to me to be writing this but I think it is a legit concern. I would hate to toss this breed aside simply because I am short. Feedback, please! There's a big diffference in range of size of the breed so if you want a more moderate sized OES find a breeder whose line tends more that way, and get a girl. I'm not concerned about the training of a big dog. I just don't want more dog than I can pick up and carry in an emergency. So, yeah, definitely something I consider very closely - you're not alone. Kristine |
| And I'm going to chime in from my dog trainer point of view... It's never alright for your dog to pull and drag on you - whether they are 10 pounds or 90 pounds. All dogs should at MINIMUM walk nicely and be well enough behaved that people aren't getting pulled and jerked. That's the responsibility of every dog owner, regardless of what their breed preference is. Tonight's beginner class was their 1st night with dogs (Orientation last week). They are learning leash manners....and how to teach their dog to be part of a team and mindful the human on the other end off the leash. My expectations are the same for the 60-ish yr old lady with her Shih Tzu as they are for the 15 year old boy with his Newfie.  |
I have found that this breed has NO CLUE how big they are!  |
| Size makes no difference. It is your attitude, your delivery. You should not have to wrestle your dog.......that's why obedience is critical from a young age. Surely somewhere on the web is this year's Westminster dog show. The handler for best of breed Great Dane is a short woman, nearly eye to eye with the dog but you know who is in charge. |
Im 5ft 3 and I do everything with Bloo  Its hard because he is strong but he still listens...when he wants to. ...lol |
ChSheepdogs wrote: I have found that this breed has NO CLUE how big they are! How true. Even if the dog is leash trained and mannerly, there are times when body slams and zoomies can catch you off guard. Charm has knocked me down twice because she was overly excited. So, that's something to consider. Ive learned to pay close attention to those antics. BTW, I'm the 60ish lady with a sheepdog |
auntybren wrote: ChSheepdogs wrote: I have found that this breed has NO CLUE how big they are! How true. Even if the dog is leash trained and mannerly, there are times when body slams and zoomies can catch you off guard. Charm has knocked me down twice because she was overly excited. So, that's something to consider. Ive learned to pay close attention to those antics. BTW, I'm the 60ish lady with a sheepdog And this goes for sitting on your lap too! |
| Dawn, you REALLY REALLY need to come to the Mpls. area and open a training facility AND Teach. Watching Chewie and Bond on Saturday at Pet Expo was so impressive AND I didn't run away with them. Size doesn't matter as long as you are the one in charge. Just make sure you find a knowledgable trainer. I am currently looking for a good program for Macie. Sometime down the road, I would love for her to become a Therapy Dog. Nancy |
| obediance, obediance, obediance classes are so important. Many of the people on this sight have their dogs in obediance clases over and over again, not because they didn't learn, it just helps the dog with something to do and keeps them fresh. I'm only 5' tall as well and as you can see in my avitar that I have all 3 dogs on lead walking at the same time. They are very obediate so are not hard for me to do. I do better than my husband does and he's 6' and large built. Violet is tall for a female sheepie and Asia is big for a female Aussie, so I deal with big dogs all the time. |
| Size is in the mind. A dog doesn't care how big you are. After all children who have no baggage mentally can control very large dogs without trouble, you can do the same. If you are in control ie the Alpha then your Sheepie will follow you and not the other way around. |
ChSheepdogs wrote: I have found that this breed has NO CLUE how big they are! That is so true and really made me laugh. In my experience they also think they have the grace of a ballerina. |
Monster Celyn wrote: ChSheepdogs wrote: I have found that this breed has NO CLUE how big they are! That is so true and really made me laugh. In my experience they also think they have the grace of a ballerina. Some of them are pretty graceful & light on their feet I've had 2 boys weighing in the mid 90's that went up a flight of steps so lightly you never heard them. Then there was the 7 weeks Splash (she weighed in at 65 #) was here that I held my breath every time she moved in, out or around in the whelping box. As I told people "She's no ballerina in the whelping box!". |
Only time any of ours have been stealth like and graceful is when they are 'borrowing' things they shouldn't have.  |
ninja sheepies, retractable nails for stealth borrowing.  |
| My little brother used to walk our full grown sheepie around the neighbourhood when he was 5 years old and had no issues. It was a hilarious sight as she was as tall as him and she would just walk calmly next to him. Our current OES is 10 months old.. and in ninja training. He also thinks he is a lap dog... a 65lb (for now) lap dog. It is true he has NO clue how big he is, he doesn't usually pull on a leash or jump on people and was easy to train with lots of repetition. He is a ninja... he somehow got up on the kitchen counter while my husband was shoveling the snow off of our roof and I didn't hear him do it. He needed help down, it was like he got up there and was so focussed on looking out the window that he never considered what happens next. Don't worry, he only did this the one time, most of the time he isn't a counter surfer.  |
| I am 5'1" and at my smallest since having Eevee I was 98 pounds, and she still listens well. In fact, I think she listens to me better than she listens to the bigger people around! It's all about how you act and teaching her properly and making sure she knows you're the boss. Eevee will even listen to a five year old girl, if the girl is firm enough with her. |
| Size makes no difference. It is your attitude, your delivery. You should not have to wrestle your dog.......that's why obedience is critical from a young age. Surely somewhere on the web is this year's Westminster dog show. The handler for best of breed Great Dane is a short woman, nearly eye to eye with the dog but you know who is in charge. I saw this year's show and you are SO right. I never thought about that before. In fact, every year, you see handlers that are pretty short in stature next to some of their dogs. Thanks everyone for your advice. We are for sure going to do obedience training. I think it is the best investment you can make as a dog owner. My husband is the one with all the experience with larger breeds...for me, it's the smaller breeds. I especially feel I would benefit greatly from doing obedience classes. And thank you to the poster who shared the pic of their dog on the counter. SO adorable and absolutely hilarious. You are all right....a dog that size who would jump onto a counter, obviously does not realize how big they really are. Love the sense of humor in this breed! |
| I am 5'3 and about 105 pounds. I walk both my Old English Sheepdogs together. One is 110 and the other is 85. Trick is to teach how to walk on a leash at a very young age. Start training the minute he comes home. Go to puppy class. Socialize socialize socialize. Give commands in a stern but not loud voice and mean what you say. Be consistent. One word commands and always the same word and be sure everyone in the house uses the same commands for the same things. If you start everything as a puppy when they are little, you will be fine. Leash walking, grooming, nail trimming, no jumping up, etc. I will now add, you will probably get knocked over at least once during the crazy dog time - when they suddenly decide to run around like a nuthead and zoom around until they drop - usually once a day in the evening. They don't know they are big. And they are always under your feet. I've been knocked a few times when running and I thought I could outrun them! Ha ha. No way. You will be fine! |
| Not a silly question at all. A very good thing to take into consideration. If size is an issue, I agree with Kristine - go for a bitch and look for parents who are not huge. My girls are petite - about 62 pounds each. It's perfect for me. Fewer square inches to groom as well. Males in this breed can be considerably larger. I met a male OES at the So. California rescue parade recently whose owner told me he was 146 pounds and he had recently taken about 10 pounds off the dog per his vet's advice. He planned to take another 10 pounds off the dog and that would really be a good weight for this dog. He would truly not be overweight at that weight. He was 27 inches at the shoulder. BIG Boy. That's very unusual. When the dog gets elderly, I want to be able to lift them up into the van or onto the grooming table without hurting my back. That's one reason to consider size. And Kristine's reason of wanting to be able to pick them up in an emergency is a valid one, too. But as far as having a dog under control, that is a matter of training (START EARLY because this breed may well be stronger than you are as a six month old puppy!) but don't plan to out-muscle a dog to get them to behave. They must learn the rules and understand what is expected of them rather early because they will grow so fast. Linda Zimmerman |
| Our Bailee outweighs our 10 year old Grandson (Jared), BUT, ever since Jared was only 6 or 7 he has been "in charge" of Bailee. Jared gives him commands like "go to your spot. sit, stay etc. and Bailee listens, quite well actually. So, like some things, size doesn't matter! |
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