THINgs to consider

• What is your comfort level with grooming a long coated breed or with spending money to have a long coated breed groomed frequently?

  • OES grow hair, they do not have fur. That means this is a breed that requires a lot of grooming to either remain short coated or long.

• What sort of lifestyle do you have? Are you active with the patience and ability to handle the training of a puppy or are you looking for an adult dog who is already trained? Do you have experience training more challenging dogs?

  • This will help you determine whether you should look for a puppy versus and adult and should also help you determine if you are interested in working with a reputable breeder or a rescue group.

• Do you have a fenced yard and how would you plan to provide appropriate exercise?

  • OES were bred to work all day long, so as a companion animal they still require exercise daily.

• What level of experience do you have training dogs and more specifically, a herding dog?

  • Old English Sheepdogs are extraordinarily smart and require training that creates a positive relationship while also outlining strong boundaries. They are inherent problem solvers that need a job. Whether that job is playing fetch, working as a therapy dog, herding, working in obedience or taking a walk, they need to work and not only be kept physically active, but mentally active as well.

• Will your schedule accommodate a dog?

  • Do you have time to provide training, exercise and companionship to a dog?

  • When you travel have you considered who will care for you dog?

• Do you have other pets in your household?

  • Sheepdogs, when appropriately socialized, can get along with many different animals, however that depends on the willingness of the other animal to engage with an OES. Commonly these big shaggy dogs can be intimidating to other animals because of their size, and the inability to see their eyes.

• Do you have children?

  • Sheepdogs can be good with children, however, as with children and any breed of dog, developing these relationships requires a lot of monitoring on the parents part.

  • How will you manage your dog and children interactions?

  • Do any of the children have allergies to animals?

  • Will they participate in providing care an in what capacity?

• Are you familiar with OES health conditions or health tests that are recommended by our parent club OESCA, if not please check out their extensive health information at: www.oldenglishsheepdogclubofamerica.org

• Are you aware of all other costs associated with responsible dog ownership?

Puppies

Looking for a puppy is always fun, but there are lot of things to consider in your search.

where to look

We always recommend checking in with the Old English Sheepdog Breeder Referral contact first. Visit our parent club website for more information: www.oldenglishsheepdogclubofamerica.org

what to expect when you talk with a breeder

Most people are surprised by the number of questions they are asked by a breeder. Here’s why you shouldn’t be. A reputable breeder is looking to place a puppy that he or she spent years planning for. They spent time researching pedigrees, health, attending shows to have their dogs evaluated for breeding purposes. That is a huge time and financial commitment in breeding this litter of puppies. A reputable breeder will ask you questions, look for references and make sure you are a good fit for a puppy and the puppy is a good fit for you.

“But this process sounds really labor intensive!”

You are right, it is for the breeder and the potential new puppy owner. You are bringing home a puppy who will be with you for the next 10-15 years and breeders want that to be the only other home their puppy ever has.

Looking for a rescue?

Rescues are a great choice if you are interested in providing a home to and adult dog who is looking for a second chance at being someone’s companion.

where to look

• Midwest Old English Sheepdog Rescue: http://www.moesr.org/

• Local Animal Shelter

• Contact our club

  Rescue Contact: Kristine Loland / lolandkristine@gmail.com / 262.689.6298

  Adoption Survey / Application

When considering a rescue it is important to find out as much history as you can about the dog in order to prepare for the training and or health requirements the rescue dog may have. Some may be rehomed for health issues their past owners were unable to handle, other may have behavior issues that may be more than a newer dog owner may be able to address. When matched with the right person a rescue OES can thrive.

Fostering

Every year our Club is contacted by families who can no longer care for their sheepdogs. Many of our club members do not have large kennels to accommodate visiting dogs. We rely on the support of wonderful volunteers to help us take care of surrendered sheepdogs until we can assess them, take care of any pressing health concerns and begin the process of prepaying them for re-homing.

If you think you may be interested in helping us foster please email us at: oescsew@gmail.com