• Thinking of Buying an Old English Sheepdog?

• Choosing a Breeder

• Choosing the right kind of puppy

Thinking of Buying an Old English Sheepdog?
 

You have probably seen an OES in full coat and decided this is the dog for you. But will this be true? You haven't or wouldn't choose your mate just for his/her looks and the same holds true as far as dogs are concerned. Looks may have you attracted to the breed but in the end it is character, and your ability to deal with it, that is important for the every day life. What do you know about the character of the OES?
 

Well, OES are sheepdogs, and that tells you a lot:
 

• They are highly intelligent - a stupid working dog just doesn't exist! To work properly, a dog must understand what is expected from him. A good sheepdog must also have initiative - it has to evaluate the situation and act even with no orders from the shepherd. In the every day life this means that unoccupied dogs can get bored and find their own distraction by chewing and destroying your house and/or garden. This also means that an OES always evaluates if the order that you have given him is to be really obeyed. They learn quickly but hate to repeat things. They can be stubborn and they have to be led firmly but gently.

• They need a pack leader - being intelligent and willing to work they need to have someone to lead them. OES have strong characters, and you have to show them from the beginning that you are the leader. So you must know the basics of canine behaviour and train your dog at least on the basics of obedience.

• They need human companionship - this means that if you are a workaholic type of person and/or are absent all day long you are a bad prospective OES owner. They don't need much space - they are as well in an apartment or in a house with a big garden because the only thing they want is to be with you.

• They need exercise - OES have lots of energy. As working dogs they are made to be able to cope with the job and that means they can walk for hours. So you have to reserve some of your time to play with your dog or to go with him to places where he can play with other dogs. A big garden is no substitute as only silly dogs would do their jogging alone.

Then you will also have to accept to find dog hair everywhere - from the carpets to your toast! But it is not so bad; in fact OES don't shed as much as some short coated breeds do, and the hair, being long, is easy to collect. Also they shed all year long, with no increasing in the spring or autumn, so you end up by get used to it.
 
 

Choosing a Breeder

A breeder is, by definition, someone who breeds a litter. So the term is applied to a great deal of different kinds of people.

Dogs can be bred for a varied number of reasons but often it is just for profit. The most common situation is where someone has a bitch (either good or bad, who knows?), a dog of the same breed (good or bad, who cares?) lives near by, and a litter is made to have some extra money for the vacations or the Christmas presents. But there are also other, more serious, situations you have never dreamt of. Bitches are regarded as uteruses that must be always filled with puppies. Seasons may be advanced so that more litters can be bred from the same bitch. You will only see rather young animals in the kennels because bitches either die from exhaustion or are simply put down once they get old or infertile (and the same goes to the males). As to the puppies, they don't get the proper attention nor the proper treatments as it is too much expensive. Most of these "producers" sell their puppies through pet shops so you won't see the nasty pictures behind them. Profits are enormous, of course, but at what price?

Do you agree with this kind of treatment? Do you want these types of person to continue to exist? Perhaps you've never thought of that but the truth is that they stay in business because someone buys, maybe even you buy, their puppies. They are probably cheaper than average so you may think it is a good deal for you. Let's hope the puppy won't die from disease in the next two weeks... Or that it won't suffer from a genetic ailment. Or that it won't bite you or your baby. And what if you want some advice on feeding or grooming? Will there be someone on the other end of the phone line?

And there are also those breeders that truly love the breed. Because love cannot be splitted, they will usually breed only one breed (or at the most one more breed somehow related).  They see the breed as an heritage from the past that must pass to future generations in "its best". They will thus try to breed the best they can, and costs won't count much. They will have a kennel name, so their dogs can be easily traced back to their breeder. They won't hesitate to travel thousands of kilometers to breed their bitches to the best dogs they can find. They are concerned with the health of the dogs they produce so they will screen their breeding dogs for genetic diseases. They will assess the dogs they are producing with those of other breeders by going to dog shows. They will keep the best dogs they produce to continue "the line". They are in touch with other breeders so they can change points of view and experiences. The dogs are properly fed, exercised and groomed. Besides paying attention to "looks", a good breeder will also strive to produce the most wonderful family dogs. Thus, puppies will be bred in good conditions, that is, at home or in good clean kennels (that is easy to assess, you only have to use your nose...).  The puppies get a lot of attention and get used to every sort of people and everyday sounds. They get the right shots at the right time and are properly dewormed. They are clean, healthy, playful. Of course, all this takes a lot of time and work from the breeder, so he will only breed a litter or two each year. These puppies are perhaps more expensive but not only they are better quality but you also have an "after sales service" for life, you can call whenever you have doubts on feeding, grooming, training, etc .

So you see, choosing a breeder is more complicated than you thought at first. Obviously, you will have to make some "homework" before you decide. But remember always this:

I hope you make the right choice. After all, you are choosing where to find your companion for the next 10 years, you're not buying a refrigerator.
 
 

Choosing the right kind of puppy

Puppies are sometimes offered as show- or pet-quality. Show-quality dogs are, to put it simply, dogs that correspond closely to the standard of its breed and so should do well in the show ring. Pet-quality dogs are dogs that have some kind of fault that would preclude them from gaining prizes. This kind of "classification" can obviously only be made by people who know what a good dog should look like. Often you see people selling their dogs as "show-quality" (just because a grandparent or great-grandparent is a Champion...) without having ever participated in a show or, even worse, read the standard of the breed. How can they then tell what is, or not, a fault for the breed?

You may think that because you don't want to show your dog it's not worth to have a show-quality dog. But show-quality dogs are, as was said, simply dogs that fulfill all the points that are required for the dog to be a good representative of its breed. If you want a dog of a certain breed then it's not very logic that you'll be happy with a dog that doesn't look like one of that breed, or is it? Also you must keep in mind that only show-quality dogs should be bred from, so if there is even a small chance that you will breed later from your dog you should find the best dog you can afford.

Pet-quality dogs are those that have some kind of fault, and so are (or should be ...) offered at lower prices. There are some faults that are not serious and don't affect the animal.  Mismarkings, a too light eye, a missing tooth may preclude your dog from winning prizes but shouldn't prevent you from having a good, healthy family dog. No breeder is safe from producing this kind of dogs, even if using only Champion stock, as it is part of the game of Genetics. But other faults that preclude your dog from winning prizes may also have a dramatic influence on the day-to-day life: bad gaits may be linked to hip displasia; bad mouths can affect eating; bad angulations can lead to arthritis and pain. This kind of dogs usually result from bad, non-controlled parents and/or wrong matings.  So you see, show-quality dogs can in fact save you from a lot of trouble, suffering and expenses. The message is thus:

even if you are just looking for a family pet.
 

If you want some more tips that will help you find a good puppy see this.