Shelties - tell me everything!

Boemy

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#1
I'm not getting a dog for a while (probably not until next year at the soonest, but I'm researching (and dreaming) ahead of time. ;)

I'm considering a shetland sheepdog. I'd love to hear all the pros and cons of owning them. :) I can provide moderate exercise (at least an hour's walk every day, plus two hours of playing and training in the yard) and want to get involved in advanced obedience training or agility training. :)

If anyone knows of any reputable sheltie breeders, that would be great too!
 

stevinski

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#2
okay so here goes! :D

shelties are like my favourite breed of all time and i hope to get a show prospect in the future

shelties are lovely dogs who are extremely intelligent,
although make sure you get from a breeder who shows his dog in obediance or agility, because then you will know you are getting a sheltie with brains

if you get a sheltie that has no brains and is just active then its just going to be extremely hyper and a extremely bad representation of the breed

shelties have a double coat and will require brushing everyday

they are extremely active and will need walking atleast once a day maybe twice depending on the amount of exercise it is given in the house

shelties bark alot and if you want a dog that doesnt bark then you are not gonna want a sheltie, and you can train a dog to stop barking on command but this is often a very long and hard thing to teach,
ofcourse there is the option of debarking but its up to you, i dno what your opinion is one tht,

i have to go to sleep so i will finish this later

i will give you some of my best links :)
 

SummerRiot

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#3
My Family Raised, trained and showed Shetland Sheepdogs. I could help point you towards a reputable breeder if you let me know the area in which you are from.

First and fore most.. you MUST know that a Sheltie WILL bark. They were BRED to be barkers. During the time of the "original" shelties, they were used to herd sheep around on the Shetland Isles of Scotland. High winds and hilly atmosphere made it so that the shephard never had consistant sight of the dog. SO it was bred into them to bark consistantly for the shepherd to hear them at least.

They can be trained not to bark at things, but barking comes insanely natural to this breed. Many people who acquire them, dont realize the amount of barking they can do without proper training of it :)

Just a heads up ;)

Other then that, Shelties excel at Obedience and Agility work. They thrive to work. They aren't a breed to be happy to relax at your feet if they have had a full day of nothing. They will develop bad habits, just like any herding breed basically, that will cater to their energy needs - whether it be chewing on something they aren't supposed to be, digging etc.

They can be extremely intelligent. I suggest purchasing your dog from a working titled parents. Meaning they have their CD, CDX, UD etc etc titles. If you purcahse a puppy from those type of parents, you can be confident youre sheltie will have a "brain" :) If you purchase from strictly a CH titled lineage, you will have either a stubborn sheltie(which they CAN be) or an unknown brain Sheltie just waiting to discover it.

Our Previous shelties, were universally titled. Had their Chs as well as their CD, CDX and were working on UD etc etc. Our stud produced some AMAZING working shelties and some stunning Conformation Champions.

As above, Steve covered all the basics of them as well.

Shelties do have a double coat. They need to be line brushed weekly and regularily brushed DAILY!! Can not stress that enough. The shelties undercoat can matt VERY easily and must be brushed out. Especially behind their ears!!

When you get your puppy - SOCIALIZE SOCIALIZE SOCIALIZE!!
When Shelties are not socialized properly as puppies, they can remain extremely skittish and show "fear aggresion" with strangers etc etc.

Definately give your puppy the benefit of the doubt and expose them to many different scenarios (proper shots pending). Also, make sure you go over your puppies feet daily. Shelties as a breed - HATE their feet touched, so the more you touch them and make it a positive experience - the better!

Our vet was very impressed when she went to touch Crosbies feet and he knew "paw" and he just voluntarily gave her his paw!

Have you decided if you want a male or female yet?
 

stevinski

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#4

Boemy

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#6
I'm in eastern Washington. :) Not only haven't I decided on male versus female, but I haven't really settled on a breed yet. :rolleyes: I'm just at the "exploring my options" stage, also known as "crossing dogs off the list that I'd like but aren't suited for." :p My first desire was for a dalmation, but I don't think my lifestyle is active enough for one. Same with border collies . . .

Here's a sheltie question . . . how similar or different are they in personality to collies? Do they have similar tempraments or not?

I'll go check out those links now . . . ;)
 

cowgurl6254

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#7
I've owned shelties my entire life, and I will always own at least one :) They are amazing dogs for sure. They do like to bark, but they are also very eager to please. They are incredibly intelligent...they seem almost human at times. They are very gentle and they get along very well with other animals and children. I love their size also. I can take mine anywhere, but he's not so small that I worry about stepping on him. They do have energy, but I've never owned one that was hyper. Most of the adult shelties I know are very laid back. In short, they are my favorite breed by far. :p
 

stevinski

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#8
i would have thought a sheltie would be more active then a dalmation?

wheres sammy?
 

colliewog

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#9
Here's a sheltie question . . . how similar or different are they in personality to collies? Do they have similar tempraments or not?
They look similar, but temperamentally they are different. Collies are usually more assertive, more protective, and not quite as "eager to please" as a Sheltie. They are awesome and easy to train, but you've got to show them WHY they must do something, as opposed to just telling them to do it. However, they are both herding dogs, so the energy level and barking characteristics are similar - they must have a job and are very vocal, although Collies aren't quite as vocal as Shelties. ;)
 

Boemy

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#10
I've never had a dalmation, but I researched them and apparently they are very, very, very active due to having been bred to run alongside carriages. But I might just e-mail a few dalmation sites to double check. ;) It's too bad, because I immediately found a bunch of great dalmation breeder sites, but have been having trouble finding sheltie or collie sites that are definitely great. (Not that the ones I found were necessarily bad, but they didn't include all the information about health testing and such that would definitively point to a great breeder.)

There seem to be a lot of dual obedience and conformation shelties, how cool! :) After thinking about it, I'd probably get a female. A shorter, less impressive coat would probably be easier to take care of. :p Plus I have two boys in the house already. (Kitty boys, but still . . . I should even things up.)
 

Boemy

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They look similar, but temperamentally they are different. Collies are usually more assertive, more protective, and not quite as "eager to please" as a Sheltie. They are awesome and easy to train, but you've got to show them WHY they must do something, as opposed to just telling them to do it. However, they are both herding dogs, so the energy level and barking characteristics are similar - they must have a job and are very vocal, although Collies aren't quite as vocal as Shelties. ;)
Thanks for the info, colliewog. :) The reason I asked is that I've only ever had easy to care for dog coats before and the smooth collie looks much simpler to groom than the rough collie or sheltie. ;)
 

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