considering a sheltie

Justicemom said:
Welcome to the forum.


To anwser your questions

How are they in apartments? My first sheltie I had in an apartment he did very well. He was not much of a barker as a baby but he was a wild thing. My other dog was a very quiet dog so she didn't encourage him to bark. That in me opinion is the biggest issue with a sheltie in an apartment, the barking. Some are quite vocal some are not but all must be trained to not bark for tiny babies and not encouraged to be vocal if you are in an apartment.

How much exercise do they (on avarage, I know every dog is different!) require daily? Like you said depends on the dog- some shelties need ton of exercise but usually not as much as a bigger herding dog. I know alot of Aussies and none of my shelties touch them in exercise requirements. 1 good hour of walking, playing ball, running a day. But I found teaching them something/mental stimulate tires them out faster than anything physical. If I got 30 of training in a day, my guys are pooped.



How are they with other animals (I have two cats)? In my experience shelties are great with other animals ie cats. never had an issue with any shetlei with a cat. but they must be trained not to chase from tiny babies either by you or the cat.

How smart/trainable are they? If they are very well trained, do people tend to trust their shelties off leash? This is the sheltie strong point. They are super smart and super easy to train but they are so smart they can train their owners too so beware. 2 of my dogs are so smart it is scary and yes shelties can be trained to be off leash but you need to look for someone breeding for stable temperment because alot of shelties can be spooky and flighty as well as shy. That being said I hike with all off leash in the country, I do not take chances in town.

My best advise is look for a good breeder who raises their dogs in their home, socializes them , breeds for sound temperment as well as looks, and can help you find a sheltie that fits your needs.
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Yep that pretty much sums it up for me too!

Shelties are pretty adaptable, but they generally need at least some physical or mental challenges daily to thrive. That being said, I've been a very bad mom lately, and have not been very good about walkies (I rely on the backyard to let them run). I bad! :hide

But do they seem to be suffering for it? Not so much!

Both my Shelties are males, and both are major sucks! They do love their "owner" but may not love the owner's family as much. They can be stand-offish that way. Females can be even more so. They seem to have a much more indepedant spirit.

Barking is most definitely an issue. Its a work in progress for me. I'm considering a bark control unit - inside and outside, but have held off, because I think I realize that the barking is not the root cause. Its the symptom. The root cause is territorial behaviour. So I need to find out why Indy is so territorial.

Maybe I provided more questions than answers. The reality is that there are no magic answers. You either love this breed and figure out how to deal or try another.

My tuppence worth
 
Hello! I've tried to answer your question as best I could. I hope it helps!

How are they in apartments?

I think as many have mentioned, the biggest issue with apartment living would be barking. My sheltie does not bark a lot, only to alert me when someone is at the door or to let me know he wants to go outside. I have discouraged barking as much as possible, so I do believe you can limit it, if it has become a problem.

How much exercise do they (on average, I know every dog is different!) require daily?

I usually walk my sheltie, Riley, for at least 30 mins a day but is happiest with an 1 hour plus. When it comes to playing, he could go on forever :P

How smart/trainable are they?

In general, I think they are easily trainable. This is my first dog and I had no problems teaching him basic commands at an early age (10 weeks).

If you do decide to get a sheltie, the one thing I would focus on when training is socialization. I was told by my vet and a dog trainer to introduce Riley to 100 dogs and people as a puppy. I tried to introduce my dog to as many dogs and people as possible. This has been very beneficial to both us, Riley is about 7 months now and loves people and other dogs of all shapes and sizes.

If they are very well trained, do people tend to trust their shelties off leash?

I would not trust Riley off leash in urban areas because there are too many distractions and he gets scared around big/loud cars/trucks. However, I do trust him at my local park because his recall is pretty good and he follows me. He has started trying to chase squirrels though so I usually stick to walking him on leash when I'm alone.

Are they usually pretty affectionate? Also are they typically pretty independent or are you their world?

My sheltie is affectionate but he is not a velcro dog. He does follow me around the house but is fine doing his own thing once he knows where I am. When I call him he is always happy to drop what he's doing and come. He also likes to be held, give kisses and have his belly rubbed. In terms of being held and petted, I'm usually the one to initiate these things and he usually initiates play.

With that said, I do know that I am his world. Whenever I come home he is always extremely happy to so me which always brightens up my day!



(Of course in my biased opinion, a shletie would be the way to go but I know you love australian shepherds so as a side note, have you looked into mini aussies? I don't know much about them as a breed but they are small and may be suitable for an apartment. I've only ever met one at the dog park, she looked just like an aussie in miniature and her owner mentioned to me that she lived in an apartment.)
 
Is it a very common thing for shelties to run away from their owners if they get loose? That makes me nervous. I have no problem always leashing my future dog for walks, but what if he/she runs out the front door or something similar happens? I guess I assumed as such smart dogs that they'd be easy to train to be somewhat safe off leash? A family members doberman is hardly well trained, but they are "velcro" dogs and when she IS loose she really sticks around. And in all my research of aussies (I researched very heavily for months) I don't think I heard about an aussie running away! I've always read about aussies, heelers, BC tending to stick close to their owners when loose and assumed (incorrectly?) that shelties would be similar since they are also a herding dog..
 
depends on the sheltie and the situation.......
if they get scared, their ears turn off and they don't hear you.

if they just get loose and aren't scared by something- will probably come to you or stay near you.

when Cranberry was about 8 months old, we were visiting family in PA- big farm, lots of land. we're right outside the house and he's playing with the farm pup- terrier/corgi mix. I pop inside to use the bathroom- 3 adults outside to keep an eye on things- then I hear my uncle whistling for their dog. I hurry outside and the pups are way over at the edge of a field about to embark on an expedition. I called Cranberry and he came right back- left his doggy friend all alone. so these days, I am very careful where and when the pups (almost 3 now) get to be offleash and if I go inside, so do they........
 
I agree -- the off leash thing depends. Layla is velcro girl -- she stays with me. The one time she lost sight of me on a group hike, she went right back to where she'd seen me last.
 
I find Aussies and Shelties very different... Aussies are more drivers of cattle, different temperament than herders of sheep... Way more intense and in need of a real job, definitely never an apartment dog in my experience.

Shelties greatest asset is their empathy and trainability. They have an uncanny sense to adapt to their handlers style and preferences, they are very intuitive. My boy is most definitely my Shadow and I adore that he looks for me to give him something to do. For example when we walk in the park and other rural areas where we always go offleash, by the way, he finds nothing else as interesting as me. He brings me sticks, or just walks behind me... Or just sniffs close by, he definitely wants to chase a crow or pigeon (or an 18 wheeler, sigh) but now asks me first if it is okay before giving chase and I can call him off... but I have worked with him on that, with lots of positive training and recall games, at which most herding dogs really excel at. I love doing agility and my dog loves to think and figure things out, and whatever we do together he just loves doing. My next Sheltie I hope to also do some discdog with, too.
Yes, they bark, Yes they love to give chase and yes they can be shy and/or reactive! Most herding dogs can be, they were selectively bred to control motion!! So, definitely look into good breeding and temperament, but I'd take Shelties over an Aussie anytime, considering I rent a flat in a city and even then... I will alllllwayyyyys love being a Sheltie Mom :D
 
The Watcher

I have to agree with justicemom. My 12 month-old, Mac, just has to have his nose in all my business. He is content to be in the same room with me, but as soon as I make a move, he is up to see what I'm doing or where I'm going. He doesn't get much rest watching me putz around the house on weekends. He doesn't do this for anyone else in the house. Oh, and he does love to stand guard when I'm in the bathroom. That is about the only time he's a "velcro" dog.

Our 12-yr-old cat tolerates Mac for the most part. Until about 7 pm, things are pretty quiet. Then Mac gets in the mood for a game of tag that can get pretty intense. On the other hand, Mac frets when the cat escapes out back and won't settle down until the cat is safely inside. He gives the cat a little scolding for being outside by himself, then all is well.

I don't let Mac out off-leash in our neighborhood because he chases anything that moves and is reactive to other dogs. I do take him to the neighborhood high school practice fields to play fetch, where it is mostly fenced and I can let him off the leash as long as there are no other dogs being walked around the track. He also loves to romp at the beach with my daughter and her two dogs.

Barking is only an issue for us on-leash when he encounters other dogs. That's particularly hard as our training sessions that are held in a gynmasium where the noise is magnified. We're working really hard on "hush."
 
Minniesmom15 said:
Is it a very common thing for shelties to run away from their owners if they get loose?
Click to expand...

As someone above said, that depends on the dog.

Our last Sheltie got out a side gate left open by a gardener. When we realized it, we ran to the front door and opened it to run out to look for her. We didn't have to go far. She was sitting on the welcome mat and, when the door opened, she looked up at us with a look that said, "Where the heck were you guys?"
 
I have a sheltie/mix and I live in an apartment. My boy is not really a barker, the only time he will bark is if he doesn't know the footsteps of the person in the hall, like maintenance people. He knows my neighbors footsteps, so he won't bark at them, but, if they bring someone in whose footsteps he doesn't know he will bark.

As far as exercise, I walk my Beau for about an hour 3x a day for three reasons, 1) its good exercise for both him and me and it eases anxiety for both of us 2) he is literally and figuratively peed out/pooped out 3) he doesn't get into trouble in the apartment because he's tired out.

But, as other here have stated, every dog is an individual, and what goes for one dog may not go for another
 
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