Introducing myself.. New to this site.. A few issues

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Emma

Forums Enthusiast
Hey everyone!! I came across this awesome website while searching for some tips on Shelties.

I have 3 dogs, Emma...my Sheltie (about 42 pounds, will be 2 in April), and 2 Chihuahua's (one that is 2.4 pounds (Lucy, 9 yrs old) and one that is 5.5 pounds (Phoebe 7 yrs old).


I love Emma so much, but there are a few issues, some no big deal and some I could use some advice on:

...Emma is a heffer! I can't feed them separately, just not possible. I can barely lift her.
...Of course both my small dogs sleep in the bed with me but Emma will not jump on the furniture OR get in the bed. Most would think this is a great thing, but I am OK with the girls lounging on the couch and sleeping with me. If I put Emma in the bed with us, she is fine for a few minutes then wants down. Breaks my heart; would love to snuggle with her. If I get down on the floor, she can not be still, relax and enjoy the company.
...She is hyper!! Can not sit still when I love on her or pet her. Seems to be a nervous Nelly. The other 2 girls just lay back and look at her like "whatz up with her"???
...OK, the chewing is a problem! I can NOT keep a rug on my floor because she loves to chew off ALL of the edging of the rugs. She has chewed up over 600.00 worth of rugs! And there is only ONE curtain at my front door that she chews on and the wood at the window next to the front door.
...I know Shelties are like herders, she stays very close to me, herding me all over the house and just about causes me to fall and nose bumps me all the time.
...Emma seems to be VERY nervous and shys away from ANYONE that comes in my house. Does these mean she would not be a protective dog?

My daughter and her hubby got Emma's sister (BB) when I got Emma. The girls love to see each other and use to all the time, but less now due to schedules.

When do they calm down? How to stop her from chewing (of course I never see her in action) and is it normal for a Sheltie to be 42 pounds?? Oh, would love to have her sleep with us; I actually have ramps to one couch and my bed for the 2 smaller dogs to be able to get up on them; but Emma will not go up and down the ramps.

Sorry for the long post, but trying to cover all basis up front LOL

Thank you for welcoming me to this forum! I did post a picture of Emma for my Avatar; hopefully it will come through soon.
 
Welcome to the Forums!
Sounds like you have your hands full, can't wait to see pics of the herd :D

I would recommend upon first reading crate games, training Emma to be in the crate will help you feed her in there, so that you can control her food. 42 pounds is way too big, unless she is suuuuper tall, NOT that I should give a lot of tips, see Toffee needs to loose some weight, too (as do I) LOL
Also try hand feeding, have strangers feed her kibble when they come in... so she associates good times with strangers not something bad...

For rug chewing, crate when you're not there. I had also achieved great success with Bitter Apple spray.. some others on here did not... SO it depends on whether Emma will like it or not, lol. Definitely worked for me, and isn't expensive so I would try it!
 
Welcome to the forum!

It is hard to say where these issues are stemming from, but it sounds to me like Emma would really benefit from having a job. They say that a tired dog is a good dog, and after getting my latest puppy, I can't agree more. If I don't give her a job, or tire her out, she will find one and I may not like it (she has chewed holes in our walls and furniture).

Are there any obedience classes you could enroll Emma in? Obedience classes will tire her out (exercising her brain is tiring!) and I think really increase the bond between owner and dog.

Also, how much exercise is Emma getting? It sounds like she has a lot of energy to burn. I know that sometimes it is hard, but she may require a lot more exercise than you realized (and definitely more than your chihuahuas). You have to remember that shelties are working dogs...and they are hardy pups. They need exercise to keep not only their bodies but their brains in check, too. If I were you, I would add a long walk or run (30 min to an hour) to her daily routine. Also, a couple vigorous games of fetch would be nice, too, if she'll play.

42 pounds sounds big to me...but it really depends on her height/build. For instance, my two are just under 16" tall, and one weighs 15 pounds and the other weighs 19 pounds. A great way to help Emma lose weight is to drastically reduce the amount of food you are feeding her and supplement the food with green beans (unsalted!) They will help to make her feel full, but have very few calories. It worked well when one of my dogs needed to lose 5 pounds. Just remember that she may look at you like she is starving at first, but it is only because she is used to getting more.

I hope that helps some! Feel free to share a picture of Emma, we'd love to see her!
 
Hi and welcome to the forums:smile2: you will get some great help and advice here and we love photos!!

I agree with what has already been said, sounds like Emma could benefit from some extra mental/physical exercise so she does not find unwanted/distructive outlets for stimulation. My Revel was a rug fringe chewer as a puppy but he had grown out of it by 12 months I think.

As Corbinam has said, it is difficult to judge weight issues as it depends on height and build. If you cannot feel any ribs if you run your hand along her sides she is probably a bit overweight.

My shelties have usually an hour of pretty fast excersise per day most days which includes a lot of free running. If they don't have this then they do go a bit mad, especially Revel, as they look to burn off the excess energy in other ways...!
 
Hello and Welcome:smile2:

Everything I would have advised has been said already, so I'll just wish you luck and hint that we like to see pictures:wink2:
 
Hi, and welcome!

42 pounds is very heavy, unless your Sheltie is very, very tall. I know that sounds harsh, but overweight is a burden on your dog's health. Weight loss is a big issue for many humans, but in dogs, it's rather simpler - you are in charge of how much and what she eats.

I know you say that you can't feed them separately, but I would really urge you to rethink this. Feeding your dogs a set amount at set times of the day allows you to

1. Control how much, and what, each dog eats (if you need to put one dog on low-cal food, or give another a special supplement, you absolutely know that that dog got the correct food). You can give Chi-sized meals to the little dogs, and Sheltie-sized meals to the Sheltie.
2. Monitor how well each of your dogs is eating. Loss of appetite is often the first sign that something's wrong, and it can be hard to catch if multiple dogs are being free-fed.
3. Monitor behavior. It sounds like your three all get along, but a shared food-bowl can cause problems - if each dog eats her own meal from her own bowl in her own crate, peace prevails.
 
Hello, and welcome! I would only add, in response to the question about whether your Sheltie would be a protective dog, that Shelties are great "watchdogs" and bark to let you know about anything and everything, but they are not inclined to protect in the sense of attacking someone or something. They are not "guard" dogs. Their job is done when they've alerted you to something being amiss. Of course, any individual dog, based upon circumstances, may protect in the physical sense, but that is not written in their job description. And speaking of jobs, please find her one, or she will write her OWN job description, and chances are, you won't like it!

Good luck!
 
Yep you need to figure a way to feed separately, most shelties would eat until they explode I think. For comparison purposes Sca is about 18 months and a stocky build measuring approx 18" at the shoulder. He weighs 32 lbs and me and the vet both think 30 would be a better weight for Mr Food Me!
 
SheepOfBlue said:
Yep you need to figure a way to feed separately, most shelties would eat until they explode I think. For comparison purposes Sca is about 18 months and a stocky build measuring approx 18" at the shoulder. He weighs 32 lbs and me and the vet both think 30 would be a better weight for Mr Food Me!
Click to expand...

Agreed. Nike is 18" and looks good at about 29 pounds. He climbed up to about 31 lbs, and I didn't want him carrying any extra weight, especially because he's doing agility now.

Beyond portion control, you can give your Sheltie healthy fillers like green beans (fresh or frozen, if you need to use canned, rinse them first). This can give her the feeling of being fuller with less calories.

And it does sound like she needs a job. Even working on basic obedience every day can help to manage her energy.
 
Hi and welcome

As she is not yet 2 years old Emma is still an adolescent and needs to burn off a lot of energy - she is a sheepdog after all. With her weight I would do several smaller walks a day rather than trying one long one jut to save her joints.

It is very troubling she is so big at such a young age, it can be doing serious damage to her body. I can understand why she doesnt want to jump as jumping puts even more pressure on her already stressed joints. Remember with pet dogs its never the dog's fault they are overweight as we control their food intake, not them.

I am not sure what the problem is with feeding them seperately - are you free feeding the Chis? Free feeding isnt good for any dog and if that is happening I think your other dogs may have to get used to regular meal times to help save Emma. You could probably cut her food intake by 2/3 if she is that big and give her vegetables instead. Mine love pumpkin, and I usually give them mixed cooked vegies (just from the freezer, nothing fancy) for dinner every night. If she has a treat during the day give her some raw carrot or cut it out altogether.

How much food does she get each day? Shelties do not need to be fed much. My dogs are very active and get 1/8 cup of dry food for breakfast and the equivalent of half a small can in the evening. They only get treats at training, otherwise they do not get anything during the day.

The chewing may get better with age, but I agree additional activity and confining her access is te best approach. I didnt give my dogs access to areas of my home until they were more than 2 years old. You also need to teach her what she can chew on. Whenever she looks like she is going to chew redirect her mouth onto achew toy.

Shelties like to stay attached to ankles, I'm afraid its in their breed. I have vertigo myself so had to learn to manage with a sheltie around my feet - you do get used to it.
 
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