Is a Sheltie Right for Me?

[Caro]

Hi Angelfire.

I don't often recommend shelties to people, because to see them in person they appear quiet, laid back and a little shy. But to live with one they can be high energy and a little OCD, a little naughty and a little crazy - so you do need a sense of humour. If you find it funny to have a dog spinning when you switch on a household appliance then a sheltie is for you! Oh, and you have to be happy to never go to the toilet alone again!

But as I see you are doing teacher training so you probably have the exact the traits for a sheltie owner - patient, caring, gentle but firm when you need to be, will challenge your dog intellectually. And a teacher's hours are actually really good for a dog. I find dogs tend to sleep between 10am and 3pm anyway (walk around you neighbourhood at these times and all is silent). So really they will not be awake that much when you are working anyway.

I have always had shelties and cats - they are really great companions. When my last sheltie died my cat grieved until he too died, he just loved him so much.

 

[Silaria]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

My husband and I both work. We leave every day at 6:30 AM and don't get home again until 5:00 PM. Our pair of Shelties are home alone all day, no pet walkers/sitters/etc. and they do very well. We usually confine them to the bed room or an Xpen just to keep them out of mischief even though they tend to sleep all day.

The breeder I got my dogs from is also a teacher. She is out of the house all day from about 7 - 4 and her younger dogs, show dogs, are in their crates when she's not home. The older dogs are allowed to remain loose in the house. The do just fine as well.

Puppies, of course, will need someone to take them out regularly until they are old enough to control themselves.

Your lifestyle doesn't sound very different from mine when I was working on an MBA. I had very little time to spend with my little boy (we only had one Sheltie at the time) but I made that time count. After I finished my schooling, when I had more time, I was able to add fun activities to my dog's life, like agility training. You learn the balance and Shelties are very good at adjusting to the lifestyle you lead. Be honest with the breeder you talk to and a good breeder will help guide you to the pup that best fits your life because, like people, their personalities run the spectrum from over active to totally laid back home-body.

Good luck in your search for the right dog to add to your life; and THANK YOU for taking the time to find the right dog to fit your lifestyle rather than just saying "let's get that breed because...". To many dogs end up in shelters or rescues because people fail to research.

 

[angel_night]

Thank you so much for all your replies. I really do appreciate that!

Hehe, I actually stumbled across the Trini Gilmore article a few days ago. I liked it and found it useful.

I'm glad that so many of you think that the environment that I would potentially be bringing a sheltie into would be suitable and also that I, as a person would be a suitable owner for one. I do have a lot of patience and I have always enjoyed training my dogs in the past. Even my cat knows severl basic 'commands'

I rarely go to the toliet alone, as my cat is a shadow the majortiy of the time, so adding a dog into the equation, as long as the cat and dog got alone, wouldn't prove a problem for trips to the loo for me lol.

I'm glad to see that most of you seem to htink that my hours wouldn't be too much and that the hours that I will be gone for are mainly hours that are doggy nap times anyway! My plan for when everyone is out is to have the dog in the conservatory. A big enough space, but confined enough so they couldn't get into too much trouble

Although I've always enjoyed doing lots of differnet things with my dogs in the past, such as obedience, long walks, agility and doggy dancing, as some of you have said, I do think it would be best if a breeder could match me to a moderate energy puppy because opf the fact that I won't be there 24/7! The first 3 months though I will have bundles of time to devote to a new addition to the family!

A concern that has been bought up on a seperate forum, and I can't decide how much of an issue it actually will be is the following. As I mentioned after a few years I would be moving out to live with my boyfriend once we have a house deposit saved and the dog would be coming with me. Concerns that have been raised about this are a/ uprooting the dog from the family and b/ longer hours away from it. It will be me who looks after the dog though, feeding, grooming, walking etc, and apart from the time when my mum is just at home the dog will be with me. Plus when my mum is back, she wont be at home all the time as sahe will be popping out places. My dad although he does like animals is not really animal people, and although will be around won't really do much one-to-one with a dog. Also, as long as I started getting the dog into a routine that would be similar to that when I moved a few months leading up to a move, would that make it okay?

Another question, and I do apoligise for the bombardment of them but when I contact breeders what should I actually say? I'm not sure how to word something? Obviously there are certain things I want to do know, like what do they test for, why did they breed the dam and sire together, how many litters do they usually have (I don't want to go to someone who has a 'puppy factory' so to speak), would they consider me and my lifestyle for one of their puppies, would they be happy to match me to a suitable puppy, and the quesiton which I feel weird asking, how much for a puppy?

Also, it is a year and a half away till I would be ready to have one, but when would be the best time to start contacting breeders? Should I start now, in the summer? I just don't know

Luckily for me, my boyfriend is a trainee vet, so he'll be coming with me to visit potential breeders/puppies, which iwll make me feel mroe at ease!

Thank you so much everyone!

 

[labgirl]

I'm reading all this advice and getting excited about pup coming home - even the bad bits!

Angel_Night, I work with teachers and know a lot who have dogs and manage quite well. Of course depending on where you get working you may be near enough home to pop in at lunch and straight after school, so pup will not be alone more than around 3 hours at a time.

Will you leave him with your mum when you are at work or will he be in the house alone?

If your boyfriend is a trainee vet have you considered the possibility of him taking the dog to work with him? I know a few vets bring their dogs to work.

As for contacting breeders, you could start sending out feelers as long as you are strong enough to say 'no, thanks' if they have puppies now Getting to know of local breeders, getting to know the names of kennels and the lines they breed from is a good way of researching where to get your dog.

Plus you can run any pedigree dog name through the Kennel Club website and it will tell you what health tests that dog has had.

 

[angel_night]

I'm reading all this advice and getting excited about pup coming home - even the bad bits!

Angel_Night, I work with teachers and know a lot who have dogs and manage quite well. Of course depending on where you get working you may be near enough home to pop in at lunch and straight after school, so pup will not be alone more than around 3 hours at a time.

Will you leave him with your mum when you are at work or will he be in the house alone?

If your boyfriend is a trainee vet have you considered the possibility of him taking the dog to work with him? I know a few vets bring their dogs to work.

As for contacting breeders, you could start sending out feelers as long as you are strong enough to say 'no, thanks' if they have puppies now Getting to know of local breeders, getting to know the names of kennels and the lines they breed from is a good way of researching where to get your dog.

Plus you can run any pedigree dog name through the Kennel Club website and it will tell you what health tests that dog has had.

For the first few years my mum will be at home during the afternoons whilst I am at uni and then when I am at work So he will be left for a few hours in the morning before someone gets back. Then when I move out the dog would be left all day, but I'm interestred in getting a dog walker to break it up half way through.

Interesting point you bring up about my boyfriend taking a dog to work. Could definitely consider that, although he won;t graduate for several years after me, but when he does it could be something that could work

As much as I'd be very tempted to say YES! to anyone who had puppies avaiable now, I wouldn't be able to say no as I live away from home half the year at Uni at the moment (my next Uni will be local hence why I;m considering a dog for then ). Will still be difficult though, as I will be tempted lol.

Mm, I may leave it a little while just to make sure a sheltie is right then and start contacting breeders! How exciting!

 

[k9kreationz]

I think everyone gave you some wonderful answers. I wanted to answer the few about you moving.

Assuming you are matched with a good puppy, one that isn't too high strung, more laid back, and you make sure the dog doesn't have separate anxiety, I honestly think your move won't affect the dog too much. Why? Because, you said it'll be a couple of years, so the dog will be older.

With my first Sheltie (who by Sheltie standards, doesn't act like one), I moved when he was a year old. There were a lot of changes going on too. 1. I was going to school full-time and working part-time 2. I just got divorced 3. We moved and it was just the two of us 4. I bought a cat not long after the move.

Right after we moved, my dog wasn't adjusting very well. He's very sensitive. He actually didn't poop for almost 3 days and I was getting worried, but my vet said it was most likely the stress of the move, and wait another day, so I did and he was back on schedule. I was going to school, almost all day, I'd go home, eat dinner, play for about 30 mins then had to go to work for 4-5 hours. I'd come home, play some more, sit down with him next to me, and go to bed. After awhile, he seemed okay with this schedule and didn't mind the lesser interaction.

I bought a cat so he'd have a low-maintenance "friend". They hated each other immediately. That lasted 3 days. Then they were best of friends. Like someone said, they just needed to work it out.

I honestly believe by the time you move, your dog will be at an age that it'll adjust. It may take some time, you may have to put more effort into getting some play/quality time, but the dog will adjust. From my own experience, even with a sensitive dog, it took some time, but I always made sure that I interacted with him a lot, that I wasn't ignoring him, etc.

I think your timeline is actually a good one. Lots of puppy time, get some training in, and when you move, the dog will be older.

As for when to look, I'd start at least a year out. That way, you'll figure out who is going to try to breed and approximately when. Also, good if you have to go on a waiting list of sorts. I'm not sure of a specific time when to get more serious about the search. My first, I got within a month. My second, the breeder asked me if I was interested.

Lastly, if I were you, I'd maybe think about getting an older puppy. Maybe 12 weeks versus the typical 8 weeks. It may be easier to raise/adjust as it's older. That's just my experience as my first dog was 11 or 12 weeks when I got him. Granted, it could also be because he's not really Sheltie-like. Hmmm.....Any thoughts from others out there?

 

[Sheri]

THANK YOU for taking the time to find the right dog to fit your lifestyle rather than just saying "let's get that breed because...". Too many dogs end up in shelters or rescues because people fail to research.

I couldn't agree more. The fact that you took the time out to plan ahead for a dog you'll potentially be getting many months from now already makes you more responsible than many that get dogs on a whim.

I think on your schedule you'll be fine with a sheltie. They are terribly smart, so make sure you keep their mind just as busy as you do their little bodies Good luck!

Edit - one other thing - never feel weird about asking how much for a puppy, they can vary wildly based on the parental backgrounds, breeders, etc.

 

[angel_night]

I think everyone gave you some wonderful answers. I wanted to answer the few about you moving.

Assuming you are matched with a good puppy, one that isn't too high strung, more laid back, and you make sure the dog doesn't have separate anxiety, I honestly think your move won't affect the dog too much. Why? Because, you said it'll be a couple of years, so the dog will be older.

With my first Sheltie (who by Sheltie standards, doesn't act like one), I moved when he was a year old. There were a lot of changes going on too. 1. I was going to school full-time and working part-time 2. I just got divorced 3. We moved and it was just the two of us 4. I bought a cat not long after the move.

Right after we moved, my dog wasn't adjusting very well. He's very sensitive. He actually didn't poop for almost 3 days and I was getting worried, but my vet said it was most likely the stress of the move, and wait another day, so I did and he was back on schedule. I was going to school, almost all day, I'd go home, eat dinner, play for about 30 mins then had to go to work for 4-5 hours. I'd come home, play some more, sit down with him next to me, and go to bed. After awhile, he seemed okay with this schedule and didn't mind the lesser interaction.

I bought a cat so he'd have a low-maintenance "friend". They hated each other immediately. That lasted 3 days. Then they were best of friends. Like someone said, they just needed to work it out.

I honestly believe by the time you move, your dog will be at an age that it'll adjust. It may take some time, you may have to put more effort into getting some play/quality time, but the dog will adjust. From my own experience, even with a sensitive dog, it took some time, but I always made sure that I interacted with him a lot, that I wasn't ignoring him, etc.

I think your timeline is actually a good one. Lots of puppy time, get some training in, and when you move, the dog will be older.

As for when to look, I'd start at least a year out. That way, you'll figure out who is going to try to breed and approximately when. Also, good if you have to go on a waiting list of sorts. I'm not sure of a specific time when to get more serious about the search. My first, I got within a month. My second, the breeder asked me if I was interested.

Lastly, if I were you, I'd maybe think about getting an older puppy. Maybe 12 weeks versus the typical 8 weeks. It may be easier to raise/adjust as it's older. That's just my experience as my first dog was 11 or 12 weeks when I got him. Granted, it could also be because he's not really Sheltie-like. Hmmm.....Any thoughts from others out there?

Thank you so much for your reply, it has certainly reassured me! I did think that as it will be a slightly older dog when I do move it would hopefully not be so much of a problem!

I'm quite keen ion the idea of a slightly older puppy as well, as you mentioned. I heard that the longer they stay with their mum, they better socialised they will be and they should also be better trained regarding things such as toliet training Plus because they are older they should cope better with leaving their mum.

Maybe I'll start looking for breeders in a couple of months then? As at the moment it's about a year and 4/5 months until I would be in the position to adopt one!

I couldn't agree more. The fact that you took the time out to plan ahead for a dog you'll potentially be getting many months from now already makes you more responsible than many that get dogs on a whim.

I think on your schedule you'll be fine with a sheltie. They are terribly smart, so make sure you keep their mind just as busy as you do their little bodies Good luck!

Edit - one other thing - never feel weird about asking how much for a puppy, they can vary wildly based on the parental backgrounds, breeders, etc.

Yes, I feel that research is very important! I've done qutie a bit oin various other breeds. I have always LOVED and dreamt of golden retrievers, but I have come to the conclusion that at the moment it just wouldn't work. They will be too big for when I move out and need much much MUCH more exercise than I think I can offer one. I also lookefd at Italian Greyhounds but they seem to suffer quite badly from seperation anxiety and also aren't overly good with house training (which I think would drive my dad and boyfriend insane..)

I quite like the idea of teaching a dog to dance once they got the hand of obedience. I have always watched in awe whenever I have sene dogs dancing with their owners. My boyfriend bought me a book a few years ago, but sadly our terrier was far too old and not agile enough really to be able to master it! I'm hoping that this would be something though that would appeal to a sheltie's quick mind and intelligent nature!

 

[corbinam]

Lastly, if I were you, I'd maybe think about getting an older puppy. Maybe 12 weeks versus the typical 8 weeks. It may be easier to raise/adjust as it's older. That's just my experience as my first dog was 11 or 12 weeks when I got him. Granted, it could also be because he's not really Sheltie-like. Hmmm.....Any thoughts from others out there?

I had a similar experience...we brought home our most recent puppy at 12 weeks old. She seemed to adjust perfectly and was house-trained really fast (minus a few accidents because of a UTI--but that wasn't her fault!) If possible, I would like to get a puppy at that age again.

 

[SunChaser]

This is an article we have on our rescue website. It's a true and honest evaluation of the Sheltie breed. This way you can decide for yourself if a sheltie is right for you.

Are Shelties for Everyone?
Based on an article by Trini Gilmore
In truth the Shetland Sheepdog is NOT a breed that fits into all households.
Naturally, Shelties have a wide range of personality traits that cannot be
"lumped" under one description. However, there are certain traits that are
fairly universal to the breed.
1. Shelties are very verbal.
2. Shelties are reserved by nature and early socialization is needed to keep
them from being shy.
3. Shelties are extremely loyal either to one person or one family.
4. Shelties are sound sensitive and sound reactive.
5. Shelties will chase (in attempt to herd) anything that moves.
6. Shelties are very bright and need to be given something to occupy their
mind and bodies. Many will invent a "job" if they are not given one.
7. Shelties do not like to spend time away from their people. A Sheltie that
is left alone all day is usually not a very happy little dog.
8. Shelties are an emotional breed. They are very sensitive to the moods of
their people. They do best in a home where gentleness is the way of life.
9. Shelties are an active breed and need exercise everyday. They need more
than a 10-minute walk around the block.
10. Shelties need regular biweekly (minimum) grooming and they shed
extensively.

If someone is looking for a very laid back, not particularly sensitive,
doesn't really care if you are coming or going, low maintenance, average
intelligence dog…they would find the Sheltie exasperating, to say the least.
Shelties demand to be an integral part of the family to which they belong.
They stick their noses into everyone's business and feel compelled to make
comments on their observations.
They will follow their person to the corner of the earth and ALWAYS into the
bathroom.
They consider you leaving them behind as an aberration of proper behavior
and will voice their disapproval…loud and long…often accompanied by frantic
twirling and jumping.
They are selective as to which of your friends is worthy of their affection,
and which are to be observed from a distance, before a verdict is rendered.
They will steal FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD, right out of the mouths of babes, and
show no shame.
They will give chase, if not properly restrained, to any and all moving
objects.
They will sense your every mood and will be happy and sad along with you.
They love attention and they love to learn.
In short, they demand nothing less than being a FULL member of your family…
they do not consider themselves mere dogs (banish the thought!).

So if you are considering bringing a Sheltie or, Shelties, into your family,
be prepared to spend a lot of time, energy and love on this new member…for
that is what they need. In return they will give you some of the most
wonderful moments of your life, and memories you will cherish forever.
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