Is a Sheltie Right for Me?

[Mikos_Mom]

I just wanted to echo the sentiments of those who thought that a sheltie would likely be quite happy with the arrangement you described.

I brought home our 11week old sheltie puppy last October. We live in a small townhouse right in the city. It's been a little inconvenient in that to take him potty means putting on jackets and shoes, etc. There's no yard to let him out in. All his exercise and potty time requires us to be with him. BUT... it's still working out very well. He spends anywhere from 2 - 8 hours alone per day (rarely 8 hours... but it happens once in a blue moon). He's perfectly fine with it, as long as he gets lots of attention and exercise once we get home.

The only caveat I would ad is that Miko is truly a laid-back sheltie. His exercise requirements are on the low-mid side for his breed (and he's only 7mos old) and he has a pretty calm personality. He doesn't bark at household appliances... he rarely zooms around the house... and he only barks during play (thank goodness!!). Oh yeah, and he's good with the cat, other than driving the cat nuts trying to engage him in play. .... There are shelties that have extremely high energy levels, and are major barkers. I think careful puppy selection (and an older puppy would make this even easier and accurate IMO) is the key to a happy relationship.

Best of luck!!

 

[Bellesmom]

I just wanted to give my own history with a Sheltie that went from being a dog with a lot of attention to one that had to be left alone.

I bought a beautiful male blue merle at 1 year old from a breeder. He bonded with me immediately, and we went shortly after I got him to obedience class where he excelled. He finished his CD degree winning all 3 of his trials. I spent a great deal of time grooming him, training him, and going for walks as I was an at-home mom with a lot of time.

3 years later I was a separated and then divorced mom who had to go to work full time to support a house and children. my beautiful dog lived in his large kennel outside while I was at work. He turned into a barking all the time, miserable dog with not nearly enough attention.

he lived 11 years, but I know that his last years were not happy ones.

 

[seashel]

Hi and welcome!
Firstly, if only everyone would put so much effort into making the right choice about getting a puppy, the breed, lifestyle considerations etc as you are doing. The very fact that you are considering all these aspects BEFORE you purchase a puppy tells me you are going to be a good owner

There never is going to be a 'perfect' time to get a puppy/dog for most people. While we all would love to be in the position of spending every moment with our shelties, sadly life gets in the way and mostly we have to earn a living, look after families etc. It is perfectly possible to have a well balanced dog without having to spend 22 out of 24 hours together. As regards changing homes/lifestyles, it would not be ideal with a puppy but the older ones seem to adapt usually very well to a change in circumstances. Mine are left with their stuffed frozen Kongs and the radio if I'm out for more than 4 hours and they almost push me out of the door so they can get started on them! An abrupt change from busy household to being left for longer periods is not desirable but given the chance to get used to being left and a new routine, most shelties adapt very well. Generally, the more confident a dog is, the better he will cope with changes. In my experience shelties usually housetrain quite quickly.

I would suggest that it is much better to start looking well in advance. Even if you are not interested in showing, visiting shows is a fantastic way of looking around to see which dogs (and breeders) appeal most to you. Sitting with a catalogue by the ring watching the dogs being judged will give you an idea of what they are really like and you may well find yourself preferring certain dogs over others which will give you a starting point on who to start approaching with puppy enquiries.

Crufts is coming up in Birmingham in March but closer to home the following week is the Shetland Sheepdog Club of Wales Championship show which usually has a couple of hundered shelties there to look at.

http://www.sscw.org.uk/4.html

If you visit a show and find a breeder whose dogs appeal to you, when they are not busy getting a dog ready, you can go up and tell them how much you like their dogs. Even if you don't get a chance at a show you can call or email later on (usually all the adresses and tel numbers are printed in the catalogue). It really does help to see the dogs in the 'fur' so to speak as a photo only tells so much. It is wise to start looking early and good breeders will much prefer someone who is planning in advance and not buying on impulse. One tip is to beware of the breeder who seems very keen to sell you a puppy without asking very many questions as responsible breeders put too much love into their puppies not to make sure they are going to good homes

When talking to breeders be honest about what you want from the puppy. i.e to train for performance rather than showing etc. Explain you are not ready yet but are making enquiries and give your time frame. Sometimes they will have a waiting list for puppies so you might have to wait anyway but they will probably have a reasonable idea of their breeding plans for the coming year so can advise you if they are not likely to have what you are looking for. I would phrase the question of why they bred the parents as asking what the mother is like (in personality etc) and what did they particuarly like about the sire. You will probably find all this comes out quite naturally in conversation. There are not many sheltie breeders who churn out masses of puppies mercifully(!) but again, long term research certainly helps. This will also probably come up in conversation without needing to ask directly. Don't worry about asking how much - it's a reasonable question as you need to know!

In the UK, the main issues are CEA and hip dysplasia along with PRA. CEA is non progressive. Breeders will have their litter screened at 6-7 weeks. An affected puppy will not get any worse and unless the problem is very severe, it does not affect quality of life. PRA is thankfully pretty rare so ought not to be an issue but it's certainly worth doing as Sophie has suggested and looking at the KC website for health test results. If you want to do dancing/agility etc it would be prudent to purchase from someone who is hip testing as sadly hip dysplasia does affect some shelties. The testing does not give a guarentee as the condition can arise even when the parents have low scores but it certainly helps avoid it. Currently (as of nov 2010) the average score (from 460 shelties screened) is 13 and breeders should aim to breed only from animal below this.
This gives a brief overview and some useful links:
http://www.essc.org.uk/health.htm

Sorry about the length of this post but I would say shelties are loving, intelligent, tough dogs who will relax with you and do not require as much brushing as would appear (I do mine once a week). They are gererally good with people, kids and other animals and adapt to most circumstances. They are small enough to be picked up easily but big enough to be a 'proper dog'. On the downside, they shed and they bark, especially when excited and they like to be with you at all times (underfoot). And they are addictive

Wishing you the very best of luck with your quest.

 

[Justicemom]

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?

Certainly if the breeder has started working with their puppies, a 12 wk old can be great. I got Justice at almost 12 weeks and he was almost housetrained, crate trained, introduced to the leash, introduced to cars, knew sit and down, little bit of come and was introduced to the dumbbell.

Worse thing though is a puppy who has never seen anything but their kennel room by 12 wks. Habits set in quick and so does lack of socialization. Then you only have a few weeks to "fix" it before the socialization window closes.

 

[Sumac3890]

Sunchaser, I posted Trini's article early on in this thread.

 

[k9kreationz]

Certainly if the breeder has started working with their puppies, a 12 wk old can be great. I got Justice at almost 12 weeks and he was almost housetrained, crate trained, introduced to the leash, introduced to cars, knew sit and down, little bit of come and was introduced to the dumbbell.

Worse thing though is a puppy who has never seen anything but their kennel room by 12 wks. Habits set in quick and so does lack of socialization. Then you only have a few weeks to "fix" it before the socialization window closes.

Good point about the negative side of things.

 

[Toffee's Mom]

Welcome to the Forums!
After reading all of the posts and your replies I don't have one iota of a concern why you shouldn't get a Sheltie!

You sound like you are a thinker, enthusiastic, thoughtful and insightful!
combined with a small pinch of talkative energy and a little anxiety for good measure.. hahaha, not unlike the breed we all completely adore what's there not to love about that winning combination? It all sounds like a good match,

 

[Caro]

As a newer sheltie owner its good to look around for breeders that will be on hand for advice and grooming hints. Many breeders do offer this but its always good to check.

 

[Maxwell]

You seem to be very thorough and thoughtful in your planning however nothing can prepare you for the love of a sheltie... A sheltie in your family will change your life! We have a beautiful 11 year old sheltie named Max whom we rush home to be with from the day he adopted us and he is always at the top of the steps waiting. Not being the most experienced trainers in town we were so surprised that he knew most things, such as going out... And he was only 7 weeks old. He taught himself that if he placed one of his soft toys in his mouth when he barked, usually when the grandkids where here, no one cared.
A fenced yard is recommended because shelties love to run, play and show off. Our Max loves to circle the lawn mover. I believe that shelties can adjust to any caring parent. Obviously shelties have appealed to you, I say trust your heart!

 

[angel_night]

Thanks guys It sounds like it's a largely positive response, which is really reassuring and I'm really pleased about

I just wanted to give my own history with a Sheltie that went from being a dog with a lot of attention to one that had to be left alone.

I bought a beautiful male blue merle at 1 year old from a breeder. He bonded with me immediately, and we went shortly after I got him to obedience class where he excelled. He finished his CD degree winning all 3 of his trials. I spent a great deal of time grooming him, training him, and going for walks as I was an at-home mom with a lot of time.

3 years later I was a separated and then divorced mom who had to go to work full time to support a house and children. my beautiful dog lived in his large kennel outside while I was at work. He turned into a barking all the time, miserable dog with not nearly enough attention.

he lived 11 years, but I know that his last years were not happy ones.

Thank you for your reply and your honest anwers, I do appreciate that One thing that I would hope, is that the dog would be used to not having people around 24/7. From te very beginning they would be left for a few hours each day, and then when I do move out I would be gettng a pet walker for half way through the day, so hopefully the transition wouldn't be too dramatic for them to cope. There would also be the possiblity, as labgirl mentioned, now that I think about it, of the dog going to work with my boyfriend

Hi and welcome!
Firstly, if only everyone would put so much effort into making the right choice about getting a puppy, the breed, lifestyle considerations etc as you are doing. The very fact that you are considering all these aspects BEFORE you purchase a puppy tells me you are going to be a good owner

There never is going to be a 'perfect' time to get a puppy/dog for most people. While we all would love to be in the position of spending every moment with our shelties, sadly life gets in the way and mostly we have to earn a living, look after families etc. It is perfectly possible to have a well balanced dog without having to spend 22 out of 24 hours together. As regards changing homes/lifestyles, it would not be ideal with a puppy but the older ones seem to adapt usually very well to a change in circumstances. Mine are left with their stuffed frozen Kongs and the radio if I'm out for more than 4 hours and they almost push me out of the door so they can get started on them! An abrupt change from busy household to being left for longer periods is not desirable but given the chance to get used to being left and a new routine, most shelties adapt very well. Generally, the more confident a dog is, the better he will cope with changes. In my experience shelties usually housetrain quite quickly.

I would suggest that it is much better to start looking well in advance. Even if you are not interested in showing, visiting shows is a fantastic way of looking around to see which dogs (and breeders) appeal most to you. Sitting with a catalogue by the ring watching the dogs being judged will give you an idea of what they are really like and you may well find yourself preferring certain dogs over others which will give you a starting point on who to start approaching with puppy enquiries.

Crufts is coming up in Birmingham in March but closer to home the following week is the Shetland Sheepdog Club of Wales Championship show which usually has a couple of hundered shelties there to look at.

http://www.sscw.org.uk/4.html

If you visit a show and find a breeder whose dogs appeal to you, when they are not busy getting a dog ready, you can go up and tell them how much you like their dogs. Even if you don't get a chance at a show you can call or email later on (usually all the adresses and tel numbers are printed in the catalogue). It really does help to see the dogs in the 'fur' so to speak as a photo only tells so much. It is wise to start looking early and good breeders will much prefer someone who is planning in advance and not buying on impulse. One tip is to beware of the breeder who seems very keen to sell you a puppy without asking very many questions as responsible breeders put too much love into their puppies not to make sure they are going to good homes

When talking to breeders be honest about what you want from the puppy. i.e to train for performance rather than showing etc. Explain you are not ready yet but are making enquiries and give your time frame. Sometimes they will have a waiting list for puppies so you might have to wait anyway but they will probably have a reasonable idea of their breeding plans for the coming year so can advise you if they are not likely to have what you are looking for. I would phrase the question of why they bred the parents as asking what the mother is like (in personality etc) and what did they particuarly like about the sire. You will probably find all this comes out quite naturally in conversation. There are not many sheltie breeders who churn out masses of puppies mercifully(!) but again, long term research certainly helps. This will also probably come up in conversation without needing to ask directly. Don't worry about asking how much - it's a reasonable question as you need to know!

In the UK, the main issues are CEA and hip dysplasia along with PRA. CEA is non progressive. Breeders will have their litter screened at 6-7 weeks. An affected puppy will not get any worse and unless the problem is very severe, it does not affect quality of life. PRA is thankfully pretty rare so ought not to be an issue but it's certainly worth doing as Sophie has suggested and looking at the KC website for health test results. If you want to do dancing/agility etc it would be prudent to purchase from someone who is hip testing as sadly hip dysplasia does affect some shelties. The testing does not give a guarentee as the condition can arise even when the parents have low scores but it certainly helps avoid it. Currently (as of nov 2010) the average score (from 460 shelties screened) is 13 and breeders should aim to breed only from animal below this.
This gives a brief overview and some useful links:
http://www.essc.org.uk/health.htm

Sorry about the length of this post but I would say shelties are loving, intelligent, tough dogs who will relax with you and do not require as much brushing as would appear (I do mine once a week). They are gererally good with people, kids and other animals and adapt to most circumstances. They are small enough to be picked up easily but big enough to be a 'proper dog'. On the downside, they shed and they bark, especially when excited and they like to be with you at all times (underfoot). And they are addictive

Wishing you the very best of luck with your quest.

I'd love to go to Crufts and the Sheltie show in Wales but for all the dates I have University things that I cannot miss sadly. Quite a few of the agricultural shows have dog sections in summer, so hopefully I'll be able to see some shelties there and hopefully talk to some breeders I saw that discoer dogs is on in november as well, which would be a possiblity!

Thank you for the advice about how to talk to the breeders! That really helps and I'll feel a lot more confident talking and emailing them now!