The weird things Shelties go ballistic over...

[Sumac3890]

I am sure Maggie will come up with a few doozey's all of her own

Maggie being almost 13 has a long list of things that get her going and it starts with the gargage truck, delivery trucks, blender, coffee grinder, bikes. Does not like us talking on the phone she leaves the room, hiccups sent her to another room. She and Katie would both bark at us taking the garbage out of the container to take it outside. She knows when I am getting ready to leave as soon as I start to brush my teeth or put on lipstick. I am sure I am missing some!!!
Katie would get excited about sneezing, coughing, people and dogs outside. Love to chase ducks-
I have a friend whose sheltie gets excited and runs at the tv when the Sunday morning show comes on - she does not like the music. Her other sheltie loves to run and bounce and jump at the front door when company comes.
And yet we love these dogs so and I doubt we would have any other way.

 

[Lightplum]

It's a single sound: The sound of squirrel feet landing on the lawn after a fence-top leap. I swear to God.

that reminds me I have a covered wood shed next to the dog area and there is a tree next to it, any time a twig hits the top of the wood shed they all assume its a squirrel! They drive me nuts on windy days when they leaves are falling!

 

[k9kreationz]

LOL. These were cute. Thanks. I'm glad mine seem a bit normal. Typical stuff, doorbell, vacuum, loud car/truck/motorcycle, etc

Let's see. Koji is mostly food obsessed, so if you get ice, he comes running. Any sort of bag wrinkling noise, he's coming. Now he associates the can opener with food, so he comes running for that too. He will, however, run away from a plastic bag if it's empty and on the ground.

If Miko hears me turn on my camera, he's there sitting, waiting, posing. What a ham! (not really crazy behavior, but it's hilarious). Besides the doorbell and vacuum, he's not really a Sheltie. lol

 

[Ann]

Ooooh, the "s" word! We can't even say it in our house!! Woof!

 

[Katherine]

I've got a sneeze "monster" as well whose hearing is now fine tuned to hear the tissue coming out of the box. Like many of you, the mere sound of it produces a full frontal attack. I think that I've mentioned here that I've incorporated this monstrosity into a trick: the tissue or a handkerchief goes into my pocket, I announce that I feel a cold coming on, and the little devil gets rewarded for jumping up, taking it out of my pocket, and giving it to me !

The squeal of the ironing board being put up and taken down also will bring him running the length of the hall, barking like a maniac. Last week I had cookies in hand, ready for the assault... and Snap was torn between barking and eating. When the board was flat on the floor, I put a cookie on it... and Snap hopped up on the board. We then had a game going of my calling him off of it and his jumping back on, all the while the ironing board became a wobble board. It's my newest piece of agility equipment now !

 

[mbfrench]

Very Cool!!!

 

[Toffee's Mom]

ohhhh Katherine! what a BRILLIANT idea!!!!!
I am gonna try the sneezing trick or something... see if I can get him to jump into my arms!?!

The other thing I noticed while reading these GREAT stories is that Toffee isn't much of a 'scardy cat'.. he doesn't run away he runs towards... Mind you he is cautious, won't let people he is barking at pet him, and god forbid they are looking at him and THEN trying to entice him to calm down.. haha that creates further barking, from three feet out of range, lol. But nothing like a full blown sheltie crazy fit, lol ...only sneezes create those ;

I have had a number of dogs of different breeds throughout my life but the Sheltie takes the cake, because none of my other dogs had any of those funny idiosyncrasies

 

[pattymaine]

Bailey's quirks

Bailey goes ballistic whenever a person, a dog, a motorcycle or a bicycle goes by our living room window; aluminum foil, sneezing, coughing, dogs barking on tv, opening a new garbage bag, the phone ringing, opening or closing our window quilts, the bathroom scale, the bathroom door when we close it, the vacuum, and the doorbell, knocking at the door, the garage door, or the outside door opening and closing. She also starts barking wildly at times for no reason at all (or as my husband says, "because it's Monday"). Our kitten Whiskers also teases Bailey unmercifully and can get Bailey going at the drop of a hat.

Joey, our other pup, is Bailey's shadow and loves to mimic Bailey every chance he gets. Too bad Bailey couldn't learn Joey's quiet behavior! Oh well, both our pups add lots of fun and excitement to our days...

 

[MisfitBrian]

I forgot to add that if Cindy tries to exercise(sit-ups or push-ups) he attacks her.

 

[RonandJan]

4. Counting to three. And unfortunately he is smart. We can't count to three in english, spanish or polish without him going absolutely ballistic. He can be sleeping, and if we count he is right there and barking.

Don't you hate it when your furball speaks a foreign language and you don't. I swear Cleveland understood Spanish!