Sites about Living with Shetland Sheepdogs:
Clan Duncan talks about living with a sheltie puppy here: http://www.kennelcity.com/cdlive.html
I started out as a child with a pet collie and from there became an animal lover in general. I worked in animal rescue as a young adult where I fostered and fell in love with a little male sheltie. I was stuck on his smarts and loyalty right away! He was the start that had me look for my own sheltie--Billy. I haven't taken the idea of producing puppies lightheartedly. There are tons of puppies in the world that need homes, so if I have any they will be the highest quality in health, attitude, appearance and pedigree that I am capable of. I've done my research on my breed, breeding in general, and dog care. My dogs have traits that blend wonderfully and I'm very proud of the quality of puppy they have produced! I don't believe in overbreeding--I like my girls to be pretty and nicely coated. Some people might think that you make money breeding dogs, but if all the care and proper expenses are involved it's pretty lucky if you break even!!! My last two litters have actually cost us money to have lol!!! My goal is to show shelties, but I haven't had a show prospect turn out yet. So, some day down the road that will hopefully happen. Until then I plan to have a couple more litters for fun!
Shelties are my favorite breed of dog, I love their sweet, intelligent personalities, their happy disposition and love of all things outdoors. They're nice dogs that play with kids and cats and other dogs and are ready to go wherever you'll take them. Shelties are small to medium and very compact, they don't eat a lot (other than my Oona), and can keep up with you in the outdoors unlike some other small dogs. They like to have daily exercise and will greatly benefit from it, but will just as gladly become a couch potato if that's the lifestyle you choose.
Some Shelties can be prone to shyness, but a properly bred pup shouldn't have any trouble adjusting to new situations. They should prefer their family and show aloofness towards strangers, but never fear. A good sheltie should be a stable, happy family member. If you have a sheltie that is on the shy side, proper socialization can do wonders for him. Sometimes a shy dog with an otherwise wonderful temperament could have just been very poorly socialized, so make sure to socialize young.
One of the main reasons the Shetland Sheepdog was the breed I chose was how wonderfully they get along with other types of animals. When I was working at the animal rescue there were many occasions that birds, rabbits, ferrets, cats and other dogs ended up at my house for periods of time. Billy has never been phased by any animal that came to 'stay over' and is completely happy to play with anyone he meets!
A few years back I brought home three little diamond doves. I didn't know if they were boys or girls, but after a while they had a clutch of babies. I was sitting in a chair and Billy walked over and sat something at my feet very slowly and then stepped back and stared at me. I ignored him for a minute and then he wined in my direction some more, I looked down and noticed something tiny squirming by my feet. One of the newborn little doves, not even an inch and a half long, had fallen out of it's nest. Billy had picked it up and carried it to me without hurting it--it wasn't even wet! These are such special little dogs!
Boy or girl sheltie? The majority of the time people associate bad habits with male dogs, but Shelties seem to be a breed that male and female are very similar. Male shelties usually do not have any of the typical boy dog problems and get along with other males just fine. The only times I've ever heard of male shelties with marking problems has been in breeding situations. My Billy is now 8 years old, intact, and living with two girls and he's never marked on anything. He still squats in the yard and has always been a good boy. In Shelties the boys seem to stay goofier later in life where as the girls seem to grow more dignified with age. Oona will very gladly ignore me some times, while Billy is always with me waiting to see what I'm doing next. I think one of the main differences would have to be devotion, Billy is one of the most faithful dogs I've ever met :)
All breeds have their good and their bad, the bad being the part that more people will be interested in. As a general rule shelties WILL do two things that some people may find hard to live with: bark and shed, and they do a bunch of both!
BARKING: Shelties are 'happy barkers', they bark while they play, when they're running, to sound the alarm of an intruder, or to get your attention. Some shelties just bark to be barking I think. This is a trait of the breed. Living with crofters they had to have a big voice on a little dog that could carry for a long ways off. Their job was to keep birds and livestock out of gardens and to help protect and herd sheep. Most sheltie owners today don't have sheep though, and have no way of convincing their dog that squirrels and birds are not terrible intruders. Barking is a problem that is easiest to deal with if it is never allowed to get out of control. Plus, what you might not be bothered by in the dog that you love, your neighbors will hate. If your sheltie is a yapper I'm an advocate of debarking. Here are a couple links about debarking.
and some youtube videos of debarked dogs:
When you're on youtube if you search for debarked, check out how many of the videos turn up shelties! My sheltie, Oona, came to my house already debarked, and before owning her I was very against the procedure, but I think it makes her happier. She's never in trouble for her barking and can play outside for as long as she wants when we're outside without my worrying about a neighbor being upset.
Something that I am against: shock collars and citronella collars. Shock collars just plain suck! I bought one as a training device when CeCe was young and before I ever put it on her I held it to my own neck and barked. I will NEVER bark again, but I'm not sure all dogs catch that lesson so fast! It didn't hurt, but it was very, very unpleasant--it stopped me in my tracks! Citronella collars are just plain mean also. My friend tried one on her dog and he did quit barking, but who wants citronella juice sprayed in their mouth eyes and nose?! I'd rather be shocked again!
Oh, and not all shelties are barkers. Billy barks at the door for me and is a completely reliable watch dog. For years now if Billy barked in the night I would consider it serious enough to get up and investigate.
Oh, and not all shelties are barkers. Billy barks at the door for me and is a completely reliable watch dog. For years now if Billy barked in the night I would consider it serious enough to get up and investigate.
SHEDDING: Shelties have long, beautiful, double layered coats. Adults blow their coat once a year and pups lose their puppy fur once at just over a year of age. If you keep on top of shedding by grooming your dogs weekly it's really not so bad. During shed seasons you might want to even brush them every day or two. If you have all wood and tile in your house like I do you will be sweeping every day during shed seasons. Some people say that the males shed less than the females and I think I agree with them--Billy's really not a bad shedder. The girls on the other hand can shed! Every time one of them goes into heat she blows her coat again. If you decide to let your dog have puppies, after the birth she'll shed herself almost bald. Spaying your dog will make her shed a lot less since she won't cycle. The hair is one of those things you'll just have to decide personally if you like or not. If you do have a sheltie and decide to shave them down please make sure to not shave to the skin, this can make your poor dog very uncomfortable.
