Sheltie owners?

[drop dead fred]

Any sheltie owners? Just tryin to see if anyone has first hand experience with the breed an any pros or cons... Would love to see some pics if anyone has any

[PSD Ryan]

I've owned two.

The first was a blue merle. He was awesome. Would do backflips and spins catching balls and frisbees. He lived to fetch. 24/7, he was bringing you something to throw. The stunts eventually ruined his back and we had to put him down.

The second was a sable. He was a very well behaved dog, great temperment. He loved to herd anything he could. He was a little clumsy, but was very healthy and made it 14 years.

They are small, good with children and other pets, and fun. They are pretty relaxed and don't require a ton of exercise, but they do still need to be exercised a little bit. Cons...SHEDDING. Long hairs all over everything. It's unavoidable. I think eye problems are fairly common also.

This is my 2nd one at 14 years old:


All that said, my blue lacy is way more awesome. lol

[MKH]

I grew up with shelties, and they are one of my favorites. Ours were always ranch dogs, so they lived outside, in large kennds with a roof or they were on a run. They were pretty active (we only had full sized ones), herded anything (chickens, deer, cats, turkeys, you name it) as the above poster said, very loving, but also very protective of our family (they were not socialized with other dogs and people due to where I grew up). They are easy to train, definatly shed a lot (invest in a good brush) and one of ours was an avid hunter. The last one my parents had lived until he was 16. Ours liked to chase trucks (my parents dog was successful at catching 2 and survived), but he was a great pet.

[PSD Ryan]

I forgot about the hunting. My first one only cared about ball, but the second one routinely would bring me squirrels and rabbits.

[MKH]

I forgot about the hunting. My first one only cared about ball, but the second one routinely would bring me squirrels and rabbits.

Oh yeah! Between that dog and one cat, there were no snake, jackrabbit, squirrels, or bird problems. Lots of "gifts" offered!

[BunnyWhit]

My dearest friends, whom I've known for 25+ years, have always had shelties. They've had sables over the years, and Kacy, their current dog, is black and white. She's a gem. Shelties are smart, loyal, happy family dogs. The breed does seem to develop hip problems more than other medium-sized dogs, but not as much as large breeds. They use a vet who's really into natural healing/prevention, and they prepare Kacy's meals. No dry kibble for this pup. But I have to say, I've never seen a prettier, healthier dog. Her coat is absolutely gorgeous, and that's from having a well-balanced diet of all the right things. She also gets Cheerios for her treats. Her cholesterol was a bit high, so the vet suggested the Cheerios. It brought her numbers right down, and I must say, woe to he who gets between Kacy and her Cheerios!

[txfireguy2003]

My dad has a miniature sheltie that my brother gave him for Christmas several years ago. From my understanding most shelties are great, loving, smart dogs. His....well, she's not, but that's probably not her fault. She's always been easily excitable, very hyper. When she was a puppy, every time you bent down to pet her, she peed in the floor. Dad, being old and grumpy as he is, would swat at her and shoo her outside. This made her fearful of him, and pretty much all men, we're just not starting to gain her trust back. You can't pick her up or she will bit. You can't hold her down or she will claw you do death. You can't bathe her, she goes insane. She also does not like children, again, probably not entirely her fault, as my brother's former girlfriend had a little boy who was evil. We never caught him torturing the dog, but he was the only one she ever bit for the longest time....now she's fearful of any child.
On the good side, she lives to play fetch. If you pick up a tennis ball from the ground, she'll be in the middle of the yard before you can stand up. She can be loving, and gentle, but it's on HER terms, she doesn't come when called, and she still pees on the floor when you bend down to pet her, or she rolls on her back and pees on her stomach so you scratch her belly and end up with a handful of urine soaked fur....you only do that once, or twice if you're a slow learner. If you try to pick her up, or really even place your hands on both sides of her like you were thinking about picking her up, she'll yelp and snap at you, then run away. If you grab her collar, she'll go nuts, biting and scratching and yelping like you're trying to murder her.

Again, I'm not saying all Shelties are that way, just this particular one, and I'm pretty sure a big part of it was her upbringing (or lack thereof). I have read though, that Shelties are usually pretty timid and it's easy to violate their trust, and hard to regain it. When housebreaking them, I would suggest almost zero negative reinforcement and only positive. Praise when they go in the right spot, but don't punish with the go in the wrong spot. (That's what I do with all dogs anyway, but I would be even more gentle with a Sheltie.

[dataxman]

My wife has always loved shelties. She had one that passed back in December and we got the little pup pictured. The one we have now is more friendly and not so scared of everything. They are great dogs, but I'm a birddog man, and I love my Lab and Brittany!

[The Real McCoy]

No more dogs

[BigFoot]

We had a black and white (with a little brown) sheltie for 9 years. He was completely obsessed with the ball, bad tempered, stubborn, developed many tumors, and we had to put him down. I don't know if all shelties are like that, but he was my least favorite dog we've owned.

[mmlreiner]

My parents bred shelties for years. Fantastic dogs with lots of heart and lots of drive. Like any breed tho, do some homework if you're getting one. Check the parents out and make sure they're sane lol. Also, look into past pups and request references to be certain there are no hereditary issues. In shelties, there should be very few issues. We NEVER once had a sheltie with ANY congenital defects or problems. No tumors, eye, skin or any kind of problem and they were all very much obedient. But they do bark a bit lol and shed. Other than that, they were great family dogs.

[drop dead fred]

Awesome info guys we've done our research an y'all pretty much echo what we've read. We're lookin at a female Merle


This is her

[Kbeaz]

I got one back in 1983 when I was 9. Had him until I went into the Army in 1993. He was the best dog I ever owned. I took him everywhere with me. He was very smart and never on a lease.

I sure do miss him.

[Kbeaz]

Awesome info guys we've done our research an y'all pretty much echo what we've read. We're lookin at a female Merle
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This is her

Looks like a great new addition to the family congrats!

[MKH]

too cute!