We own 2 Shelties...an 11 yr old sable female called Shelley & a 15 yr old tricolour called Danny. They have very different personalities.
Shelley is a 'mouth' but it's never mindless barking...there's always a reason. One time she alerted our neighbours that their young autistic child had got out & was wandering towards the road. So she's an excellent watchdog.
When we want to locate one of the other animals...like our cat...we just say to Shelley.'Find Timmy!' & she will hunt around & find him & bark for us to come. She'd make a fantastic Nanny Dog to watch over young children.
We got Shelley from a top sheltie breeder who'd decided she would grow above the standard size for showing. She towers above the other shelties...so her nickname is 'Horse!. She looks like a slightly smaller version of Lassie.
Danny the 15 or 16 yr old was a rescue dog...found straying in appalling condition when he was about 18 months old. There were even rope burns around his neck. He's been our beloved pet ever since...
He's actually a quiet dog...his strong point is herding. He thinks he can deal with any situation by going into his little herding motions. Our neighbour always remarks, each Christmas, that he'd love to give Danny a flock of sheep as a present.
Dan is small, the true dainty sheltie with a pretty face. We keep calling him 'Precious' because he's such a sweet, obedient, fine little dog. Now he thinks his name is 'Precious'! He's gone blind but gets the best of loving care from our family.
Both Danny & Shelley are amazingly easy to train. Yes, much grooming has to be done...but I've always thought it's a small price to pay for the excellent qualities of these dogs.
We also own a Tibetan Spaniel...we've discovered that's a combination many people make...shelties & tibbies. They seem to complement each other.
And from our experience, they're the breeds we'd always choose as pets.
Marie
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