Shetland Sheepdogs!!!!

[*LabLoverKEB*]

I really, really want a Sheltie... no, not just because they are cute or because they are beautiful animals, but because they are good dogs. But, the problem is, I don't know much about them. So, to all you Sheltie owners here on Pet Talk, can you help me out here? Thank you very much!

[BCBlondie]

Well.. what do you want to know about them? Do you have any specific questions about the breed?

[Shelteez2]

Well to state the obvious....shelties are not labs. So if you like the happy go lucky energy of a lab a sheltie may not be for you. I only say this because shelties are for me and labs are not.

Shelties can be great dogs. I will list their bad points for you though as that's what you'll need to know to decide if you can live with it or work with it.

Shelties shed and need more brushing than labs.
They can be quite the barkers, and can be quite reactive.
A lot are reserved and prefer to wait to get to know a person. They don't run right up to whoever looking for pets.
They are a herding dog and can tend to be nippy at things running quickly past them, whether that be kids, cats or other dogs.

If you have any other specific questions just ask

[binka_nugget]

They're great little dogs. I love that they're big enough so I don't have to watch out where I'm walking but they're also small enough to take to places.

They're very smart dogs, sometimes almost *too* smart for their own good. Kai has outsmarted me a couple times. They're fairly easy to train though. Kai tends to pick up new commands in a couple minutes (it takes Kaedyn just slightly longer).

Like Shelteez2 said, they can be quite talkative. Kaedyn likes to hold conversations with almost anyone. Kai's better about his barking but he still has his fair share of conversations as well. It's kind of funny to watch agility trials though.. sometimes the Shelties will bark, bark, bark for the entire course and still do everything perfectly.

[Karen]

The dog at my office is a Sheltie. He is very very "talkative" - this means he barks. A lot. At just about anything. For long periods of time. After he's told "no bark" he will still bark a few times if I break eye contact. He does, however, bark less than their previous Sheltie, who was very neurotic. He is not easy to train. He is shy, and dislikes some people, even dog lovers, even after they have been introduced. He will, of course, herd anything that moves if given a chance.

Every dog is different, just wanted to let you know the "other' side of Shelties!

And yes, I love his barky, neurotic self anyway, of course, and I am his #2 human, second out of all humanity only to the woman who owns him.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Thanks guys for all of the info! This REALLY helps! Soem of the stuff you guys posted, I didn't know, so it really did help me. I'm still choosing between a Golden, and a Sheltie.

[BCBlondie]

I've heard that Shelties are very talkative, but Miksy is very quiet (at least for a Sheltie!). So it really depends on the dog.

They're the perfect size - not too big, but not too small.

They're very smart, most are very trainable. If they are raised properly, they get along well with everyone and everything. (Miksy gets along PERFECTLY with cats, chickens, ducks, chicks, ducklings, kittens, hamsters, anything...)

They don't run right up to whoever looking for pets.

Miksy does!

I guess it really depends on the dog though...

The only drawback about Shelties is that you need to brush them a lot to prevent their coats from tangling, and to help control shedding.

If you don't mind brushing your dog, and if you don't mind taking the time to train it, and if you don't mind having a herder, the Sheltie just might be the dog for you.