who here owns a sheltie? Do they walk ok without a leash? How about being left alone during working hours?

2/18/2009 10:11:43 AM

they're kinda yappy and nippy. that's about all i know.

2/18/2009 10:17:42 AM

from my boarding kennel work, i've noticed that most sheltie owners are a little strange

2/18/2009 10:22:30 AM

If you don't adopt, the terrorists win

[Edited on February 18, 2009 at 10:25 AM. Reason : ...]

2/18/2009 10:25:10 AM

my grandmother has a few shelties, and she's pretty strange.

2/18/2009 10:25:52 AM

^^^ lol really? how so?




^^in before the ambrosia

[Edited on February 18, 2009 at 10:26 AM. Reason : karats]

2/18/2009 10:26:26 AM

^hahahaha damn right.

Shelties are a little bizarre themselves. The ones we met at the kennel ad weird quirks like spinning in circles, obsessed with one specific tennis ball, pulling hair out of butt, etc

You need a harness and not a collar for them

2/18/2009 10:29:05 AM

I grew up with Shelties around the house. That was our only pet dogs. They can be pretty high-strung dogs. The one we have that is still alive bit the shit out of me one day in the yard when he was running around in our fence. He is a yappy sumbitch when he sees other animals and people.

For comparison, I now have a big mutt from the shelter (part Rottie/Shepard). She is MUCH bigger, quieter, and friendlier. Never bit at me or my kids, and is really loving towards all of us, but also a good guard dog.

2/18/2009 10:29:30 AM

is there a female influencing this decision

2/18/2009 10:29:58 AM

^^^Choke collars are good for training them.

2/18/2009 10:33:04 AM

no, i'm just ghey.

2/18/2009 10:33:11 AM

I'd rather use a gentle harness because they get collapsed trachea's real easily but yeah you could do that I s'pose.

2/18/2009 10:36:09 AM

^I wasn't talking about jamming them shit out their necks with the thing. But if they run on a leash, it will teach them to not try and run them out all the way as they will choke themselves some. I have used one for all my dogs when we walk and it helps to break them of this habit.

2/18/2009 10:37:50 AM

haha I know, a lot of people do yank the shit so I felt the need to add the warning. I actually use a choke collar on my dog occasionally when we go on walks but never to yank the shit out of him, just a tight reminder to stay by my side.

2/18/2009 10:39:34 AM

Quote :

"NO, I'M JUST GHEY."

2/18/2009 10:41:03 AM

Exactly. My parents Sheltie has tried to hurt himself once or twice when he went running out on their Flexi-Leash the full length and then did a somersault because he was going so quick. While funny, its not the usual way to use a choke collar.

2/18/2009 10:42:13 AM

My family has a sheltie They are very prone to having their teeth rot apparently. We had to remove all of her teeth because they were smelling so bad and just completely rotted away.

Ours was also the runt of the litter and I don't suggest getting the runt...

Seems like most are very friendly, but they will pretty much all try to heard other people/animals they see. Its pretty funny.

2/18/2009 2:46:54 PM

Quote :

"in before the ambrosia"

You're thinking of XCchik

2/18/2009 2:47:31 PM

Quote :

"from my boarding kennel work, i've noticed that most sheltie owners are a little strange"

I agree... my mom owns three and she's a bit "out there"

Her oldest male is completely retarded: If you say "get your tail" really quick, he will literally attack his ass and bark viscously. He hates other men. Her female is ok. She is high strung though. Her younest male is kinda skiddish and not as dominant as the older male. They uncontrollably bark at everything outside.

Someone mentioned a big mutt that they got and personally they are the best dogs anyways. If you are considering on getting a dog I would go to the AKC website and I believe they have a list of dogs and their personalities. If you like the personalities of two or more dogs, you can try to find a dog that is mixed with those breeds and cut down on the chance of getting a dog with genetic problems.

My oldest dog is mixed with alot of crap but the traits I see most are pointer and golden retriever. I see the high energy of the pointer and I see the sweet cuddly nature of the golden and I love that in him. My new little girl I can tell has lab and chesy bay and I can already see the bird dog instincts from her.

Shelties are typically herding type dogs and will "herd" you when they think you are in danger, when they are hungry or for whatever reason they feel like they need to move you. They also like attention and may not deal well with being left in a kennel for 8 hours or even left alone. I am not quite sure about that (my mom is always home with them) but based on their nature I would think they would be difficult to leave alone for an extended period of time.

These just some suggestions before you get a dog...

[Edited on February 18, 2009 at 8:09 PM. Reason : adsf]

2/18/2009 8:08:23 PM

We recently got a dog. I was thinking about getting a Sheltie, but my mother talked me out of it. She had one before I was born that she LOVED. Even though my mom loved her Sheltie, she didn't recommend getting one as a pet because they're high strung yappy dogs. And if I trust my mother's judgment about anything, it's dogs.

2/18/2009 8:14:38 PM

Shelties can be sneaky little bastards. I have yet to meet one that wouldn't slip out of its collar and bolt if given the slightest opportunity, with their fur poof it's very hard to get a collar to stay on them. I would say no on the off leash thing. As for leaving them alone, they'll do just as well as any other dog, but they are high energy (great at agility) and will need to be jogged and mentally stimulated before being left.

2/18/2009 8:24:53 PM

Quote :

"^^^ lol really? how so?"

nothing specific, they were all just a little "quirky."

2/18/2009 8:30:44 PM

my family has a sheltie. he's old now and just chills, but when he was younger he was pretty rambunctious and yappy. he walked fine unless a car drove by, he'd want to chase it.

[Edited on February 18, 2009 at 8:40 PM. Reason : .]

2/18/2009 8:40:12 PM

Quote :

"Shelties are a little bizarre themselves. The ones we met at the kennel ad weird quirks like spinning in circles, obsessed with one specific tennis ball, pulling hair out of butt, etc "

yes. they are yippy yappy nippy and crazy. and NEEDY they would not be good at being left at home alone during work hours. that would probably just make them crazier

they love to spin in circles.

2/18/2009 8:41:07 PM

yap yap yap yap yap

2/18/2009 8:45:36 PM

My parents rescue Shelties. The rescued ones are high strung and yippy but not the ones my parents raised from puppies. They're very intelligent and easy to walk--they just follow you around.

2/18/2009 8:55:20 PM

It really all boils down to being educated about the breed and being willing to put in the effort. You get out of it what you put into it. No dog comes programmed to walk with you off leash and be totally chill every day when you leave the house for 9 hours.

2/18/2009 9:09:32 PM

They are great dogs, had one growing up and she was a bit yappy but not in the house, squirrels drove her crazy.

2/18/2009 9:33:04 PM

Ha, yeah they are a little high strung but they are sweet dogs. Mine also hates squirrels. Both my childhood dogs were/are shelties cause my mom didnt want a big one. But honestly they are really sweet dogs



this is molly, she is really a sweet dog

2/18/2009 9:56:59 PM

i mean shelties are really pretty and soft and fluffy

this is good advice, too

Quote :

"It really all boils down to being educated about the breed and being willing to put in the effort. You get out of it what you put into it. No dog comes programmed to walk with you off leash and be totally chill every day when you leave the house for 9 hours. "

i mean if you don't have time for a dog, don't get a dog. unless you rescue an older dog that just wants to chill all day.

2/18/2009 10:04:43 PM

the one at the dog park runs and runs and runs and runs and runs and runs and runs
nonstop

2/18/2009 10:16:57 PM

they like to chase n herd things. mine will arrange her toys in the same area....she is either herding sheep or has OCD

2/19/2009 12:05:00 AM

thanks for the input guys. I'd have time for a dog, i've always had dogs so their needs are nothing new to me.


I won't be getting a dog anytime in the next 6 months, but once i'm in my new place i'll definitely have one. For some reason shelties and collies have always had my eye.

2/19/2009 8:37:07 AM

My girlfriend's family owns a sheltie...she does bark and command attention but at the same time is really sweet and well-trained. She never barks inside.

2/19/2009 11:19:31 AM

that's one thing i've read, that they are very quiet indoors which is a plus. Outside i'll have a fence in the backyard so if she's yapping while we're out there running around and playing fetch i could care less if she's being vocal.

2/19/2009 12:07:00 PM

honestly, they are very smart and they train well and have sweet dispositions. good dogs, but the fur needs to be brushed a lot or you need to keep their hair short

2/19/2009 12:25:05 PM

Quote :

"I'd rather use a gentle harness because they get collapsed trachea's real easily but yeah you could do that I s'pose. "

Don't get a harness or a choke collar.
Get a prong collar


It looks evil but they absolutely work the best. I've used them on a few dogs and they will never pull with one on. At first they might pull a tiny bit but they realize it's gonna hurt real quickly. It's really the safest thing because the dogs simply won't pull with one on.

If the chain part is too heavy (they usually are) then take that part out and replace it with a piece of sturdy string. The string will be lighter, the collar won't turn around on the dog's neck, and it'll still work fine.

If you get a harness it'll pull and be annoying. It's a lot easier to get a dog to calm down and listen to you with a prong collar.

BTW I personally think shelties are little shit dogs. They're good looking dogs but wouldn't get one unless it had a big dog personality.

2/19/2009 4:43:53 PM

yeah i agree, i really with they had the disposition of a larger dog. maybe i could just get a collie.

2/19/2009 4:48:33 PM

I had 3 shelties growing up. they are extremely intelligent and pretty easy to train (I have a GSD which I breed now ) but in my experience they aren't as high strung as say a border collie but I've seen them get a little bit hyper, it depends on the dog. Our first dog was a fluke and died after 5 years due to a rare pancreatic cancer but the other two lived for 12+ years (one died, we still have the other) all in all they are great loyal dogs that are great with kids but they aren't fun like a big dog

[Edited on February 19, 2009 at 9:09 PM. Reason : ours were a little bit of a pain to train on a leash, but were great when left alone trustable 100%]

[Edited on February 19, 2009 at 9:10 PM. Reason : spell check]

2/19/2009 9:09:00 PM

Don't keep 20 in a townhouse. Some neighbors of mine did that years ago

2/19/2009 9:11:40 PM

haha we (fam) have ours in a townhouse

2/19/2009 9:12:40 PM

we have 2 (male) shelties. one of them is very calm, sweet, doesn't bark a lot. the other is a little more hyper, but he is very obedient and calms down as soon as we tell him to - he is also sweet. both are quite intelligent. they do fine alone during the day (though they're only alone 3 days per week) and they do OK without a leash, but our neighborhood requires one. their breath reeks, though, and i think that is common of the breed.

we also had one when i was growing up, and he was really crotchety.

2/19/2009 10:56:48 PM

my family had a sheltie when it was young. it had epilepsy and had to be put to sleep at age 3. like most purebreds, shelties and collies can have genetic problems including hip dysplasia and of course epilepsy. make sure you look fully into the bloodline of your dog if you choose to go purebred.

2/22/2009 3:40:32 AM

One of my friends in high school had a shelties. It was a sweet dog but yappy as hell.

2/22/2009 8:11:00 AM

prong (technically called pinch) collars are very effective. body harnesses just make it easier for the dog to pull you. a gentle leader (goes around the muzzle/chin) is great but i could never get my border collie used to one. she freaked out. i tried it several times in several different situations but it did not work. i took it back. i really wish i could use one with her, esp since she bites (would give me more control over her face, not prevent her from biting). she's never bitten while on a leash though.

regular collars as well as choke collars can easily damage the windpipe/neck of your dog if you have a very persistent puller.

just so we're clear. gentle leader is


a pinch collar is the pic that Fumbler posted.

i have seen pinch collars made of plastic at petsmart in years past that are supposed to be not as scary looking to dog owners, with the illusion that they wouldn't "hurt" as much. metal pinch collars actually hurt less than choke ones. anyway, the plastic ones aren't very effective and do not work on large dogs or those with short hair.

oh, and with regular collars and especially choke and pinch collars, NEVER EVER jerk the leash back to try to gain control.

sorry to kinda hijack the thread.

[Edited on February 22, 2009 at 9:27 AM. Reason : the end]

2/22/2009 9:16:53 AM