I've read lots of info, but I'd like someone with personal experience, including how they act around other pets?
Answers:
They are wonderful family pets.
My friend has one-she'll say, "BIG TRUCK" %26 her sheltie will run get on the back steps. This way it stays away from the drive way when someones coming in.
what is a Sheltie?
They like herding things, like to walk a lot, bark a lot, and are not very smart. (at least mine wasn't) Get a lab.
I know a sheltie named Jake.he needs to have a walk everyday or else he whines alot. He is very smart and well trained. He barks at all the neighbourhood dogs.but will play with them if off leash. He is also standoffish with strangers, but will let them pet him.
Shelties are WONDERFUL!!
Everyone gets along with Shelties.
Now being a herding breed, they want to round up everything and everybody. An assertive kitty who smacks one on the nose once will put a stop to that. They want to get along with everybody and once the kitty says "You HALT", they get the message and simply worry about where the cat is.
They get along with smaller and larger dogs (after all they herded sheep!)
They are happy, sweet, loving, .(hmm, get the feeling I'm a huge fan of theirs??)
In the brains and trainability department they are in the top 4 or 5 of all breeds in AKC obedience and agility competition. They are SO -O-O-O easy to train and so clever. (A big deal to a competitive obedience trainer and handler.)
Having one walk into the first day of my obedience classes made my day. I knew that Sheltie would be my star (even if the owner had two left feet and the attention span of a gnat.)
Their big hereditary orthopedic problem are luxating patellas (kneecaps) which can require surgery. It occurs nearly 37% of the time even in dogs whose fmailies have been routinely screened by xrays and OFA certification, and only the dogs who pass being selected for breeding. In the population of dogs whose families have not been so carefully selected, the incidence of the condition is far higher.
Another problem are eye conditions - all the ones other breeds have plus Collie Eye. YOu want to see CERF exam records on the parents.
In case you haven't found the ultimate source of information, go here:
http://www.assa.org/
That takes you to the National Breed Club which is the only club about the breed that is recognized and accredited by the AKC and it sets the standards for the breed . The Clubs' websites will give you an ENORMOUS amount of information about the breed - the good, the bad, and the why or why not to get that breed. The clubs websites also have:
(1) a breeders list - all of whom have agreed to abide by the breeders code of ethics (which you can read)
(2) a link to the breed rescue for their breed
Do give serious thought to adopting from an adult from a breed rescue. A Breed Rescue run by the breed club is not like the local humane shelter - the dogs are placed with volunteers knowledgeable about the breed and have care and attention lavished upon them. The clubs' breed rescues go to a great deal of trouble to determine the dog's temperament, personality, likes and dislikes (particularly kids and cats and other dogs in the household), HEALTH, and level of training. They make a huge effort to match the right dog to the right home - and if they don't have one they think will be suitable for your home, they won't place it. Great way to avoid the puppy training, newspapers, chewing.They have dogs that are purebred and part-bred (1/2 or so of their breed.) Dogs that come through rescue are so thrilled to have a forever loving home having once been abandoned to a shelter or rescue that they are typically extra devoted and loving. Dogs lose their homes for reason that are not their fault: death, divorce, a move and they couldn鈥檛 keep them, financial problems鈥?
If you decide to get a puppy, please use one of the breeders who are members of the breed club. A well-bred pet puppy may not be a candidate for the show ring (that nose being 1/8th of an inch to long or something else very picky) but they will be very healthy, the parents carefully screened for hereditary health problems ( and that involves a LOT more than a checkup at the vet) , and from a breeder who has devoted a great deal of time to understanding the breed and bloodlines. A responsible breeder will have a written contract with a health guarantee for hereditary problems; require that if for any reason you ever have to give up the dog that it comes back to them; and always be available for help, assistance and advice about your dog. Such a breeder will tell you if they don't think their breed is right for you based upon your needs. They want a perfect forever home for the puppies - not the money. (In 43 years in the dog show world, I have never known a breeder of that caliber who has made a profit on their dogs - it is labor of love.)
A puppy from such a breeder costs no more - and often less as poorly bred dogs tend to have very high vet bills over the years - than from a backyard breeder who doesn't do the health checks, knows nothing about the breed or bloodlines, doesn't give a guarantee, never wants to hear about the puppy again and has breed from mediocre or poor quality dogs.
You may find the breeder who has the type of dog you want but no litter on the ground at the moment. Most good breeders have waiting lists -get on it. You may find the breeder and puppy you want but at a distance. Among the really responsible breeders(members of the club) shipping a puppy is quite normal -they want the best possible home for the dog and the written contract is very extensive.
Do ask the breeders on the club list if they have any dogs they bred that they need to rehome - good breeders all require if the owner can't keep one, it comes back to them. It may be a dog they placed and it came back because the owner didn't have time, didn't realize how big it would get, got divorced.. It may be a dog who was a show prospect but as they grew didn't meet their early promise. It may be an AKC Champion they decided not to use in their breeding program because while it did get the Championship, they don't need more bloodstock or find a tiny conformation flaw they don't want to reproduce.
NEVER EVER buy from a pet shop. Those puppies came from puppy mills where the parents are locked in cages, bred until they literally die from it, never vaccinated, never wormed, fed just enough so they don't quite die of starvation, live in filth, never bathed or groomed or cared for, are typically of very poor genetic stock both physically and often mentally. The puppies are shoved off to pet stores with no vaccinations, no worming, no socialization or handling. You are buying nothing but heartbreak at a price higher than what a responsible breeder charged for a pet puppy.
IF A SERIOUS BREEDER OR RESCUE TELLS YOU THAT THE BREED IS NOT SUITED FOR YOUR SITUATION - BELIEVE THEM - NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU LIKE THE WAY THE DOG LOOKS
I had a sheltie who we had to put down a couple years ago. We bought her a pug to keep her company, and she didn't like him at first, she would get nervous when he came around her, and then they started playing together. She was old and had arthritis, so she just sat there and every time the pug ran past her she would get excited and try to get him. She was very protective of our family. When nobody was home, she wouldn't bark when the doorbell rang, but when we were home and the doorbell rang she would go crazy. I don't know if this is common but every time she used the bathroom, it'd be like a river, and she'd keep peeing for like a couple minutes, but I don't know if this is common.
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