Do you have a Sheltie or do you know someone who owns a Sheltie? If so, what do you think of them?

Question

I think it's a wonderful breed. My very first dog was a Shetland Sheepdog and I currently have two of them! I love them so much, they are my babies! I have had others as well and there are some qualities that the breed has that I do love and some that I'm not too crazy about. They are very smart (I think they're a tie with Border Collies), very loyal, highly affectionate with family members, great watch dogs, very playful, and lovable. They do though tend to bark alot, chase cars and other animals, and can be shy around strangers or certain people. I know that the chasing and barking has alot to do with them being a herding breed. My Shelties actually herd the seagulls on the beach! They run up and down the lakeshore. It's quite amusing to watch and they enjoy it. They don't like to swim though. I have had neighbors complain about the barking though! They don't bark out of boredom or anxiety because I'm constantly playing with them or have them with me. They bark at everything in our back ravine mainly squirrels and deer. My female will actually chase a deer very far if she's on a walk and spots one! She took off after one last week and didn't come back for a couple of hours! I do keep them fenced in but I take them for long walks on the beach and in the woods. If we are on a road, they are always on a leash because I can't trust them not to chase cars. Here's some pictures of my babies!http://flickr.com/photos/29556620@N07/2820978550/

http://flickr.com/photos/29556620@N07/2820139807/

http://flickr.com/photos/29556620@N07/2767264618/

Answer 1

i have a step sheltie hes really fat and lazy but thats just him, and hes huge, size of my smallish lab, ive seen little cute shelties that are little and liveley, dont listen to yorkie,talk about seiouusly opinionated!

Answer 2

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii301...

I hope my picture shows up. I have never posted a picture here before. They are great dogs. Very smart, and beautiful. Your's is beautiful too.

Answer 3

I grew up with Shelties. I have very good friends who breed Shetland Sheepdogs and have watched them trial on stock and do a very nice job. A good Sheltie is a great family companion, but does require a lot of work brushing the coat and dealing with the shedding.

They are recreational barkers and some can have excessively shy temperaments and the breed does produce fear biters, but breeders who pay attention to temperament have that issue well under control.  

Answer 4

We had a sheltie a few years ago. He was the hairiest dog and shed like crazy. I would brush and brush and fill a 5 gallon bucket up with hair and still not be near getting him all brushed out. The hair would fly in the air and stick to our socks. But as for personality. He was a wonderful dog. So good with children and like a little babysitter with them. He was a runner though and would take off and we couldn't catch him. We never broke him of running away.

Today we have dachshunds but we still love shelties as a breed. Your babies are beautiful.

Answer 5

My mother-in-law has a sheltie. She is really sweet, but really fat cause she was fixed. The only thing is that she is terrified of strangers. And also, I don't know if this has anything to do with the breed or just her, but she is prone to yeast infections so she has to be on a special food from the vet. Other than that, she is very affectionate and good with kids.

Answer 6

Yep we have a 17 month old Blue Merle. She is awesome with the kids. But like you say they are barkers. Macie goes crazy when the neighbors let their dogs out in their backyard. She has her own personal race track going on. Needless to say my backyard is trashed because of her,LOL but noting we can't fix.  

Answer 7

I took care of a friends while he was gone. They are okay not my choice in a breed would want something more hardier.  

Answer 8

I have a Pomeranian X Sheltie mix, and she too has the issue with taking off and staying gone.

We've only had her for a few months (rescue dog), but I do love the sheltie breed. They are so intelligent.

She runs agility and plays flyball, she currently holds tri-county titles for fastest agility run, hehe.

Roxy:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v619/U...

ADD> Yorkie, please, NEIGHBOR is spelled as such.

ADD2>ค๓คภ๔ค, my sheltie is fixed and she isn't fat. Spaying doesn't make them fat, it makes them healthier. Overfeeding makes them fat.

Answer 9

I'm being honest..

I hate the look of them.  They are really ugly and anoying.

The nabor has one who yapps all day long!

My friend had one who was g*y.