Shetland Sheepdog

[jr_inoz]

Thanks to TashaBailey and Elenbah for showing me pics of their gorgeous girls before and after coat drop in the shelti thread

When showing is the coat a big factor then ? or does the judge take into account the coat dropping ?

Also with the ears , do they need a bit of encouragment to tip over ? or are most natural . My shelti had stand up ears ( obviously a fault ) but i really like the tip over ears , they give more character

ears - depends on the dog. My girl has ears that need encouragement to tip over. When she was a puppy it was a daily battle with her ears. The same when she was in season. At the moment - I do put stuff on her ear tips to make them flop over, but it isn't a daily task anymore, I can leave them for quite awhile.

[Steve]

In case any of you have missed it - Please pop in here and have a go at our health survey for your breed.

http://www.mdba.net.au/

[Prydenjoy]

I have always loved Shelties and am so glad I have found this thread so I can learn more about this beautiful breed!

For anyone who has had experience with Shelties and Paps, how do they compare to Papillons in the areas of:

Grooming

Trainability

Exercise requirements

As an agility dog

Also, is Sentinal and Capstar safe for Shelties? I use Sentinal.

I see that desexing contracts are common in this breed, which I think is great

[jr_inoz]

I have always loved Shelties and am so glad I have found this thread so I can learn more about this beautiful breed!

For anyone who has had experience with Shelties and Paps, how do they compare to Papillons in the areas of:

Grooming

Trainability

Exercise requirements

As an agility dog

Also, is Sentinal and Capstar safe for Shelties? I use Sentinal.

I see that desexing contracts are common in this breed, which I think is great

Haven't had a pap - just a sheltie.

I give my girl a good brush each week (bout 15minutes to half an hour). She is a show girl so she gets a bath and a really good groom which takes much longer when getting ready for a show.

I have found my dog very intelligent - and quick to learn.

Shelties will love as much exercise as you give them, but are also content doing not a lot (at least mine is).

At my obedience club, there are a number of shelties - three of them are doing agility and do really well at it.

Can't fill you in on the medication though - sorry.

[shet]

I am new to this site and also to buying a dog from a Breeder - my Previous dogs were owned by my parents and always came from the pound.

I recently decided on a sheltie for my family after years of me and my OH trying to agree on a breed and what would be a safer option with children... anyway as person listed on a limited register with a breeder i was curious on the protocal with the breeder.... Is it common practice for a breeder to inform the people on the register when there dogs have had a litter even if you will miss out on a puppy.

Do Breeders let you know if there will be a longer wait than expected?

I am happy to wait for the dog but was curious if the breeder will keep me updated.

[TashaBailey]

Jeanne,

You will find most breeders of Shelties would recommend Sentinal because it does not contain ivermectin. If you are in a tick area they would recommend Interceptor in conjunction with a product such as frontline.

I have used Capstar tablets on my dogs occassionally when I have noticed 1 or 2 fleas on them.

Have not had too much to do with Paps however there used to be one next to my horse that was very annoying and would escape all of the time to get to my terrier. That pap was agility trained.

As for Grooming Shelties generally only need 15 minutes to half an hour of brushing once a week ( mine are lucky to get that some weeks) to keep them looking OK ( that is providing they have the correct coat type). Baths obviously take a bit longer as you need to make sure they are dry however for my ones that are not shown they would only get a bath every 4 to 8 weeks and do not get the doggy odour.

Shelties excel at obedience and agility and are realtively easy to train.

Exercise requirements vary per dog but mine are happy doing whatever I am doing so if I am a couch potato they are a couch potato. If I am active they are happy being active with me. My shelties are all good off lead and there is nothing better than taking them to an open area and letting them play zoomies with one another.

TB

[TashaBailey]

Jeanne,

If you decide on a sheltie and are looking at doing agility you probably want to lean towards one at the smaller end of the scale so that they end up competing with the smaller dogs and not the border collies etc.

TB

[TashaBailey]

Shet,

It depends on the breeder and your relationship with them. Most sheltie breeders do not keep waiting lists as litter size and whether the bitch actually ends up in whelp is unpredicatable, you also find that when you contact the person when you have a pup available that they have already found something and not let you know. Because of the high demand for pups breeders generally do not have a problem placing them. Unless it was someone that I had met personally that I had promised a pup if someone had only emailed me generically asking to be put on my waiting list I probabaly would not contact them unless they had been in contact with me in the last 2 months.

Have you met this breeder and decided that you only want something from this particular breeder. Make sure you do the research and only buy from a reputable breeder who at least does eye testing and will provide you with a copy of the eye certificated from a registered opthamologist.

Just because the breeder is registered and advertises on DOL does not necessary make them reputable ( refer to the recent thread in general discussion on BYB on Animal Rescue) . Please note that shelties are not immune from the puppy farmers and over the years we have seen some pop up regularly with litters.

If you are in doubt and do not know who to ask for recommendations for breeders please feel free to PM some of the people in the sheltie thread and we may at least be able to steer you in the direction of the better ones.

Good Luck

TB

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Jeanne,

We use Sentinel Spectrum and Advantix on our dogs for ticks.

As far as I am aware Armidale is not in a tick area?.

[Shelby]

Also don't be afraid to contact breeders out of your area - most will look at people interstate to give a home to our puppies (if they pass the criteria ).

I don't keep a list, mainly as I don't breed a lot. When I do breed, it is because I will be keeping a pup to continue my line with and to show. Once I have made my decision, I will then advise by different means, any puppies I have available to loving homes.

[shet]

I did look at all the websites that are listed on DOL for sheltie breeders and picked this particular breeder because they are in my area and also i found that there were other breeders that had choosen this breeder to get a pup from.I believe the breeder is reputable - it is the only breeder i contacted for a puppy and they asked me alot of questions about me and my family. I have not met them personally and we have only contacted each other through e-mail over the initial questions that we both had.

I guess after reading alot of the threads listed i now feel a little clueless about the process.

I didn't contact any other breeders as the breeder said i was on a list (they did point out that this didn't guarantee a pup due to litter sizes etc) and i honestly feel rude then asking other breeders if they have a pup available when i have already asked someone else (i hope that makes sense).

From a breeders perspective - if someone on a limited register e-mailed u for an update a few months later - would this be ok? basically i'm unsure if i'm being a pest if i e-mail?

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Shet, personally speaking, if I have a litter due with more potential forever homes than I can possibly fill then I will refer prospective buyers to any one else (reputable of course) I know who are expecting a litter and I would hope the same would be indicative of where you live.

Again, personally speaking, I have no objection to any number of emails I may receive from a potential forever home, in fact the more contact from a potential home the better, I would never consider this contact to be a pest.

Please free to PM if you want to discuss anything further.

[Prydenjoy]

Thanks heaps for all of the info - And thank you TB for the tip re size and agility, I wouldn't have even thought about that!! Although if I did get one I would also be interested in sheep dog trialling, just for a bit of fun on the side. I think I'll meet a few at the Uralla and Armidale shows, so I hope a few turn up! I love going to dog shows and meeting the breeders and their dogs, I've met some wonderful people over the years.

You're right panda, we don't have problems with ticks here. Never seen a tick in the area.

[shet]

i'm currently doing home improvements and making the house dog friendly and have a really stupid question but i hope someone will answer it anyway - i'm getting a new security door as the last one is flimsy and unsafe i want to put in a dog door at the same time the sizes the company offers is 240x190 (Small) or 400x260 (large) will a sheltie be able to fit through the small dog door or will i need to get the large fitted?

[Tali]

Hi Shet

You may well have moved past this now, but if not, I'd recommend the bigger doggy door - a little sheltie will fit through the little door, but a big sheltie will not fit comfortably (based on my Jess!)

Lots of pet shelties are oversize - if they grow too big for showing or are likely to then this can mean they are suitable for pet homes.

Have fun with your pup when you get it!

[Prydenjoy]

Not sure if this has been asked, but what is the price range for a male show quality Sheltie? And can anyone recommend a breeder in NSW or QLD with dogs with an outstanding temperament?

[BarBell]

Thanks heaps for all of the info - And thank you TB for the tip re size and agility, I wouldn't have even thought about that!! Although if I did get one I would also be interested in sheep dog trialling, just for a bit of fun on the side. I think I'll meet a few at the Uralla and Armidale shows, so I hope a few turn up! I love going to dog shows and meeting the breeders and their dogs, I've met some wonderful people over the years.

You're right panda, we don't have problems with ticks here. Never seen a tick in the area.

Hi Jeanne,

I too do dog agility with my Shelties and was wondering if you are affiliated with ANKC or ADAA? Do you ever compete outside of Armidale (eg. Macksville??)

Regards

BarBell

[BarBell]

Thanks heaps for all of the info - And thank you TB for the tip re size and agility, I wouldn't have even thought about that!! Although if I did get one I would also be interested in sheep dog trialling, just for a bit of fun on the side. I think I'll meet a few at the Uralla and Armidale shows, so I hope a few turn up! I love going to dog shows and meeting the breeders and their dogs, I've met some wonderful people over the years.

You're right panda, we don't have problems with ticks here. Never seen a tick in the area.

Hi Jeanne,

Do you enter any agility competitions? If so are you with ANKC or ADAA? I compete with my Shelties and was curious.

Regards

BarBell

[Prydenjoy]

Hello BarBell, I haven't ever competed in agility. My older Pap (2 years old) is just starting agility, I'm getting him vet checked on Monday just to be sure that he doesn't have any hip/patella problems before doing anything more strenuous with him. I did opt for another Pap though, tempting as a Sheltie was, the right pup was offered to me at the right time and I couldn't resist - sometimes it's good to stick with what you already know and love anyway

I'm keen to start trialling though, in obedience and in agility

[jr_inoz]

i'm currently doing home improvements and making the house dog friendly and have a really stupid question but i hope someone will answer it anyway - i'm getting a new security door as the last one is flimsy and unsafe i want to put in a dog door at the same time the sizes the company offers is 240x190 (Small) or 400x260 (large) will a sheltie be able to fit through the small dog door or will i need to get the large fitted?

I put in a small dog door (same size as the small one you list) with my security door - my girl (a normal size sheltie - ie correct size according to the standard) fits through easily. I had a bigger sheltie come to stay for a while (but not a huge one) and she fit through the door easily as well. If you end up with a large sheltie - it would be tight. A sheltie that meets the breed standard is generally classified as a small dog (in terms of things like car harness, dog doors, stuff like that. I have seen a huge sheltie at our obedience club - gets mistaken for a small collie all the time - so there are a couple of really really large ones out there. At the same time, there are a couple of undersized shelties (one also at obedience) too - that were too small to show.