Oy.....

If he fits your plans do it! I would love to "skip ahead" to 18 months but oh, we are still a little one and trying not to pee on the couch or ourselves.

 

Isn't that fantastic, to be offered a show quality, show ready dog!!! How exciting! Do what is best for you, and enjoy the compliment of the offer!

 

Dogs that are show ready should be very well socialized. After all, a judge walks up and lays hands everywhere on that dog without benefit of giving it a moment to decide whether it wants to be touched.
Having good confirmation means it is physically capable of performance events.
It needs to be able to be in a crowded venue with lots of other people and dogs. That is something it might be lacking in and therefore is being placed in a pet home. Ask.
Most of the Belgian people I know, Belgians being a cautious breed by nature, and many of the westie people have titles at both ends of the dog's name.
Vets love show trained dogs. Easy to work on without getting a muzzle out. I have had more vets express their desire for more dogs to be as comfortable with handling as mine are.
Ask yourself if your dogs will accept an adult coming in.
Is there conditions that the breeder wishes to impose that you are uncomfortable with. If so, then walk away.

 

Yes they are supposed to be socialized to show in conformation. However, unfortunately in shelties socialized enough for conformation does always translate into socialized enough or having the proper temperment for performance.

My friend and I finished a CH who we got at 6 months. He was quite reserved and unsure when we got him and with hard work we were able to get him ready to show. He showed well, never put a foot out of place. He was a nice enough dog that he finish just after his 2nd birthday( all owner handled). However, he was totally unsuited for agility or obedience or any other type of performance event. We no longer have him and he lives with someone who appeciates what he has to offer the breed.

I have seen enough Shelties unfortunately, which they will trot around on a lead, stand stock still and allow judges to touch them and show well but are totally unsuited for performance. I am sorry performance socialization is so much more intense and you need to teach that dog to use its brain and not to be afraid to use its brain in any situation. Heck a lot conformation people don't even want to teach the dog to sit because they are afraid it will use its brain. Not saying that this 18 months old is not going to be suitable. But if doing performance is a huge priorty and a must, I would met the dog in person and work with it a bit before making any decisions.

 

To echo some of what Dr. Shelli said about conformation dogs not necessarily being good performance dogs, CJ was A LOT of hard work!

CJ was a cconfirmation dog before being placed with us at 3 years old. She didn't know sit nor did she know how to think. She still doesn't really like situations where she has to think. Training her for agility, rally and treibball is still a challenge but she's much improved. We still have moments where she basically goes, "I'm done, not playing any more."

That's our experience with a confirmation dog turned performance dog. Your experiences may differ.

 

Fletcher is a bit of a soft dog in the show ring, but is happy as a pig in a mud hole when herding....