Can you leave your Sheltie unattended outside?

We have a fenced in area in the back and a dog door. Everyone can come and go as they please. Several times a day, we gather the whole gang (5) and stroll around the meadow or down the driveway. Sometimes a few head of into the woods after bunnies, squirrels or deer, but a clap and a call brings the mighty hunters right back. We have 6.5 acres in a very rural area, and our house is back in the woods. Usually someone is home all day, so we're spared the car and criminal worries.
 
We can only leave Sparky, the 6 year old tri, unattended outside. But we do not practice that as you'll never know when he will decide that the grass is greener elsewhere. Max and Disco would take off to higher grounds if we didn't secure them!

Our only problem with the fenced in yard is that Disco will climb the fence. Our back yard looks like a dumping site: we had to fortify the fence with anything that will prevent Disco from climbing over, LOL!
 
shelties unattended

Please, all of you that think putting your sheltie outside, even for a minute, by themselves unattached or unfenced, remember there are dog thieves just looking for dogs that are by themselves. With all the dog fighting rings all over the country, these dog fighting owners are looking for "bait", and lets hope your dog(s) don't become this. Please be very wary as shelties normally love strangers and are very easy to pick up.
Marian
 
Huh, not quite :

AKC website said:
Temperament
The Shetland Sheepdog is intensely loyal, affectionate, and responsive to his owner. However, he may be reserved toward strangers but not to the point of showing fear or cringing in the ring. Faults-- Shyness, timidity, or nervousness. Stubbornness, snappiness, or ill temper.
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Wikipdia said:
Temperament

The Shetland Sheepdog is an outstanding companion dog and is intensely loyal. It is lively, intelligent, trainable, and willing to please and obey. Shelties are loving, loyal, and affectionate with their family, but are naturally aloof with strangers and might not appreciate being petted by someone they do not know; for this reason Shelties must be socialized extensively. Some can be quite reserved and some have varying degrees of shyness.
Click to expand...

Besides, you guys make it sound like you live in neighbourhoods akin to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield, where dog thieves and vicious, angry, unleashed dogs roam the streets.
:confused2:

Maybe I'm lucky to live in a peaceful/boring neighbourhood where NOTHING happens. :biggrin2:

I will NOT take my dog inside if I have to answer the phone or go to the restroom, nor will I dress up in -25° weather to join my dog to poop.

It always amazes me that a dog would want to flee a loving home full of food, treats and care.

Mine stays on my lot because he knows where his master is, and wants to please him and be with him - as Shelties do.
 
Nothing Would Make Me Leave Her Unleashed and Unattended

Hugo said:
Huh, not quite :





Besides, you guys make it sound like you live in neighbourhoods akin to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield, where dog thieves and vicious, angry, unleashed dogs roam the streets.
:confused2:

Maybe I'm lucky to live in a peaceful/boring neighbourhood where NOTHING happens. :biggrin2:

I will NOT take my dog inside if I have to answer the phone or go to the restroom, nor will I dress up in -25° weather to join my dog to poop.

It always amazes me that a dog would want to flee a loving home full of food, treats and care.

Mine stays on my lot because he knows where his master is, and wants to please him and be with him - as Shelties do.
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While Sadie is shy with people she doesn't know well, she's still very friendly and naturally inclined to running up to people, even though she may not want them touching her. If I left her alone outside I still think it would be easy for someone to grab her.

I live in a small 'retirement' city near niagara falls ontario. There isn't a lot of crime here yet I hear stories on the news of dogs being kidnapped and a friend of my mothers actually had her dog held for ransom! (I think I mentioned it earlier in this thread.) I couldn't live with myself is someone kidnapped her.

I've also witnessed people's lack of common sense when it comes to their own dogs, I had a lady who wanted her dogs to make friends with my Mom's sheltie when I took him to Petsmart one day. Despite the fact that her dogs were snarling and lunging at Milo, she was still trying to approach us! When I walked my father's husky at a park we were attacked by a shar pei who was not leashed, I had to kick the dog off of us. My Dad's dog was not provoked and leashed, the other dog just ran up and attacked her. Good thing she was bigger, if it was a sheltie then there might not have been much left.

When our yard wasn't fenced I put her on a rope since she was still a pup, I probably wouldn't now. However I NEVER left her unattended, even if I wasn't outside with her I was at the door or nearby window just steps away. I live directly across the street from a park and while I've never seen an aggressive dog there or anywhere in my neighbourhood, I would NEVER leave Sadie unattended in the front of our house, I have no trust left in people.
 
CeCe loves running over to the neighbor's yard if we don't get her leashed up in time, and as much as they love her, she soon could become a little nuisance so we do keep her leashed if we aren't outside with her. But we are constantly looking out to make sure she's OK.
 
We have a fenced in area in the back yard. Marlie would chase the cars if she was left out. I will let all 3 of them out together and if I don't hear them I'm out looking to see what they are doing and usually they will be laying on the deck and look at me like "what do you want?". They don't stay out for long periods of time without me checking on them b/c I do live on a busy road. It is a main throughway for people going from Adrian to Ypsilanti and even though we are out in the country, I wouldn't put it past someone to steal my dogs for bait. Adrian and Ypsilanti both have more gang activity than I like to be associated with. It wouldn't suprise me if there were dog fighting rings in both towns. Besides, it would kill me if they wandered off and got lost and I couldn't find them. I would never forgive myself.
 
Hugo said:
It always amazes me that a dog would want to flee a loving home full of food, treats and care.

Mine stays on my lot because he knows where his master is, and wants to please him and be with him - as Shelties do.
Click to expand...

:confused2:

I don't think that they would leave the yard because they are unhappy with their home. I believe there is a natural curiosity that would make them wander off. Example: My Madi LOVES to chase birds. We have a large yard (unfenced) and she has run all the way to the back chasing after a bird. If I hadn't hollered at her to come back, she'd be gone :( Not because she doesn't love living her, just because she was playing.

If your dogs do well without you outside, then that's wonderful and I'm sure they have been taught well. But there is no way I could let mine outside without constant supervision. Not even with a fenced in yard because she's also a puppy who loves to eat everything in her path :dead:
 
Different Views

It's fascinating to see how strongly held all of our viewpoints are. So much depends on where you live, what your past experiences have been and the temperment of your Sheltie.

In our case, we're in a rural development far off the main road. We're several streets back at the end of a long driveway. Our house is screened by trees most of the year, and there is usually an adult home all day and evening. The furkids use the dog door to go into the large-ish yard behind the house -- the pen isn't visible from the street. Most of the time, everyone remains in the house. If a strange car approaches, they raise cain, bringing us to the door. They're never out in the unfenced grounds alone.

Yet we are close to a high dogfighting state. So when we're going to be gone for more than a short time, we close the dog door.
 
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