Can you raise a Sheltie puppy if work full time

Yes it can be done.

We were (and still are) in the same situation with Shelby. We did leave her in her crate while we were at work and we never had an issue with her. She never went to the bathroom in her crate and always was able to hold it the entire time. She was not given free range of the house until she was about 3. She just could not be trusted to not chew things up. We both have jobs where there is always a possibility that we might not be able to come home (I’m a nurse, he’s a manager at 911 center). So we always have a neighbor who will take care of her if we are stuck.

She was a little more difficult to house train but I think that was because the breeder kept all pet quality pups in the house so they would be accustomed to the normal household activities. But she didn’t train them to tell you when they needed to go out. She believed in just taking them out every so often and felt they then learn to go on your schedule. So it took us sometime to learn how to communicate the need to go out. I must say that even now Shelby doesn’t always tell us when she needs to go and she will just hold it until we take her out. (Unless she really has to go). Looking back maybe that really did help with her being able to hold it all day.

When she was a pup we would spend a lot of time every day giving her a lot of exercise and training. I would even do some training for just a few minutes every morning before leaving for work. Now that she is older she has a lot less energy.
 
If you are home for the first 2-3 weeks then it is possible.
And gives it good space to be on and things for employment

Remember you get a little soul - who have been in their safe surroundings with mother and siblings
and now have to be all alone in the big world.

A Sheltie is not a "company" dog - it is a working breed and requires really much socialization

A link to us new Sheltie owners so we may better understand this little sensitive breed.
http://sheltieforums.com/threads/are-shelties-for-everyone.22964/
 
mf123 said:
Thanks.

@corbinam on the days you could have someone stop in did he just go on the floor? You said he never used the pad. Our situation would be similar to yours I think. Some days we would be able to a walker and some days we wouldn’t. Did he learn to go outside or was it confusing for him being inside so much and still trying to teach to go to the bathroom outside. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

No—he didn’t!

Thinking back I did the same thing with my girl (eek 9 years ago) and she did potty on the pads, but maybe just got a few weeks.

It doesn’t take long for them to realize you love it when they potty outside. And they really don’t want to mess in their den area.
 
There are more people in the US that have pets and still work than don't. There are all sorts of apps that help locate pet walkers. I use a puppy pen and a crate. They go to the puppy pad to potty. But as has already been mentioned, shelties try to hold it because they do not like messing their area. Please, do not deprive yourself of the love of a sheltie just because the first couple of months might be a little more complicated. I work. My shelties nap during the day and get a little peeved when they don't get their daily naps on the weekends. We play a lot when I get home. I've only had one dog that was difficult to housebreak, Annabelle- and oddly enough- that was while I was unemployed and home with her. She just really had it in her head that she was supposed to go inside the house. Annabelle had many of her own issues. Even with all of those issues, she grew up to be the BEST a dog can be. And she really is the happiest little dog in the world.
 
Thanks for all the responses and experiences. It looks like the best plan is a small crate at night for sleeping and will mostly likely have to get halfway through the night for a bathroom break. Then a bigger pen during the day with the smaller cage in it for sleeping and then a separate area for going to the bathroom with a puppy pad (in some sort of holder so the dog doesn’t chew it up) and lastly an area with lost of toys to be entertained all day. Playtime in the morning before putting in the pen for the day to help it relax and sleep all day.
 
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