From Aussie to Sheltie

S

sclevenger

Forums Regular
I've always had Aussies, they are honestly my heart breed and due to changes in my life their size (last boy was 70lbs) and high demand energy doesn't fit my life anymore. I know an amazing breeder from my exs sheltie and i feel like they can fit in my new life in a lot of ways, but im afraid im going to miss a lot of things my aussies gave me. So i was hoping you could tell me how they compare. Things I loved about my Aussies:

Super Velcro: I never went anywhere without him.
Off Leash Pro: Due to his intense velcro, we could anywhere off leash and he was right there.
Outdoor Rugged: hiking, snow, mudpuddles, ponds, swamps, briar thickets lol. Anything he went through them and enjoyed it all...oh and then his coat just self dusted off or we hosed down.
Protective: he was alert to everything, and everyone.
Water Obessed: Loved it.
Bold: Anywhere we needed to go he went, he wasn't afraid to jump up on a log or through a river.

What I didn't like:
No Cuddles: as velcro as he was, he was at my feet, scratch my head type.
Protective: Sometimes it was hard to handle, he barked and growled a lot.
Off Switch: Sometimes he just didn't know when to quit.
High Energy: 2 hours of hard exercise is just not feasible lol.
 
See my notes below:

Super Velcro: Check.
Off Leash Pro: Depends. Some shelties have a strong herding instinct which can make keeping them off leash dangerous. Sometimes a strong recall can be trained and this can be overridden (probably similar to aussies, though).
Outdoor Rugged: Check.
Protective: Very aware of surroundings--not big enough to protect, but smart enough to alert.
Water Obessed: Depends on the dog. I think fun-loving, outgoing, drivey dogs can learn to love it.
Bold: From a good breeder you can find this if you tell them what you want--but I think shelties will always be a bit more reserved than aussies.

What I didn't like:
No Cuddles: Shelties are probably 50/50.
Protective: Some shelties can be reactive, but a good breeder tries to remove this genetically and good training helps.
Off Switch: Check (from a good breeder)
High Energy: Depends on the dog, again a good breeder can help you fidn the right energy level.
 
Thanks that was pretty spot on. Ya, I've got the perfect breeder. I'm first on the litter so I pretty much get pick of the litter aside from the breeder of course. Lol. I've already talked about a lower energy pup, but with a little boldness and outgoing and willingness to try new things. My exs sheltie was sweet and cuddly as they come but reserved, I'm not trying that, and umm prissy. When we hiked with my Aussie and her. He would go through and over stuff and she would go around, I swear I could hear her saying...ewww mud and im not jumping up there lol. and big lug was like yay mud and I'll jump that lol.

That's where my rugged question came in. She was the opposite. Lol. But I know there are exceptions so I was wondering if she was.
 
If you look back in Considering A Sheltie forum I posted a thread about Aussie and Sheltie -- a comparison.

I had Aussies from 2002-2011 and have had shelties since 2013.

Honestly, I am never going back to Aussie. I watch them in dog class and it further confirms how much I love the sheltie mind. I had great Aussies, very very amazing and soulmate Aussies, but if I had to go Aussie again I would go nuts. The mental difference the trainability and the personality of the shelties is way way superior. Aussies have big big hearts but shelties have big hearts AND big minds.

I think looking at my thread you will get further comparison to help guide you. I would say go sheltie and you will not regret it.
 
I actually read that right off the bat lol. I liked what you said about Aussies big ol hearts. And I guess that's what I'm so afraid to lose. I loved my Aussies big ol heart and that guy looked at me and just knew I was the whole world, but your right. He was smart but ummm well ya he was a big lug. But he was goofy and up for everything and anything.

My exs sheltie was a dollbaby and you could see her brain working, but i didn't feel that over powering Omg i love you from her. Granted, she was more of an independent soul and I know they are all different. I had an Aussie that was wicked smart, a thinking on his own, I knew he loved me but it was more like a job to him if that makes sense, not a goofy bone in his body, all serious thst one, but it's not typical in my experience with Aussies.
 
There is more of a physicality to an Aussie -- more like a linebacker or fielder versus the quarterback or pitcher. It's almost hard to put a finger on because they are both such fine athletes but the Aussie is just more literal and less dimensional. Shelties have a quicker mind. I saw it again last night in training. There is a wicked smart Aussie tri female. In fact, she is clearly smarter than her owner. I watched her and thought how she would be phenomenal in hands other than theirs (WRONG puppy placement, wrong breed for the family sadly). Yet my sheltie was quicker on the uptake with new tasks.

Another thing to consider is the male/female issue. Have your Aussies all been males? If I look at my male Aussies versus my male sheltie, wow, brain power difference. Similar hearts though. Similar cuddly-ness though the sheltie is still a pup and has a bit more energy and not so much maturity to settle on the couch for a night of TV viewing. If I look at my wicked smart Aussie female and my wicked smart sheltie female -- oohhh, it would be close but my Aussie girl had a mis-wiring that made teeth quick and growl common. She was a clever girl but again there was a dimension lacking. She was very concrete, very pushy with the body, I knew she would take down a bear if needed, but it was all very base compared to the thoughtful sheltie. Melli runs the house not so much physically but psychologically. She has an idea of what she wants to see and what I want to see, and she tells the boys what she thinks they should be doing. She might not take down a bear, but she would certainly confuse it with her verbal skills. She is barking not to just bark but to communicate. I wish I could translate it because I am sure her speeches would be pretty interesting. Yet she is way more cuddly than the Aussie and sleeps next to me. She adores my husband and wiggles and moans for him. While the Aussie was my husband's dog, I know so much more now than I did when we got her. I understand the female/male differences now. My girl is my partner and best friend. She is the other adult in the household like having a sister or college-aged daughter live with us. The sheltie and the shepherd boys are like children compared to her maturity. I would say that my next and likely final single sheltie will be a girl. I truly appreciate the girl mentality but I was not going to have two girls so I went with a male pup this year. As to heart, my girl proves it all. She went from Spanish-speaking stray to CGC in 7 months and we took 2 months off for winter. She even skipped basic training because I got her up to speed within a month of aquisition -- including transitioning Spanish commands to English. We even threw in an agility class where we had only 2 of us enrolled so they moved us through all 3 levels of agility in one course just because we had more hands-on time. How hard she worked for me just amazes me. None of that was easy for her, an older mill momma dumpee who only knew Spanish, yet she mastered it all quickly and took it in stride.

Anyway, fear not. The sheltie is more portable, smarter, still as athletic for your companionship needs, cuddly and devoted, has a heart as big as they come, and makes what I feel is actually a finer companion than an Aussie.
 
Wow, well I appreciate that big story and giving a complete picture in the difference.

Yes, all my Aussies have been males, i just prefer males to females in any species. Lol. I just find them overall more cuddly and quirky which I enjoy.

I guess, it's just hard to let go of what you always had. But i know a sheltie is gonna fit our needs now as a family more so than an Aussi .

Something else I think I'm going to enjoy, is just shelties seem to be so much more gentle. All the training in the world could not make my 70lber remember there was another half to him before turning or to slow down before he reached you. Therefore wasn't alower to be taken to my grandmother house or to see new babies. My 3 year old grew up with him so she kinda learned how to to push back lol.

Well i thank you. I'll be working closely with the breeder for the right puppy that will fit what we need and I know that will be a big help.
 
If I could make a suggestion:
If you are thinking about a sheltie, consider a male. Males tend to be more demonstrative in their affection, which might be what you are looking for.
 
I like the big lug comparison lolll
Toffee's new best friend is an Aussie, I love this guy!!!
I find they're much less subtle with everythingggggg lol
He's so happy and doesn't have an off switch lol At least not while having visitors. This guy turns himself into a pretzel I swear, when he sees me. What a happy guy, fly ball nut, trick dog extraordinare, and lovely dance partner to his handler.
My boys are way more reserved and Lil more gentle lol. Think a little more before acting
All in all lovely breeds :)
 

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Yes I'll be going with a male.

That sounds like an aussie to me.

Honestly, in an ideal world it would always be an Aussie, but becoming a single mom, smaller house now, an Aussie just no longer fits in my life. My exs sheltie though was lovely though and would fit perfectly, there were just a few traits I didn't like, but out of her litter she was really the only one like that, her sister is hell on wheels lol.

And I guess also it's the batitle between what i want and what I need. Lol. I love shelties, but my heart is in aussies, but someone told me that when the fit is right, you'll be surprised how much you find yourself lovihg something.

I just don't want a prissy dog, and our girl was. I'm not jumping on that, I'm not going through that, I'm not learning that, I just want to sit in your lap or chew on my bone over there. Lol.
 
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