Hi Mary -- I'm from the foothills above Fresno (where the huge fire was recently in the National Forest/Park). I have adopted 5 dogs. 4 were adults and one was a pup. One of these was my sheltie Melli. She's great but has a few quirks, nothing too drastic. My latest is a shelties (now 18 months) who I brought home as a 7.5 week pup. The breeder did a lovely job handling the pup. From there, I read the book "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skete. It was an easy read but a wonderful essay on the psychology of young pups. It talks about maximizing their potentials based on their personalities. It was recommended to me by members here and it was a good thing. You can definitely do this. Honestly, I cherish my rescues -- my older ones and the pup -- but bringing home a pup who was started well and taking him through all the stages has been the best ever. When we need dogs again years and years from now, my husband will probably go for an adult Aussie and I will probably go for a shelties puppy. It's really wonderful raising them. My only tip is to truly understand the "girl" mind versus the "boy" mind if you haven't dealt with a female sheltie before. There is a whole psychology based on mutual respect versus flat out adoration as males tend to have. I started a thread a long long time ago about male versus female when my friend was looking for a dog for her MS service dog. In the process, some of our members here really clearly explained the female mind and boy did that change my perspective. Congratulations on the pup. You will have a lovely experience.
