Hello - A new member from the UK

S

Squeak

Forums Novice
Hi everyone,

I've just joined this forum, in the hope of finding out all I need to know about Shelties. I'm 16 and from England so I'm guessing I'll be in the minority here!

So, at the moment I don't own a Sheltie, however I do have two Westies! Very different, I know. Basically I've recently fallen in love with Shelties, after wanting a Border Collie for a long time I came to the decision that our house isn't big enough for one, and also I haven't got the time or energy to exercise and train a BC. So I set about trying to find a smaller alternative!
I went to Crufts at the beginning of March, and that's where I fell in love with the Sheltie. I came home and started my research and from what the internet says they do sound like my perfect dog. However, I really want to hear from owners who really know what it's like to live with a Sheltie. I want to know everthing there is to know basically! Grooming (I already clip my eldest Westie and hand strip my youngest so I'm used to a fair amount of grooming), exercise, training techniques (I'm a clicker user), feeding (what foods do Shelties thrive on etc - our Westies are fed on Burns), anything and everything.

So why do I want a Sheltie? Hopefully to do obedience with, and possibly agility (I suffer from a long term illness, so it depends how that goes as to whether I can or not) and obviously as a companion and member of the family.
Realisticly it's going to be at least a year until I plan to get a Sheltie, as now is just not the right time for us - my Dad has a terminal illness and obviously my health isn't the best.

One thing that concerns me slightly is barking - my Westies bark a bit but as our house is semi detatched we do try to keep them quiet to avoid annoying neighbours. I'm guessing as Shelties are very intelligent dogs it will be easy enough to teach them the 'quiet' command?
Also, would a Sheltie be happy with a good run and game of ball in a large garden, if there ever was a day when I was unable to take him/her for a walk?

Advice is very much appriciated :-)
 
Welcome to the forum Squeak!
I'm not sure if you are the minority here or not as to age or location, but it really doesn't matter as we are all brought together by our love for shelties.

I'm sorry to hear of you and your family's health concerns. Here's our wishes that you and your family enjoy better health soon!

As to Shelties learning "quiet" some do and some don't learn this command...it has to do with the sheltie as well as the trainer. Most shelties are going to bark when someone arrives or departs when indoors; a good number also have a chosen appliance or noise that will set them off. Most shelties are MORE vocal when outdoors, particularly if you are INDOORS at the time. As I am typing I have two puppies in an indoor Xpen in the living room, one adult dog out on the porch, one in the bedroom napping with my hubby, and two prowling the house with me. My son just left to go to work and the dogs and pups indoors (sans the one in the bedroom) barked at him one or two yaps as he went out the door, and the outdoor dog barked a the truck until it was out of the drive, and now its quiet again. I didn't tell any of them 'quiet' to this, as I see these barks as correct communication to me. However, I know that later in the week when my hubby is mowing the grass three of my adult dogs will throw themselves wildly around the house barking endlessly at the lawnmower. The oldest sheltie doesn't care anymore, and I don't know the what the pups reactions will be as they have never heard the lawnmower.

As to exercise, my dogs are quite happy to run in the yard as their exercise as opposed to going for a walk. For two of my adult dogs, that is their main exercise (Emma is a pain to walk along the road and Indy is old and doesn't walk far anymore). Our fenced in backyard is quite large (around an acre) and my hubby walks "laps" in the backyard with the dogs pacing him as exercise for all.

I've heard that shelties are a very popular breed in England, so you should be able to find a local group of enthusiasts as well to help you find a good pup there. You may also find that there are folks who will enjoy bringing their shelties by to visit you and your Westies.

My brother raises Westies and rescues mixed breed terriers, one sister raises Jack Russell Terriers, and another used to raise Yorkies. :biggrin2:

Welcome from Granite and her clan of shelties: Indy (14 years old), Emma (5 years old), Sasha (3 years old), Figaro (2 years old) and the remaining 2 puppies from Emma's litter of nine born on 1/20/09 Ember and Angus.
 
Hi Granite, and thanks for the lovely welcome!

We can absolutely put up with a certain amount of barking. The Westies bark at anything - dustbins, cats, birds on their garden, knocks at the door, the postman, aeroplanes flying over - general doggie barking that I expect. What I don't let them do is bark incecently at something :-)
A family friend had a Sheltie (who they sadly lost last year) that hardly ever barked! I guess each dog is different!

Thanks again for the advice and welcome :-)
 
welcome :smile2: granite has already given great advice.

Granite: only 2 puppies?? does that mean that Maggie found a home???
 
Last edited:
Calliesmom said:
welcome :smile2: granite has already given great advice.

Granite: only 2 puppies?? does that mean that Maggie found a home???
Click to expand...

Yep, MaggieMay is now Maude and is living 15 miles down the road with a nice retired couple in a gorgeous neighborhood and will have 4 cats to spar with as well as a big fenced yard full of squirrels and her own bedroom (seriously!)
 
Welcome to the group Squeak! There are a lot of great people on here with great advice. I believe we have several members that are from the UK and could help you find a good breeder.

I think Granite did put things very well. I have a sheltie that barks at everything and one that doesn't bark except when she is playing. My girls are both content to run around the back yard and play ball for exercise as well when I can't get them out for a walk.

Good luck to you on your search for the right sheltie pup and I hope that you and your father stay in good health.
 
Welcome Squeak!
My best wishes to you and your dad.
I think Shelties are great dogs all around. They are very sensitive to their owners, they are intelligent and love to play. Mine bark when playing outside a little, but they really get going at ALL moving/cleaning things such as brooms, shovels, lawnmowers, hairdriers.... so I keep them inside for those occasions, as not to disturb the neighbours. I LOVE having shelties. I had one before these two. Granite has great advice.
It is very commendable that at 16 you are so responsible and doing so much research into the kind of dog you would like. I am sure when the time is right, you will find the perfect puppy!
 
Welcome to the Forum, Squeak. I have a three year old sable boy named Spencer. As far as grooming is concerned, one of the Forum members, Geerome, has a blog (Life is Better with Sheltie Hair) with great info on lots of Sheltie things including grooming, raw feeding, training, etc. Take a look when you have a chance. I will tell you that Spencer does love to bark. We have a very large fenced-in yard and there are a total of five gates strategically placed. When he’s running his “most important” laps, he tends to stop briefly to bark at each of the three gates that lead into the wooded area in the back of the yard. If I’m not already outside with him, I generally will go out onto the deck and call out to “no bark” which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. He will also bark at the vacuum, mop, broom, dustpan and brush - well, you get the picture. Perhaps he knows that I don’t particularly enjoy cleaning and he’s trying to convince me to stop. But for some wonderful reason, he stops barking at 6:00 p.m. and is a very good boy until after 8:00 a.m. the next day. I think it’s great that you are learning all you can about Shelties before making a commitment to get one. And I join the other posters in wishing both you and your Dad the best.
 
Welcome to the forum! This is a great place to learn everything and everything about Shelties....especially for a potential new owner!

I "ditto" what everyone else has said. I have two Shelties! One barks at just about everything....and the other rarely barks. When he does let out a little woof, he looks around shocked - as if trying to find out where THAT noise came from! :biggrin2:

I'm working on Indy's barking...while he barks at everything, he doesn't go on and on about it. So it's not a concern right now.

Good luck!
 
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