How long would it usually to take a sheltie to understand a simple command?

[romeosangiovese]

I'd recommend you hand feed your pup his meals for a few weeks. It really build that bond. He'll be following you and looking to you all the time. He sounds like a really bored puppy - maybe you could liven things up with a very short game of tug or fetch with a squeaky toy? You've got to make yourself oodles of fun to him so be prepared to act silly and use high pitched voices to get the enthusiasm up.