i need advice

[Piper's mom]

My advice is ask the breeder what she thinks, they all keep growth charts and measure their pups. Pipers breeder was pretty accurate on what she thought his height would be when full grown, she said 15" and he's 14 1/2" tall.

 

[Sheltielover2404]

Runts of the litter do not nec. stay small, they are just behind for one reason or the other. My pup's litter had large (17.5" -- 35 pounds) to two siblings who barely made 13". You want to look at the whole litter and see which are smaller but not nec. the runt.

Words of advice since you asked -- shelties can and do RUN. They will bolt and be gone. You will want to be even more diligent about the gate, keeping the dog on leash, watching around doors, etc. Other word of advice, either a Ruffwear Webmaster harness (it has 2 belly straps to help prevent slipping out) or a martingale collar for the leash. You cannot use a regular collar for walking purposes. Be sure to attend classes because it makes for a better dog. Chip and register the chip. Feed a lower fat diet.

So, they will run? Like no matter what? Do they chase things or just run because they can? And if you where to let them off the leash at the beach, they will just run away ?

 

[MissyGallant]

So, they will run? Like no matter what? Do they chase things or just run because they can? And if you where to let them off the leash at the beach, they will just run away ?

They need to be trained. Puppies will run. We walk Tara off leash. We walked her dad off leash. I would never walk Annabelle or Clara down the street off leash, but would not hesitate to let them off at a beach. (If we had those in Indiana). You'll be fine if you work with a good trainer. None of mine leave our yard unless we let them.

 

[Bailey's Mom]

So, they will run? Like no matter what? Do they chase things or just run because they can? And if you where to let them off the leash at the beach, they will just run away ?

As others have said training is key. Bailey was very reliable off leash and he loved the experience. Even with training Katy has always been less reliable. We constantly work on recall, it's just not something I ever "trust" with her. We practice in safe areas because it is important that she know what to do.

 

[Jess041]

So, they will run? Like no matter what? Do they chase things or just run because they can? And if you where to let them off the leash at the beach, they will just run away ?

No, it's not a "no matter what" situation. My dog doesn't bolt as soon as the leash comes off. She stays right with me, within about a 10' radius. She will go farther when we are in familiar areas like the fenced in dog park. She'll go to the complete opposite side of the park. We went to the beach last September and had Missy, another Sheltie (known to bolt), and a borderjack. It was really just us there. They would run about 50 yards down the beach along the water. We would call them and they would all come back and head the opposite direction. Then we would call them, and they would come back. It was never a situation where we had to worry about catching them. A good recall is the key.

 

[Cubby2014]

Yes, training is key. Training with recall and a down/stay on the move are crucial. Still not fool-proof. I have heard SO many examples of people with well trained shelties (or other breed dogs) who just bolt. Something startles them, something runs and they chase, something attacks them . . . personally, it is not worth the risk. It sounds really great to hike the mountains or play on the beach with your dog off leash . . . until it's gone. Having hiked with a dog and had a DEER (a doe yet!) try to attack my dog, if we hadn't been on leash, gone. I was in a city park and a dog attacked my Cubby. On leash, grabbed handle on his harness, popped him up over my shoulder. Safe not gone. I have been by a lake and seen a girl swimming after her dog who was paddling out after ducks. Other people letting dogs swim on a long line NOT gone. Unless you know your dog is 1000% reliable, you are running a risk. Will training improve the chances, yea sure, maybe. I have two shelties who have been through advanced obedience who will down/stay from across a huge room and in an unfenced area when hooked two 30 foot long lines clipped together. They will recall as fast as their legs will carry them. Would I trust them off leash in the real world? Nope. Not worth the risk in my opinion.

 

[Cara Sandler]

Honestly, I don't even take the chance. Spirit is on leash unless she is actually in the ring at an agility trial or at class. Yes, her recall is awesome. But - she is a herding dog and ultimately, her instinct is to chase things that move. It's not worth the chance that she will lose her mind at some point, start chasing something, and get lost. Or hit by a car. Or any of the thousands of things that could happen.

 

[Justicemom]

Another example of unpredictable sizes... my Keiran was the largest in his litter when he was born and ended up to the smaller size, 13.5" at his shoulder, and he wasn't even supposed to get that tall according to his growth chart. (Gotta love late growth spurts.)

If you go with a Sheltie, go with one that fits your lifestyle, don't worry to much about size.

I would agree.

Keiran is Birch's half brother. Keiran was bigger than Birch(who is 16.75) as a baby.

We thought my Ember was going to be just under 15" and she is 13" Stopped growing at 6 months. Done!

My only sheltie that followed that rules was Celtic. He followed the middle of the chart the whole way growing up. He charted to be 14.75" at 8 weeks and he ended up 14.75"

With shelties, you can guess but you never know.