Is a Sheltie right for me?

jumba said:
Just wanted to update this thread. After discussing it, we've come to the decision that the breed we're going to adopt/purchase is......

The Sheltie :)

This thread was the most helpful. After sitting down and talking about the four breeds we liked, it was this thread that helped cement our decision. The Sheltie seems like a perfect combination of what we were looking for.
Click to expand...

I'm very glad you've made a decision. This is just the first step. You have a HUGE flight of stairs in front of you! Can't wait to see pictures of your sheltie when you get him/her!:biggrin2:
 
Glad you made this decision. You are in for a life-time of joy and love. Just watch out for the Sheltie potato chip syndrome - one just won't do. I have three.
 
I had to post a reply as we've been seriously looking and still reading books etc. I know that I've asked this but I guess I just want re-reassurance. We were thinking of maybe fostering but as we go through the rescue sites I keep finding so much negativity. One pretty much says that MOST Shelties are NOT good with children and they want to know like who you will have visiting, the ages of the kids, what you will do if the dog comes across a kid. The rescue near me has all of their dogs marked NO kids.

Please tell me that this is just overstated? We were very excited that we had picked our breed and now...we are back to feeling unsure....
 
My shelties have always been good with children. I think like any dog it depends on how they are raised. Dogs don't see children as small people, they generalise and kids are a class of their own, babies also. So if they haven't been around children, well it's like introducing them to a cow, they are likely to be worried or scared. Obviously a lot of dogs in rescue have come from difficult situations and haven't been properly socialised or exposed to kids. So it will take a lot more work, and probably some experience, to help them overcome a fear safely.

I grew up with shelties and I can say they are a fantastic breed for a child - altho with a small child and petite sheltie care is needed as they can get squished. As kids our shelties loved to be touched and cuddled and also loved running around. We had a lab at one stage and none of us found him very kid friendly - too rough.

If you want to get an older sheltie you might want to look for an ex-show dog, you can get retired show dogs but also ones that are only a year or so that the breeder found weren't quite right for showing. A lot of breeders have kids so will advertise that it was raised around children.
 
Most Sheltie rescue groups won't adopt to a family with children under 8-10 years old. They are not trying to be difficult and in some cases (depending on the dog in question and on the family) will make exceptions. Dogs come into rescue for many reasons, some simply have had an owner die or become too ill to care for them, some have families moving where a dog cannot be taken...but a percentage come in for behavioral or health reasons that the owners cannot cope with. For a dog who is struggling with health or behavioral issues (often from mishandling by the owners), a home with small children is not a good match for either the family or the dog... and might only lead to the little dog being returned to the rescue. Since a rescue's job is to advocate for the dogs under their care, they try their hardest to make sure that each dog they place is placed in the best posible situation for "that dog" to limit any possibility that they will "fail" in their new home.

Shelties, like any breed, come in a varitey of personalities. Some adore children and are wonderful loving companions for a child...but some are uncomfortable around the sudden movements and noise of children and even if raised with children may never really want to be "a child's dog" and will bond only with the adults in the home. So, individual personality is far more important than breed in chosing any dog for your family.

I agree with Caro that your best chance might be to seek out a breeder who has a sheltie retiring or one who didn't quite meet what they were looking for to add to their show/breeding program. Just make sure the little dog has been a house doggie, not a kennel dog, and has had constant happy exposure to children and is relaxed in the company of children of all ages.

Trini
 
I have five that are GREAT with kids. I think some rescues try to scare off anyone who isn't completely serious about the breed. I've had two encounters with one rescue that were so negative that if I weren't already into the breed, I would have walked away thinking, "These people don't like me, or anything I have to say or ask. I don't want to be a part of this snobby breed." I mean they were downright RUDE. But the other rescue I've spoken with is ALWAYS friendly and open. And saying that about kids is a serious overstatement- OR that particular rescue specializes in higher risk shelties. I'd still ask. They might have shelties not listed on their site that are good with kids. Or you might want to go with the rescue the next closest to you.
 
I grew up with a Sheltie. We got her when I was 8, and my siblings were 4 and 2. We got her as a puppy from a breeder, so she was not a rescue. We had absolutely no issues with her and she loved us kids. It kinda worked out because as a younger dog she could handle our games and would run around with us, and then as she aged we weren't quite as crazy so there wasn't any need for her to keep up with us. She was a great family dog! We did end up getting a border collie when she was 6-7 because my brother wanted his own dog and the sheltie couldn't keep up with his energy (he was 9 and incredibly ADHD).

Missy has not spent much time around kids at all. I live by myself with no kids, there really aren't any kids in my family that she's around very often. BUT the times she has been around children, she has either ignored them or greeted them politely and showed no fear or aggression. She likes to give babies/toddlers kisses.. well really, she likes to lick their hands because they always taste good.

We have a little girl in our flyball club that will come with her grandma to tournaments. She likes to pet Missy and will sometimes get her a little too excited, and we have to tell the little girl to just pet her and not get her overly excited because eventually she reaches a point where she wants to jump up. This little girl has leukemia and her immune system is compromised, so we don't want her to get scratched. But at the tournament in November the little girl learned that Missy knows how to "speak" on command, and I guess she remembered that because this past weekend she kept asking Missy to speak, which Missy always enjoys doing.
 
Sorry for the late reply, this week has been hectic at work. Thank you (again) to everyone who took the time out to reply. I do appreciate it.

I figured that because they were rescues that maybe as individuals there might be some iffy dogs, but they were all marked that way. It does bum me out a bit, because rescuing would be nice. My OH sister rescues/fosters for a different breed and she warned me that rescue groups tend to go overboard with the negative stuff. Which is fine for those who aren't really serious, but for people like me who are incredibly serious and trying to find out information, and looking, it really puts a damper on things.

I like the idea of finding an older dog from a breeder, but a puppy would also be fine. Just as long as its not a really big breed trait that I have to worry about, I'm okay. Good socialization will be a priority!
 
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