Love everything about Shelties but the hair

[BarbV]

Mine don't shed. It just stays in their underpants getting thicker and thicker until I finally get around to brushing them and they look more and more rumpled looking - like a person who slept in his clothing!

I too really like the Cav's. They were my first choice after Timber died. But impossible to find nearby. They have a lovely long and silky coat...and of course the multi-coloured coat that we love in our Shelties as well. Nice size - not to big or too small. And precocious to boot.

 

[danisgoat]

Do your shelties really shed that much?!? I've never really noticed any shedding problem with Hadley except when she blew coat after puppies but that doesn't count really. She sleeps in the bed and on the couches and never sheds much. She doesn't requiring much grooming at all, really. A brush once a week but she her fur stays clean on its own. I only bathe every six weeks unless something comes up that makes me need to bathe her. Maybe some shed more than others?!

My girls have not blown their coat yet.....one is 2 1/2 and the other is 1 1/2. I don't remember any of my other girls in my life shedding that much, either.

The only issue I have with the sheltie coat is staying on top of the pants and behind the ears so that they don't get mats. The pants really take some time to get through if I slack off.

 

[Karina]

I'm not a fan of barking but because I would have one at a time and I would conscientiously train to minimize it from the get go, I think it would be manageable. I'd much rather work with managing barking than with managing aggression!

 

[Karina]

Oh my goodness!!

After your suggestions about the Cav's I wrote the one breeder I know of in Brazil. She is really excellent. She has been mentored by an American breeder for the last 15 years and travels to the US twice a year to further her studies. She's also a Vet and rigorously tests. She's the kind of breeder that Cav's need!

Anyway, I wrote her a long e-mail introducing my family and asking if she ever had any adult Cav's that were in need of retirement homes. I offered to send vet and personal references and submit to a home check, everything I could think of to show that I would love to be a serious candidate.

She wrote me back! She wants to talk further! She thinks that I may be an excellent home for a retired Cav!!!! Pardon me while I swoon.

Obviously this is not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination on her part or ours, but what a very interesting and kind of amazing development.

 

[danisgoat]

She wrote me back! She wants to talk further! She thinks that I may be an excellent home for a retired Cav!!!! Pardon me while I swoon.

Wow! This is great news for you. Cavs are really adorable little dogs, and seem to fit right in with your needs. I wish you luck!

 

[BarbV]

If I could make a suggestion....

I've just gone through this thread again and you started with Shelties, moved to a Basset and now on to a Cav. I feel that you are being swayed by other's opinions rather that what you truly are looking for. Sorry, but you do seem to be a little all over the map.

I think it really important to list out what you are looking for in a dog, and what you can give back.

Then do a Google on "What dog is right for me". You will find a number of websites that will help you decide if a particular breed is right for your home. DO be careful of the quiz's, though, with a grain of salt. They are fun, but not terribly accurate. (e.g. Everytime I do one a Sheltie never comes up! ) Instead, focus on the websites that list the specific characteristics of each breed. But also remember that the specifics relate to the "ideal"....An example here is that we have high-energy driven Shelties who thrive on agility and performance training, and we have couch potatoes. Reality is that MOST shelties will adapt to your lifestyle (but be careful...if your lifestyle is more quiet, for any dog breed, you will have to adjust food and entertainment accordingly)

This is a good example.

http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselectorindex.do

I hope this helps some. I just don't want you to rush into a decision without doing enough research as to what is right for you.

Best of luck! We look forward to hearing what you decide - and to send pictures of course!

 

[Karina]

Barb - Thank you for your concern and your suggestions. Don't worry about me rushing into anything. Not happening.

I'm investigating different options but will hold to the course of finding the dog I think will match us best. I don't think I really am all over the map. The unifying quality of Bassets, Shelties, and Cavaliers are their gentleness and general lack of aggression. That quality is my first priority. The rest is just fine tuning.

I'll check out the site you suggested. Thank you.

 

[Laurelin]

Diana - I have considered the Pap. Very tempting and some lovely Pap breeders down here, but my future dog will need to spend a good amount of time with people of all ages, including small children, and I'm currently thinking the Pap may be a little small for that. (For this reason I'm really iffy on the Iggy, too...)

I've had multiple paps and shelties (currently only have paps). My paps all and all have been much better with kids than my shelties. But it really varied from dog to dog. My youngest pap is not a kid's dog but my others are. Honestly my last two shelties were not much bigger than my biggest pap. (she's almost 12 inches tall) You can find larger papillons pretty easily. The biggest papillon I know is a whopping 22 lbs. In standard is under 12 inches, but finding a 12+ inch one isn't hard. They're like shelties in that size tends to vary pretty easily.

I love both breeds but prefer the papillon. (I know... saying that on a sheltie forum...) The grooming for papillons is about 10 times easier than shelties. Both breeds are vocal but I find paps quiet down easier. One of my paps never barks at all. Both very smart and very active and fun breeds. I do agility with my papillons and they really do well. My trainer has shelties and they do equally well too. I don't think you can go wrong with either but I find paps a bit 'easier' in a lot of ways. (namely barking and grooming).

They're the only two small breeds I'd ever own. I will definitely have more of both in the future.