Lucky loves the cold!

B

Bob R

Forums Regular
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Our sheltie prefers to be out on the deck even when it's in the thirties. Otherwise, he is in our finished basement with a woodstove keeping it cozy. He will sprawl out on the linoleum floor a fair distance from the stove when he is indoors, so I know he rather be cooler, but to be outside in the wind and cold strikes me as odd. What about your sheltie?

Bob
 
My last Sheltie Riley came to us at 5 1/2 and he loved the cold! I knew him prior and knew they sometimes had a hard time getting him in the house on a really cold day! I actually have a picture I took on the day he came to live with us (his owner had passed away suddenly and he’d been staying with an elderly neighbour for a month prior)…it was near the end of March, very cold and we had mountains of snow. He was laying on top of the snow just like a King! -30 and he’d be out there loving it, I’d have to call him in but he never minded it. My current 3 are very glued to me so unless I’m outside for awhile they’re back in the house.

Happy Thanksgiving to you Bob! We had our Thanksgiving a month ago (I’m in Canada)….hope you enjoyed your turkey!
 
Well, it's good to know other Shelties are cold weather enthusiasts like Lucky. Honestly, he all but refuses to come indoors for my wife...she has to get me out there to direct Lucky back inside...stubborn he can be indeed. I just had to ask if this behavior was common for other sheltie owners...Thanks for the replies.

Bob
 
My previous shelties occasionally went out and laid in the snow. My current crop love the wood deck and even the stone stair when it is in the 30sF so yeah all that fur that we collect on a yearly basis does its job. I have never had shelties that loved to curl up in front of the wood stove, I used to lie on the rug in front and call over Mac and have him lied down with me-- that was good for about 5-10 min then he bailed. They love to be in the room with us but way at the edge when the wood stove is cooking. The breed originated in the cold, damp climes of Scotland so that fur is a great cold barrier.
 
Of my six, a few are hothouse flowers. But others love being outside when it's cold. Checkers, my 16 y.o. with the coat of a yak, now likes to be indoors more than out but she insists on sleeping on the slim strip of cold tile in the upstairs bathroom, the kitchen floor or a strip of hardwood. When she was younger she was outside whenever she could be. Sprite will stay outside and lay on the ground if it's in the teens until I hustle her in.

On the other hand, Checkers' great granddaughter Misty will seek out the small spot of flannel sheet showing on the bed and make herself a nest next to my pillow. She also is totally out of coat at the moment so maybe that's the reason. She loves laying on polar fleece blankets. Ruffles is the same way but she just had her stomach shaved for surgery, brrrrr. Truly, they are all different! Most of my breeder friends believe the way to have a plush Sheltie coat for the show ring is for them to spend lots of time outside. As Woof said, they are built for that Shetland weather!
 
SWMBO thinks I'm being cruel putting Boots out on the front porch here in WNY for more than 5-10 minutes.
Luckily, for him, she works 2nd shift so he's out there hours at a time on watch duty or sleeping with an inch or two of snow on him.
When he wants to come in, he shakes off, and barks every 15 seconds to alert me as to his wishes.
We just don't see the problem.
 
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