need opinions if sheltie puppy is right for us?

The crating won't be a problem as long as it's your pup's safe place. Never EVER use a crate as a punishment or put them in it for discipline. My boys love their crates and feel safe and happy in them. You will need to give them a mid-day break until they are a year old because as much as they want to please you, puppy bladders just aren't that big.

The kids would be my biggest concern. Shelties are people dogs and want to be in the mix all the time. With 4 kids, there's a lot of potential for accidents and somebody getting hurt. My 2 year-old grandson loves our dogs (all three of them) but I would never leave them alone together. Not even for a few seconds.
 
Lunatic59 said:
The crating won't be a problem as long as it's your pup's safe place. Never EVER use a crate as a punishment or put them in it for discipline. My boys love their crates and feel safe and happy in them. You will need to give them a mid-day break until they are a year old because as much as they want to please you, puppy bladders just aren't that big.

The kids would be my biggest concern. Shelties are people dogs and want to be in the mix all the time. With 4 kids, there's a lot of potential for accidents and somebody getting hurt. My 2 year-old grandson loves our dogs (all three of them) but I would never leave them alone together. Not even for a few seconds.
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That does concern me you say that you wouldn't leave them alone. We have a 3ish year old lab mix that is indoor/outdoor and I trust her completely (with our cat, kids, anything). Are you concerned that things could get too wild for the dog and he might get hurt? Because obviously I can't be everywhere all the time. :) That is something to think about-I've been worried about the kids getting bitten but not the other way around.
 
I can't comment on either the electric fence or the crate. But I grew up with a Sheltie. My youngest sister was 18 months when we got Charlie and I was 5. Yeah, he herded us, but we didn't know that's what he was doing. We thought he was just trying to play with us. I don't remember him nipping much; either he didn't, or time fades those memories -- probably a combination. I do remember he was fiercely protective of us all his life. I also remember that when I was an overly-dramatic teen (and truthfully, what girl isn't?) that he sat patiently and let me hug him, cry on him, and pour all my secrets out to him. And he listened patiently, which is a lot more than my parents or sisters ever did. So while it might take some training on both sides (dog and kids), I firmly believe that Shelties and kids belong together.
 
I have crated all my puppies- two were 8 weeks when I got them and they ended up being in the crate from 7-10am when my snowbird dad would get up and be the puppy letter outer until I got home at 430. Third puppy was 3 months when I got him and already able to go longer. He also was in the crate for about 3 hours.
They all are crated as adults when I go to work- it's just a peace of mind thing that nothing bad happened while I was gone...
 
We did not have any type of fence when we moved into our house. Casey and Brodie were both adults and we let them know their boundaries and they stayed within them. We did not just open the door and go to sit on the couch though. One morning, I went to let them out and there were 2 very large, very angry dogs growling at my back door. DH and I discussed it and decided it was time for a chain link. Because electric might keep them in, but it will not have any effect on large angry growling dogs that want to come into my yard and kill my dogs. I do not know if you are thinking electric because of a Homeowner's Association rule though, so if you are, then I say just watch the dogs. Shelties are smallish and don't have the size to back up a bite when being attacked by bigger dogs or heaven forbid coyotes (although I have a friend whose mastiff was taken down by coyotes, so size didn't help him.)

As for kids, that totally depends on everything. Does the dog like kids? Do the kids like dogs? Have the kids been taught to respect dogs? I think that is a really big question. Some kids just act like a dog doesn't have nerve endings and tug and pull and then act surprised when the dog says, "Enough of that!" If your kids have been around dogs, then they probably know to accept that the dog has a mind of it's own and if the dog is giving subtle warnings of No, then kid needs to listen.

I was raised with a Beardie. Best dog in the universe and I can't imagine not having that dog throughout my childhood.

However, overall, shelties are gentle souls. My Cooper would have LOVED to have a little boy of his own. But he is stuck with me, DH and the Belles. And some cats that could care less that he wants to play with them. And my Cooper would have been every bit as rough and tumble as 4 boys could have dished out!
 
My 1st had to adjust to a baby, nieces & nephews, and all kinds of commotion in her life. She did fine. All my girls go with the flow and adapt. Where I am now, my two girls have one area of the yard that just has vinyl coated 4 ft hardware fencing used mostly for gardening and they have never tried to get out. So it doesn't have to be elaborate fencing is my point, once they are trained. I have one that adores her crate the other abhors it. She will tolerate it for car rides, or if I need them enclosed for people coming to the house to work on it. Just be prepared that some don't like carriers much. My sheltie's all liked kids, new people, etc. But they are great judges of character and if they don't like someone, usually there is a good reason. They have been a great family dog for me, and I contend life isn't at its best if you don't have a sheltie in it.
 
Shelby was crated when we were at work during the day and all night until she earned the right to be left out. It took several years to build our trust and allow her out during the day. We were leaving her out (but locked in our bedroom) at night around 6mos. She was a big chewer, even chewed the wall through her crate. So it was important for her safety and our sanity. And she did just fine with it. She would never go in her crate on her own, but didn't complain when we out her in.

As for kids both our Shelties loved kids. We don't have any of our own kids but nieces, nephews and friends kids they loved. I was worried about Shelby when our goddaughter was a baby as she was never around an infant and she can sometimes get over the top playing. Well the 1st time they met Shelby was glued to her and would not leave Juli's side. Shelby even curled up to sleep with her and would not move until the baby woke up. To this day Shelby adores Juli, she does not nip at her (but she will nip at us if we run), she does not bark at her, and is extremely gentle with her. The complete opposite of how she plays with us. It is like she knows how rough or gentle she needs to be depending on the person. So I do think they can adapt very well to kids.

They are very smart dogs and I think they can adapt very well to your situation. Very easy to train, you just must be consistent with your training. If not they are smart enough to manipulate you.

Good luck!
 
Rather than crating, you can set up an exercise pen (x-pen) while you are out or put a baby gate across the laundry door and leave them in there. This is what I did for my dogs. They are confined so can't get up to mischief in the rest of the house, but still have enough room to move about. You can put a puppy pee pad in there in case they need to go. Also put bedding (you can put their crate inside the x-pen if you want) a mat, some toys and water. If the floor is hard put a mat down as well (one that's washable in case they have an accident). I had a metal x-pen for both my dogs, although after my female turned out to be quite a climber so I switched to putting her in the laundry (in the end I put in a dog door so they could get into the backyard). As the dogs became toilet trained I opened up their access to other rooms using the x-pen (I have an open plan house). The good thing about an x-pen is they usually come apart so you can use them to section off areas of the house to increase their access. I don't give my dogs access to the whole house until they are 12mths old - out of adolescence. One of the SF members uses this exercise pen - it's cheap and looks good https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5P846Y/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_34?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER.

You can also set up an exercise pen in the backyard over grass as a toilet area. I wouldn't leave a puppy outside unattended if you have no other fencing. Dogs generally prefer to be in the 'den' inside anyway.
 
Caro said:
Rather than crating, you can set up an exercise pen (x-pen) while you are out or put a baby gate across the laundry door and leave them in there. This is what I did for my dogs. They are confined so can't get up to mischief in the rest of the house, but still have enough room to move about. You can put a puppy pee pad in there in case they need to go. Also put bedding (you can put their crate inside the x-pen if you want) a mat, some toys and water. If the floor is hard put a mat down as well (one that's washable in case they have an accident). I had a metal x-pen for both my dogs, although after my female turned out to be quite a climber so I switched to putting her in the laundry (in the end I put in a dog door so they could get into the backyard). As the dogs became toilet trained I opened up their access to other rooms using the x-pen (I have an open plan house). The good thing about an x-pen is they usually come apart so you can use them to section off areas of the house to increase their access. I don't give my dogs access to the whole house until they are 12mths old - out of adolescence. One of the SF members uses this exercise pen - it's cheap and looks good https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5P846Y/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_34?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER.

You can also set up an exercise pen in the backyard over grass as a toilet area. I wouldn't leave a puppy outside unattended if you have no other fencing. Dogs generally prefer to be in the 'den' inside anyway.
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Great advice. Here is the x-pen set up I currently have for my new puppy. Once he is a little older I am going to transition him to just a crate. The green thing holds the puppy pad because Relic likes to shred them. It has a plastic grate over the top to prevent shredding. I love that thing and he uses it too.
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