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New Puppy Looks Different

Discussion in 'The Sheltie Standard' started by MaggieMae, Oct 17, 2009.

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  1. MaggieMae

    MaggieMae Forums Enthusiast

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    Seven years ago we rescued a lovely little Sheltie named Maggie Mae. She looks just like the logo above. Since she's almost nine we decided it was time to get a little Sheltie pup. We did everything you're not supposed to (LOL): We saw Shelties advertised in the paper and went to visit the puppies. Of course, we fell in love with a little fellow. Since she was a backyard breeder (but very nice) we bought the little guy and registered him with the AKC. She had saved money by not doing the dewclaws (which now would require surgery) but we did think we were buying a Sheltie.

    Within a week I called her back and said no one thinks he looks like a Sheltie. She said he was 12 weeks and going into his "ugly" period. So - my question is: are there Shelties who have smoother coats (Maggie Mae has a gorgeous Sheltie coat), way longer legs and big ears! Some kind friends have said he looks like a Coyote!!! He's now 5 months old and has all the markings of a sable Sheltie, his coat is coming in slowly and is a little wavy. There is some feathering on his very long legs!

    We love him dearly and he's our sweet boy - shall I start saying he's a Sheltie mix or are there Shelties who look rangier and less furry than the typical Shelties? His pedigree looked fine and I saw his sire and dam (I think!).

    Thanks in advance for any answers you can give!

    Julie
     
    MaggieMae, Oct 17, 2009
    MaggieMae, Oct 17, 2009
    #1
  2. take4roll10

    take4roll10 Moderator

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    Hey there. If you could post some pics that would really help.

    Shelties don't get their full longs coats until they're two or 3 years old. Also, they do go through weird phases where their ears look too big or their legs are too long.

    Here's a picture of my puppy at 4.5 months to give you an idea.
    http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/photo.php?pid=3336148&id=149028321525
     
    take4roll10, Oct 17, 2009
    take4roll10, Oct 17, 2009
    #2
  3. Ania

    Ania Forums Enthusiast

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    A picture would help a lot in this case. It is hard to say without seeing him first. They do go through a very akward lanky looking stage, but without seeing him, I cannot say.
     
    Ania, Oct 17, 2009
    Ania, Oct 17, 2009
    #3
  4. MaggieMae

    MaggieMae Forums Enthusiast

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    Your puppy looks so darling in the picture!! I'm going to post a link to a picture. He doesn't look anything like your puppy - his coat is very nearly a short coat. I'll be back with a link to a picture - thanks so much for responding! Julie
     
    MaggieMae, Oct 17, 2009
    MaggieMae, Oct 17, 2009
    #4
  5. HopeShelties

    HopeShelties Forums Enthusiast

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    Being from a BYB, who typically is not breeding for anything other than pets and money, you will often see puppies that are significantly lacking in breed type, and correct structure and movement.
    AKC registered is not a guarantee of quality. If you breed for enough generations without any real thought into what you are producing, it is very easy to breed extremely far away from the standard.
    While your pup is surely a wonderful pet, it's likely he just isn't going to be a very typey sheltie.
    Not removing dew claws (at least rear) is just plain lazy... it's not saving her big money. Per puppy, my vet charges only $8. I would also think that if she neglected to do at least rear dews, she did not test for hips, eyes, thyroid, vwd, or mdr1 :/
     
    HopeShelties, Oct 17, 2009
    HopeShelties, Oct 17, 2009
    #5
  6. Chris

    Chris Premium Member

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    Bits went through a stage where she looked like a coyote put together by committee. Beckon looks the same way now.
     
    Chris, Oct 17, 2009
    Chris, Oct 17, 2009
    #6
  7. MaggieMae

    MaggieMae Forums Enthusiast

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    I'm back with a link to a picture of our little coyote Buddy!

    http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x267/MaggieMae1207/?action=view&current=DSCF6914.jpg

    There are two other pictures of him at that location. We love him so much but I may just tell people he's a mix even though he is supposed to be a full Sheltie. I wish I could say we were naive - but we know better than to buy puppies from backyard breeders, pet stores, etc. Somehow we thought we could see the puppies and walk away without one! :rolleyes2: The breeder didn't do any of the dewclaws and the ones on the back look really strange. Our vet said it would require surgery now and be awfully painful so we aren't going to do it.

    Thanks for all the responses. Shelties are such wonderful little dogs. Our Maggie Mae has been a joy for the last 7 years. She is pretty as a picture!
     
    MaggieMae, Oct 17, 2009
    MaggieMae, Oct 17, 2009
    #7
  8. RonandJan

    RonandJan Forums Enthusiast

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    Yes Chris, I love the "coyote designed by a commitee" term.

    Julie take a look at some forum members' albums and see if you see a pupper that looks like yours too.

    Cleveland went through a gangly stage. Teddy the Terror is in a stage right now where his front legs are longer than his back legs and he kind of looks like a hyeana (sp?).

    Post pictures here too and plenty of us will say, yup, a coyote designed by a committee stage, or they may say, nope, there is __fill in the breed_____ in the mix. They are very knowledgable here.
     
    RonandJan, Oct 17, 2009
    RonandJan, Oct 17, 2009
    #8
  9. MaggieMae

    MaggieMae Forums Enthusiast

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    I posted a link to a picture a while back and my post got lost! I have a picture here of our little coyote - thanks in advance for all your comments and advice! :rolleyes2: We certainly knew better than to go to a BYB - but we do love him so much!!
    http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x267/MaggieMae1207/DSCF6918.jpg
     
    MaggieMae, Oct 17, 2009
    MaggieMae, Oct 17, 2009
    #9
  10. mcguiregirl2248

    mcguiregirl2248 Forums Enthusiast

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    Hi Julie! Your picture didn't get lost, your post just wasn't approved yet. I have approved all of them and everyone can see your cute boy now! He looks like a sheltie to me, he just needs time to get his full coat in. He is cute!
     
    mcguiregirl2248, Oct 17, 2009
    mcguiregirl2248, Oct 17, 2009
    #10
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