Ailea's Place - Buying A Sheltie

~ Buying A Sheltie ~

Before you hop in the car and go looking for the sheltie you think you want, study the breed characteristics carefully in order to most fully determine if the sheltie as a breed, is right for you and your family situation. There are lots of good, wonderful things about a sheltie, but there are also lots of not-so-good things about a sheltie, all of which needs to be considered before making the decision that a sheltie truly is the breed for you.

Shelties are beautiful, loving, loyal and very willing to please. They are great with children, and are intelligent, easily trained. They are not a large dog, and very quickly and easily adapt to any living situation you may impose upon him. From the family farm with acres to run, to the condo on the edge of town with walks to the dog park, to living on a house boat even - the sheltie adapts and is happy so long as he can be with you and his needs are adequately met.

BUT - and that is a very large BUT - the sheltie has lots of things going against it, including the fact the sheltie has a double coat that sheds, a coat that requires a certain level and frequency of grooming. Shelties are also barkers, since barking is how they communicated with their shepherd masters on the islands. Though some shelties can become problem barkers, for the most part their verbosity is limited to the announcement sort - something or someone in the yard, on the road, at the door, etc. Shelties also tend to carry some of the strong herding characteristics you might expect - they tend to "round up" the humans (barking them into place if necessary) and may jump at doors, fences, gates, and even your tail-end as you exit a room, and/or may nip at your feet or heels. These behaviors should never be confused with aggressive-type behaviors, but they can become difficult behaviors to control in your sheltie, especially if these kind of behaviors were allowed to an extent, in the early days following you bringing the sheltie home. All of these should be kept in mind while you search for your "perfect pet".

If you know the sheltie is the breed for you, finding the sheltie that is right for you need not be an ordeal. It should be a good, learning experience (the more people you talk to the better educated you will be on what to look for, what to avoid, and all that other good stuffs). The thoughts I wish to share with you in regards to locating the right breeder and sheltie are a little long, but I do think you will find invaluable information in the telling, if you will just bear with me a little bit here.

Logically, the first thing to do is look at different aspects of breeders (you must locate a good one), and then deciding on which sheltie is best for you, your family, and your home situation. My advice is to begin at the top and work your way through the different links available to you here.

What Makes A Responsible Breeder?

Finding The Right Responsible Breeder

Choosing Your Sheltie