What do you think of Shetland Sheepdogs? What’s your favorite breed of dog?
ByI have 3 Shelties and I love them so much! I have had other breeds (including mixed breeds!) throughout my life but mostly Shelties. They are amazingly smart. I think that they are probably one of the most trainable breeds and one of the quickest learning breeds. My oldest female is proving to be really promising in agility. There are two cons about the breed though. First of all, most of them tend to be barkers. I mean, they bark at everything especially when they are excited! My agility Sheltie barks the entire course. I’ve tried various techniquest to get them to quiet down but it’s proving futile. I want to warn anyone considering the breed. It’s definitely NOT an apartment dog! Secondly, they tend to be aloof around strangers. Two of mine are like that. The oldest is more like a Lab with not a hint of shyness but the others are very weary of strangers but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing! They do make EXCELLENT watchdogs! (Continued)
They require a lot of grooming and TONS of exercise (that’s if you want a happy dog!). I really recommend them for active families with a good sized fenced in yard. If you are considering a dog to do obedience or agility with, Shelties are an excellent choice as well as Aussies and Border Collies (two other very energetic and intelligent herding breeds). I love Boxers too! I had one named Buster who I loved so much! Poor Buster though. He was kind of a dumb jock dog! They don’t have quite the mental capacity of the Shetland Sheepdog but they are so loving. Another favorite breed of mine is the Golden Retriever. They are just super sweet dogs and that’s why they are so popular. Shelties are beautiful. Most tend to be way too big for the standard though. They should be around 14″ and 20 lbs. at the most and most I see are 16″ or more and like, 40 lbs! Breeders need to stop breeding their larger Shelties… Thanks for any opinions.
20 Comments
May 16th, 2011 at 1:31 am
I love Shetland Sheepdogs, but they just don’t do good conversation.
For real enthusiastic, stimulating debates I prefer Daschunds.
May 16th, 2011 at 1:49 am
dashounds babayyy
))))
May 16th, 2011 at 2:00 am
yeah sure. they taste good in soup!
May 16th, 2011 at 2:03 am
I love my German Shepherd
)
May 16th, 2011 at 2:31 am
I like Shetlands. I have a pit and a beagle. They are aweful watchdogs because they love everyone.
May 16th, 2011 at 2:59 am
My favorite would be a chocolate lab. I have one and he is loving, protective and smart.
May 16th, 2011 at 3:11 am
I have 2 Weimaraners and they are the best!!!!!
May 16th, 2011 at 3:29 am
I’ve never met a Shetland Sheepdog, I hope to one day! They sound like excellent dogs =]
My favorite breed is the American Pit Bull Terrier and Boxer. I’m a sucker for the Bully Breeds. =]
May 16th, 2011 at 3:51 am
I like pugs!
May 16th, 2011 at 3:59 am
I like adopting from the local dog shelter, I have done this twice, I feel like I’m saving a life, and if the dog is young enough, you Can train them well. E
May 16th, 2011 at 4:37 am
I love dogs as a whole and I think Shel-ties are nice. My neighbor had one that was 20 years old and it couldn’t hear but when she saw you she let it be known. My favorite breed of dog is the American Pit Bull Terrier and have had the privilege of owning three. My 108 pounder had the best sense of humor and boy did he love kids.
May 16th, 2011 at 5:25 am
We have a Sheltie, and yes, he’s a barker. Squirrels dont stand a chance against him. He’s also pretty shy, but so very sweet. He loves to sit on my lap and to romp around…he makes this cute little puppy gnawing noise, even though he’s 8!
And yes, grooming is a large factor. He gets into burr bushes sometimes because of where we live and because our other two dogs are larger than him so when they go out for fun little hikes and stuff the larger dogs can walk through them and only get their legs a little messy (they also have shorter hair) but poor Sam gets covered.
He’s getting better about the burrs though. There are less of them around, luckiliy.
But, enjoying larger dogs myself, my favorite breed is Australian Shepherds.
May 16th, 2011 at 5:34 am
It so happens I have a Border Collie/Shetland sheep dog mix and I love her! Re: grooming, the undercoat does shed quite a bit but only twice a year. With regular brushings, mine does quite well, but I do give special attention to the hind legs area, as this fur is the most dense. She gets a good bath twice a year, and that’s enough for her, (and myself as well!) You do have to make certain the drain is clear when you bathe them, because when you’re done, it won’t be clear anymore! At the current age of 10, my dog has learned that barking is a no no, but she does express herself vocally when strangers or strange noises arise! As for training, learning and all that stuff, well, I taught her the basics, but mostly we focus on enjoying each other’s company. LOL we’re not in the army after all!
May 16th, 2011 at 6:21 am
Shelties are nice, though I have found some to be quite shy.
I (and my ex-wife) used to breed dogs and I and my current wife have a number of dogs.
So far, and this is not conclusive, we had:
Icelandic Sheepdogs – rare, a little annoying, not too bad.
German Shepherd – Gotta socialize right, or else forget it
Tibetan Spaniel – Little slow on the uptake, but nice
Shih Tzu – Ignorance is bliss. Actually if I had to own any dog from this point forward it would just be a Shih Tzu
Border Collie – Actually part Border Collie, part schizophrenic. Can be a handful
Hound mix – likes to howl, get into everything. Cute, but annoying.
Chow Chow – I loved ours, and he was very socialized, but I guess most aren’t, and therefore aren’t good family dogs.
Golden – who doesn’t love a golden? But they come in two physical types – squareheads and slenderhead (I prefer the latter), and two personalities – quiet or really barky.
Cocker Spaniel – I loved her, she was cute, but I called her “piddles” because she’d piddle at the slightest thing – someone at the door, whatever. Got tired of cleaning up.
We’ve had many more dogs than this – I’m not up to trying to recall them all. Ultimately, though, I’d be happy if I only had Shih-Tzus the rest of my life. They’re fun, lovable, unpretentious, great with everyone. What’s not to like?
May 16th, 2011 at 7:20 am
Not too fond of them really, I prefer the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
May 16th, 2011 at 7:31 am
Shetland Sheepdogs are awesome dogs. My mom had one for 13 yrs. He died last April. He was the sweetest dog ever, and would not even dream of hurting a fly. He was gentle with my sister and my kids. He was to big to fit breed standard too, but he was an awesome dog.
My favorite breed is Boxers and other Bully Breeds. My 2 Boxers are very sweet, happy a the time, and are easy to train. They are great with my kids, just a bit protective but nothing crazy. I just love them, especially the way their whole butt wiggles when they are happy.
May 16th, 2011 at 8:28 am
I think they’re a beautiful breed, but just not for me. I prefer my big/medium short hairs. Boxers, Great Danes, and my medium breed : A horsecoat Shar-pei
May 16th, 2011 at 8:42 am
Any thing that was bred to herd gets my vote.
My favourite out the lot of them has to be the border collie though they know me & i know them.
May 16th, 2011 at 8:57 am
I agree with you about shelties. They are great dogs. They can be awesome with kids as well. My neighbor down the block has one whose job is to herd the three kids and not let them out of the yard. She does an excellent job.
The first sheltie I ever had was so easy to train you would think they just drop out of mom that way. My second is the same.
It is a terrible shame they are popular with the puppy mills, who are pouring out shelties that are so timid they are hardly able to handle life. My first girl was that timid. My current girl has had hereditary arthritis since she was two. She has been unable to be a sheltie for most of her life.
Anyone who is interested in this breed-they are awesome, but please do your research and find a good breeder.
May 16th, 2011 at 9:52 am
I don’t have experience with Shetland Sheepdogs, however, I do have a bouncie English Springer Spaniel. I had to teach him for three solid weeks not to bark at every little noise when he was a puppy. Now, at age 71/2 (in people years) he doesn’t bark except when a stranger comes to my house. I understand Shetland’s are excellent hearders. Maybe your dog just needs to work by hearding. This may quiet her/him down. Good luck!!