Lynn,

I read about a week ago and too late to post where you were considering a sheltie for a pet, and then decided to get one. I raised shelties for 10 years.

When you get your dog, I would be very interested in it and its behavior patterns.

The breeding depends on if they are calm or hyper. Too much inbreeding for showing and such, you have to watch, but you do not want a bad breeder either. If it is possible, the best thing is to buy from a breeder that has the (I will say it nicely!) dad and mom and visit them and see how they act. They can be yelpers, and lots of show people have their vocal cords (YUCK) cut so you cannot hear all the yelping.

Getting one through a shelty survival place is great, but you will mostly likely wind up with an older dogs, which shortens their life span, and if you have children this might be a consideration. For myself, I would not care! I would just wuvs them!

The dog shelter is also a good place to look! Beware of looking here, if you are like me, you will fall in love with 20 different dogs and have to have them all! LOL

After all that, I am saying to you, we had the best shelties in the world and they made the best pets! My health got so bad we had to sell out and we kept MY dog (13") and MY husbands dog (15").

My little dog became intune so much with me, she knew I was going to have a seizure before I had it. She would jump up at me. She laid by me or on my chest until I woke up, and licked under my chin. Always under my chin!

My husbands dog would come and sit by me and let me put my weight on his shoulders and get up off the floor. He also walked me down steps this way one at a time and up steps!

They had NO training, they were just so intune to us.

My youngest son had a shelty, our first actually, that he could teach a trick to in 5 minutes. She was a little hyper (we didn't know what to look for back then), but OH so smart! He grew up with her and she was his best friend!

*Never scold a sheltie or hit them, tell them no with firmness. They love to please, so when they know they aren't it hurts them plenty! They can cower easily.

*If pottie breaking any dog for the house, use a carrier for them at night by your bed. Take them out when they whine, better carry them in or out with/without of carrier, and put them back in. Always using words like outside or pottie, something they can start to relate it to. While young, do this also during the day, leaving them out longer as they get a little older and their bladder get larger. Always, as soon as you take them out of their carrier, let them out and use the words outside or pottie, something they will relate it to. If you keep a carrier or cage in the living room and bedroom after they are older, they will gravitate toward it and make it a home. They like the den feel! When you leave to go somewhere, put them in the carrier.

*From start to finish, keep toys and/or blankets the dogs will become familur with in their carrier/cages. 'Cause if this don't work, they need a compainion. 2 dogs, a cat, something! LOLOL

NO, it does not psychologically hurt them! Like I said, they get to where the carrier/cage (comfortable of course) is their little den! I know this is especially true of sheltie.

And of course, if children run expect them to get nipped in the seat of the pants or heels. They are working dogs! My son always loved it! LOL But you might need to caution small children!

Also, get a good book that tells you about shelties, their two layers of hair and how it needs to be brushed, how often they need to be bathed and why, possible diseases connected to shelties or tendiecies they might have! The more you know, the happier you and your pet will be!

So, a great great sheltie experience here!

I hope I didn't insult your intellegence by telling you all this you probably already knew, but I just had to. LOL We have traveled with and snuck our dogs in more places than I care to say! LOL They are both gone now not that long, and I miss them dearly!