Home  >>  Write  >>  Pets  >>  Types of Pets  >>  Dogs  >>  Breeds  >>  Shetland Sheepdog


advertisement


Shetland Sheepdog

Shetland Sheepdogs look a lot like miniature rough collies and so are sometimes referred to as mini Lassies, after the TV dog. However, the shetland sheepdog, though it may look like a small version of a rough collie, the shetland sheepdog is a different breed altogether. Shetland sheepdogs are small herding dogs and can have any of a number of coat colours, including black and white, black and white and tan, gray and black an white, and all sorts of other combinations. The shetland sheepdog usually has a long smooth coat, pointed ears, and a long narrow muzzle. The shetland sheepdog Shetland Sheepdogs are very loyal and affectionate dogs. However, shetland sheepdogs are sometimes less friendly with strangers than with their owners; that’s why socializing your shetland sheepdog is so important. If properly socialized, a shetland sheepdog will make a great family pet. The shetland sheepdog gets along with children particularly well, but be careful with young children because they could hurt your shetland sheepdog because of their small size.

Shelties

A shetland sheepdog is commonly referred to as a sheltie. Shelties are very intelligent animals and therefore are responsive to training. Though shelties have a bit of a reputation for barking a lot, this is only the case if you don’t train your sheltie, as with all dogs. Of course its always best to train your sheltie as a puppy, but if you you’re your sheltie misbehaves or if you’re having difficulty training your sheltie puppy, you should look into enrolling your sheltie puppy in dog training school. This will not only help you to teach your sheltie not to bark, but it will allow your sheltie to meet other people and other dogs. Because shelties are herding dogs, you’ll often find them trying to herd other animals together or even your children. Shelties like to run around so they need a fair bit of room. If you have a big garden for your sheltie to run around in, make sure it’s fenced off so they don’t run away. Shelties aren’t the best dogs to keep in apartment buildings because they need exercise and a garden to run around in. If you do get a sheltie in your apartment, you must walk it regularly and find a place near your apartment where your sheltie can run around once in a while without a leash. This is the best way, along with lots of attention an a healthy diet, to keep your sheltie happy and healthy. Some health problems that are harder to avoid in shelties include hip and skin problems, as well as serious eye problems, much like their rough collie cousins. Shetland sheepdogs need to be groomed fairly regularly, at least once a week, to keep their coat looking good. Their coat tends to get matted and should get a thorough brushing and a trim now and then. Shetland sheepdogs are fairly clean dogs and don’t need to be washed too often.

Shetland Sheepdog Mix

The sheltie looks as if it’s a miniature version of the rough collie but it isn’t. Miniature breeds are usually produced by breeding the smallest dogs of the breed together to get smaller and smaller dogs. In the case of the shetland sheepdog, the shelties are a result of breeding rough collies with different breeds altogether. A number of breeds, including some small sheepdogs, were bred with rough collies to produce the sheltie we know today. Mixing breeds often makes stronger healthier dogs that are less likely to suffer from genetic diseases. Breeders have to be very careful when breeding shelties or any other purebred dogs because purebred dogs are at much higher risk of having genetic diseases. Some of these risks can be minimized by knowing which colour shelties should be bred with which. If you combine the genes of the wrong shelties, you could get deaf, blind sheltie puppies.

Shetland Sheepdog Breeders

The easiest way to get a shetland sheepdog puppy is to find a reputable shetland sheepdog breeder. Shetland sheepdogs are a common breed in dog shows beause they tend to perform quite well, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to find a shetland sheepdog breeder in your area. If you can’t find a shetland sheepdog breeder nearby, you’ll either have to make the trip to go pick up your shetland sheepdog puppies or have you shetland sheepdog puppies sent to you. You can usually have shetland sheepdog puppies delivered by air without too much trouble, though you’ll likely have to fill out some paperwork at the customs office before you can pick up our puppies. The reason you need to find a responsible shetland sheepdog breeder who knows what they’re doing is because shelties can have serious health problems as a result of reckless breeding. If shetland sheepdogs are too inbred, they can have serious developmental problems from birth. A good shetland sheepdog breeder is also important because you’ll want to know that they treat their animals well and that the living conditions of the shetland sheepdog puppies and mothers are reasonable. Some of the bad shetland sheepdog breeders are called the puppy mills. These shetland sheepdog breeders keep a lot of dogs in captivity in very confined spaces with terrible living conditions for the sole purpose of breeding and selling shetland sheepdogs. You have to be especially careful of shetland sheepdog breeder who advertise on the internet but don’t give a lot of information about their location. These shetland sheepdog breeders don’t want you to see where the shetland sheepdog puppies are raised and only deal with clients on the phone or internet, but never in person. If you suspect someone of breeding shetland sheepdogs, or any other animals, inhumanely, you should report them.

Ad