Shetland Sheepdog

Hi, I am posting this review with pictures of my dog "Snikers" for the benefit of Lena. He is a Blue Merle Tri-Color Sheltie I adopted three years ago from an older retired couple. Snickers has one blue and one brown eye which makes him some what unique. His blue eye looks more red in photos with out the red-eye reduction on because of the larger iris. Snickers is very much a "daddy's boy" and follows me everywhere including the bathroom. He is a very plush, soft, and cuddly dog although unlike other breeds with long hair, Shelties don't have the typical doggie odor problem. A bath once per month and a brushing once a week keeps the mats out and him looking sharp. Although he's almost 9, I try to keep him active. I find that letting him make friends with people, cats and even other dogs when we go on walks has it's benefits. He is also a very mild mannered dog. I attribute that to the fact that I try to keep him active on a regular basis. It certainly helps keeps him from being... Read more

Shelties are amazing little dogs, but aren't couch potatoes. They need a job, or at least a long daily walk, or else they'll end up acting crazy, or even snappy. If you want an active, intelligent, and beautiful dog, a Sheltie might be for you. But if you just like the way they look, and don't want to exercise and train with him or her, don't get one. Get a stuffed dog. They aren't good with mean kids. A polite and friendly child, maybe, but the kid whose always rough and yells or kicks will drive a Sheltie to the edge.

All I have to say is it's the owner not the dog! Train them right from the beginning they can be the best!

These dogs are neurotic!

While they are beautiful little dogs, as someone else stated, they are yappy and snappy.  We took my Mom's Sheltie in when she passed away 5 years ago and while we love her, the barking at everything gets real annoying.  She's also constantly in our Dobe's face snarling at him, so we have to keep them separated just so she doesn't drive him nuts.  The other thing is that she's constantly underfoot, and if you so much as bump her she's snapping at you too.

They look pretty but I wouldn't recommend them to anybody. But thats just my opinion.

Shelties are really cute and beautiful dogs. They're extremly smart. But they are yappy and snappy even to their owners. They would be in one of my fave breed list if one wouldn't have snapped and bit my dog.

Wonderful dogs. My Prince was also a herder and a barker. A very sweet and affectionate dog, I unfortunately lost him to pancreatic cancer in June,'04 at 8 years old. This is one breed I would recommend to anyone .

Kit was a herding dog through and through. He tried to keep us all in the same room. He barked if anyone left or entered the house, even if he had known the person for years. He got into any food on the floor. He was wicked smart - if I picked up my shoes or started towards the door, he barked at me. He constantly tipped over the garbage can when we were gone. If we let him outside, he would try and run away. He had bad skin, a bad knee, and reacted badly to medicine. He died this year of an enlarged heart. For all his faults we loved him anyway.

georgous little dogs.. my grandmother had one when i was just a kid. i loved him. such a sweetheart.

Okay, now I am going to make everyone cry. I had a beautiful sheltie named Yarrow. She was a wonderful, well minded, and VERY affectionate dog, all of her 8 1/2 years. One of her favorite things to do was to go to the farm and attempt to herd the cows. They, of course, ignored her, so she would end up herding the children. I have never owned a better dog. We lost her two years ago. We arrived home after my wife had surgery (another sad story) to find her standing head first into the wall, swaying, and unresponsive to calls. After about an hour, she was still glassy eyed, but would at least wiggle her tail when called, then the convulsions came. The Vet told us that it was a type of stroke; probably genetic. So, be careful and get your dog from a reputable breader (we did) and check references (we didn't).