Lizzie
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Dec 6, 2015 22:24:46 GMT
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Post by Lizzie on Aug 9, 2015 16:13:28 GMT
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Azayles
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Feb 13, 2023 3:21:17 GMT
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Post by Azayles on Aug 9, 2015 16:54:03 GMT
Oh the hair! I'm a big sucker for floofy dogs When our dog, Rosie has gone a time without being clipped, she gets adorably shaggy I love that picture of her third one down that's nose-on, the angle and the lighting in that is just awesome Such a moody shot! That tiny eye glint.
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ping
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Mar 23, 2017 16:21:07 GMT
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Post by ping on Aug 9, 2015 17:37:21 GMT
She's GORGEOUS! I'd love to hear anything you have to say about experience with Shelties, tbh. My partner and I are currently considering a future dog, and Shelties had cropped up in conversation.... What are they like in terms of daily needs, training, sociability, being left alone, mental stimulation requirements, shedding,etc. Sorry for the mass of questions
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n i n j a
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Sept 25, 2015 0:16:53 GMT
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Post by n i n j a on Aug 9, 2015 21:12:57 GMT
Ahhhhh! I adore shelties! What an adorable and fluffy baby!
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Lizzie
Posts: 70
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Dec 6, 2015 22:24:46 GMT
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Post by Lizzie on Aug 11, 2015 18:30:04 GMT
She's GORGEOUS! I'd love to hear anything you have to say about experience with Shelties, tbh. My partner and I are currently considering a future dog, and Shelties had cropped up in conversation.... What are they like in terms of daily needs, training, sociability, being left alone, mental stimulation requirements, shedding,etc. Sorry for the mass of questions Thanks guys! Ive forgotten to check back on this thread . Daily needs for her include feeding (obviously), walking (they are pretty energetic and Sophie needs at least 2 15 minute walks a day preferably longer), and general love and attention. We also brush her every 2 weeks in the off seasons, but during the summer, it's nearly every other day). I've found that the shelties I've had (It's not like I've even grown up with another breed of dog) are very smart! My sister has taken it as a personal project to train her. So far she's learned sit, stay, come (still working), roll over, bow, pyew (it's a rather sad trick where you make a 'pyew" sound and Sophie falls over), hugs (my personal favorite), down, up, flip over (like flip a container over), spin, paw, shake (according to my sister there IS a difference ), and more. They have all been relatively easy to train, and we've always used a clicker. As far as sociability, do you mean with dogs or humans? I've had mixed reactions with both. All of the shelties I've had have been female and 2 of the 3 have been alphas. That means that we have had problems every now and then with other dogs, but it's been manageable. As far as with other animals, they do have strong herding instincts which could be a problem with other animals (we did have Sophie jump on top of out past guinea pigs cage and try and paw at them) but as long as you can keep them relatively separate, I see no issue with having some other pets in the house hold. Strangers are... a different story. My very first dog, Liza Jane, was definitely my mom's girl. I was only 3 when she had to be put down at the age of 15.5, but she was a very shy girl. It feels like she imprinted on my mom as when she rescued her she was being bullied by the other dogs in the house and was terrified of everything. She continued to be like this her entire life. She was definitely an extreme case but it has seemed that for all of our dogs, they need to get to know a person before being over the top friendly. Mental Stimulation: Long response short is that shelties need a lot of mental stimulation. As I have said before, they are very sharp and bright dogs and need something to do during a good part of the day. Trust me when I say that you will know if they are bored. Sophie becomes very loud and barky (that's the best word to describe it) if she is. If somebody isnt home all day, it would definitely be beneficial to enroll your dog in a day care program. This obviously depends on age as we've gotten to the point where she can be left at home for longer periods of time with the backyard door open and be okay for a bit. Sophie is definitely a big shedder and needs to be brushed often. This may be a bit gross but do to her long fur she also has to be washed a bit more often than some of the other dogs we've had as poop gets caught in the fur on her bum.De-shedding shampoos can help with the fur, but all in all it's nothing a very good brushing cant take care of. Illnesses: These are just my experiences but the most common illness that has occurred with our shelties is arthritis. Liza Jane started showing symptoms around 8 years old, Mandy around 6, and Sophie is already showing some signs at 4.5 (although she also hurt her paw when she was 3 and it could be because of the pressure put on her other joints at that time). It's obviously not very pleasant for them but some doggie safe pain killers have helped with all of them. I hope this will help, and I'm sorry it's so long and that I've been rambling a bit . If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer them . Lizzie
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