Shelties

brandis sire has the look that i love and would really like in my next sheltie,
unless i import from the U.S which is highly unlikely it will be harder to get hold of a dog with such an appearance.
Its ok though, as both lines title in the show ring, but i might be able to find a line in the UK that has US imports.

i dont mind the foxy expression and look,
who knows, maybe further on in my life i will get an import from american kennels, lol

do you show brandi btw?

Oh your dog is beautiful!! I was wondering what makes some of their ears point up and some for the tip to bend over? My dogs ears are straight up.

Shelties are sooo pretty & are very sweet, funny dogs. I was actually on the verge of looking into a blue boy a few months ago, because a friend had a litter from working parents ;P I dunno if I could handle so much hair, though!

Absolutely meet both parents, and preferably look for parents whose temperaments have been tested in some way. You do *not* want a shy Sheltie, it has become pretty common in the breed, and the breed is not meant to be excessively shy. You want a pup that is raised in-home and thoroughly socialized by the breeder, and make sure the pups are kept with Mom until at least 8 weeks. If I were you, I would totally require parents & lineage that has been proven on stock, but that's me ^_^ I feel proving herding ability is more important for preserving ANY herding breed than conformation. I rank temperament/rearing/socializing 1st, soundness/health/herding ability 2nd, and conformation 3rd - although all of these points must be included into any reputable breeder's program.

I think the biggest hearbreak for a Sheltie breeder is that absolutely GORGEOUS oversized dog.

Good luck in your search!

I'm so glad to find some sheltie lovers on here This is my favorite breed ever and I will probably always have to have at least one. They are like potato chips

Here is a link with all the sheltie colors and examples of all of them

http://www.laureate.ca/sheltiecolours.html

Unfortunately Brandi's show career was cut short at the age of two. She did not pass her hip exam to qualify for breeding by OFA. She tested only fair and the breeders in our area will only breed dogs testing good or excellent. She has been spayed and is now a pampered house pet.

Hey not to repeat myself be can anyone tell me about their ears? How come some stand up pointed and some flop over at the top? Is there any reasoning behind this? Is one right and the other wrong?

See? My old man Max's ears stand straight up and the others I have seen here don't:

Its all in how the ears are formed as well, and how well they are delbt with at a young age - ie. gluing/taping.

Both are shelties are from the same litter, Crosbie has "picture perfect" Sheltie ears, hes SUCH a beautiful sheltie.. BUT hes oversized... Our breeders were almost in tears when they measured him out before he was nuetered. He also doesn't have a nice backend or tail though.

Our little female has semi-pricked ears. We tried gluing them when she was younger but either Riot, or herself ripped them out.

We once had a litter of pups, where some were too heavy with ears, others were perfect.

You can't do too much with "heavy" ears though.

So is it like the standard for Shelties to have ears that flip down at the tip? Is that what is expected when showing? I guess it probably isn't genetic or anything. What is the reason for gluing them to flip down? Why is that a necessary thing to do?

Thanks for answering my questions. I have no idea.

It is AKC standard for them to tip at the top 1/4, yes.

It's not entirely a "not genetic" thing. Some dogs don't need any help to get the tip, and others need lots and lots of help - but it's not something you can predict, as ears also like to misbehave during teething. So breeders glue (or use other methods to train them) to start the ears off on the right track rather than trying to correct it later.

The reason for gluing them is because a breeder puts all that work into breeding good, healthy dogs to improve the breed and fit the standard - so the question, really, is what is the reason for NOT glueing them down?
Auggie is my pet and not a showdog, it's true... but I put a lot of time and money into finding a great breeder and a great line of dogs that ARE showdogs. I wouldn't blow all of that by not sticking his ears down two or three times to help them along, haha!


Hope that helps explain it for you... I'm still surprised at how many people don't know about training ears to tip (and how many people told me I was mean, or acted shocked and horrified, when I told them "what's up with Auggie's ears?") But then again, we had a collie when I was a kid and now it's shelties, so it's something I've literally been aware of all my life...

Shelties can have prick ears or tip ears. It all depends on the genetics of the parents. It is not a fault for them to have the prick ears, however a sheltie is known for their curled ears. Breeders have been known to "set" the ears with a strip of lambs wool glued to the ears to shorten the muscle between the ears, and also tip a pup's ears and glue them down to help them form correctly. It does not hurt the dog and will make the head set much more appealing.

omg i just fell in love!!!!

check out blaze on this page http://www.goodtimeshelties.com/available.htm

Ohh ok I see. I dont think it is weird that you glue their ears or even cruel, it's not like that hurts them. I was just wondering what the purpose is. I am not into showing or breeding but I have watched the Westminister and Eukanuba Dog Shows most of my life and always noticed Shelties having their ears tipped like that. Then I adopted mine from a rescue and his weren't so I wondered what the big deal is. I love how they look with the ears tipped, it is adorable. My Sheltie is like 8 or so so probably too late to do anything about that huh? hehe

Ear setting has to be done in their formative months between 2 and 8 months when their muscles are still growing.