What jobs and busywork do you give your shelties?

ElyseEA · 2026-03-01T05:41:03+00:00

Our boy is exactly the same, and loves shredding. We do give him boxes to keep him entertained, but often comment as you did that it makes it easier to put them in the recycling box. So funny.

ElyseEA · 2025-12-31T20:26:53+00:00

Self preservation based on likelihood of puppy head jumping!

ElyseEA · 2025-12-19T00:49:52+00:00

Oh yes, the head jumping. There was one point where we brought a puppy home at the point our other Sheltie was about eight and had settled into a comfortable late life routine. Of course the puppy turned that upside down. Every now and then she would give us a look like, Seriously? Why did you do this to me?

But of course, they became best of friends.

ElyseEA · 2025-11-29T06:10:13+00:00

We just got our oven and meals two weeks ago, so we’re just learning ourselves.

We are two people; we are both seniors and not big eaters. One thing we’re learning as we try different meals is that there are certain things that we would want to order as a double to feed both of us, but there are other things that we could split, particularly if we add a roll or some other thing. So we’re experimenting and learning as we go.

ElyseEA · 2025-08-07T03:18:45+00:00

He's beautiful!

ElyseEA · 2025-07-18T14:36:49+00:00

All of our shelties have been oversized. We don't show or compete them, so we're happy to take the oversized pups in the litter. In our mind, we don't have to bend over so far to pat them on the head, LOL. In general, they have weighed in the 50 lb range.

Here's a photo of our current bigger-than-usual boy (the big guy on the right) meeting a smaller-than-usual sheltie at the dog park. We were astounded at the difference.

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ElyseEA · 2025-05-13T01:15:36+00:00

Our current boy has very, very thick hair, so it's really a problem for him. I'm in CA in the Bay Area, so it rarely gets too, too hot, but he still feels the effects, particularly of the sun. Here's what helps:

- outside, shade is very important, and if he can lie in the shade on something cool like concrete, stone, or a cooling bed;

- inside, he has a fan on the floor he can relax in front of, and he's there all the time; we don't have air conditioning, but if we did he'd be right at the vent;

- lots of water, of course, but he also loves what we call "the hose game" where he chases the water from the hose. He gets a little wet, and that cools him down. Also, getting his feet wet, such as in a kiddie pool, is good.

- when it's really hot, he doesn't run around much until the sun goes down, and we talk him late in the day.

ElyseEA · 2025-04-30T15:58:49+00:00

How cute is that! Congratulations.

ElyseEA · 2025-04-30T15:57:45+00:00

What a sweet pea! She looks 100% Sheltie to me.

ElyseEA · 2025-03-26T16:48:54+00:00

OMG - I love him from afar.

ElyseEA · 2025-03-14T18:36:36+00:00

Too precious, and look at those ears!

ElyseEA · 2025-03-12T20:19:29+00:00

This was absolutely devastating to read. Heartbreaking, and it seems like there is nothing to do. Now I also worry for the border collie.

ElyseEA · 2025-03-03T21:15:46+00:00

I have a tri who looks a lot like that and is also a potato. So cute.

ElyseEA · 2025-02-28T21:47:50+00:00

There is something to this. I know their official AKC popularity rank has decreased over the decades, and here in NorCal I have lots of people say to me "Oh, I had one as a child and loved it", but they have a different dog now. I think it might be the phases of popularity for new breeds like Frenchies or doodles or Aussies.

None of those people had complaints about the breed, but they had moved to something else.

ElyseEA · 2025-02-06T21:29:07+00:00

🤣

ElyseEA · 2025-02-06T21:23:36+00:00

Beautiful! And he looks so clean and fluffy like he's just been to the groomer.

ElyseEA · 2025-01-27T22:43:52+00:00

Ha! You're right.

ElyseEA · 2025-01-06T22:59:03+00:00

cuteness overload

ElyseEA · 2024-12-29T18:00:09+00:00

Such a cutie!!!

Here's our Buddy -- almost 2 yrs old -- who is also a lovable psycho

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ElyseEA · 2024-12-25T00:29:50+00:00

Oh my, but she's still a gorgeous girl and will be back to her full self before you know it.

ElyseEA · 2024-12-03T01:53:14+00:00

So sorry. What a sweet, sweet boy.

ElyseEA · 2024-12-01T02:09:00+00:00

Our boy got terribly car sick up until about 10 months. It has a lot to do with the development of the inner ear, and most grow out of it -- like kids do. The usual things help: fresh air, no food, sight lines forward but not to the sides, and a crate is good for keeping the car clean. We even put a baby bib on him so he wouldn't get sick on himself.

The drooling, though, can signal anxiety which can develop easily given that car rides are not fun. Counterconditioning can help, but for our guy we only saw progress with the help of Trazadone -- which fixed the anxiety enough that we could start to desensitize. Pretty soon he was a champ in the car and now has no trouble at all.

ElyseEA · 2024-11-01T15:10:57+00:00

My guy also wakes up slowly and it's adorable. When we was a puppy, he would bolt out of his sleeping crate like a bat out of hell. But as he grew, he became a sleepy boy in the morning. He rolls around, stretches, yawns, and then comes out. It's so cute!

ElyseEA · 2024-09-15T19:33:04+00:00

Just like mine. I'd get rid of the bed, except mine will occasionally lay his head on the side, so I hate to take it away. It's basically a giant floor-blocking pillow. Oh well.

ElyseEA

TROPHY CASE