getting a Sheltie puppy - what size crate?

[Tiffany]

In the books I have read and here on CC it says the crate needs to be big enough for the dog to turn around in when it is full grown. But how big is that? I bought a 30" crate but have't taken it out of the box yet since we haven't picked up the pup yet. It is the life stages kind, is 30" big enough for when it will be full grown.

Are there any other sheltie ownders out there, what size crate do you have. And do you have any tips for a soon to be sheltie owner?

[TerpsFan]

We had a sheltie growing up. She's was the cutest thing ever. We got her from a breeder of showdog shelties (she was the runt and didn't have the "correct" ears---they stood straight up instead of bending). We got her when she was about 1.5/2 yrs old. We had a fairly large crate that she used just when we brought her home. She was terrified when we first brought her home (we suspect she underwent some sort of abuse) so my little sister (around 8 at the time) would crawl in there and hug her. So, our crate was big enough to fit grown dog and little girl??? Sorry for the vague answer.

Enjoy your sheltie! Our Little Bit passed away about 2 years ago. We really miss her always "herding us in".

[Tiffany]

I have read that they will try to herd you or even cats. I am really exicted, this will be our first dog. I had one growing up but my parents took all the responsibility of training her and things like that. Sadly my parents had to put her to sleep just last weekend. Bad timing on my part getting dog right now, but my parents are excited and are actually going to come with us to look at the pups.
The owners said that they have two boys that are more petite and two girls which are bigger. We aren't sure if we want to get a male or female, we don't have a preference really, we are just going to see whihc dog we like the most when we are there.

[TerpsFan]

They are really great dogs. They definitely herd you. Our dog was always running from room to room "checking up" on us and making sure everyone was in there place. When we let her outside she would even run circles around the house. When someone left the house or came into the house she would bark at them like we were "leaving the herd". We think she was a bit neurotic... anyway, it was cute and we miss her tremendously. We had a cat also and while they didn't get along, they pretty much just left each other alone. The one downside...THE HAIR!!! tons and tons of hair. We were constantly vacumming...

[2kCougar]

My sheltie wouldn't go into an oversized crate. She loves to cram herself into the smallest of spaces. That being said, she can stand up and turn around in her crate. Its 32"L x 23"H.

They'll learn quick, and it may not always be what you want them to learn. We got our pup at 4 months and started training her as quickly as we could.

Oh yes, there will be fur. You will find fluffy stuff all over your clothes, furniture, rugs--everywhere! Plan on spending at least (bare minimum!) 1 hour a week on grooming. Get an undercoat rake, metal comb, stripping knife (godsend to sheltie owners) and some spray-on detangler. Soft and squishy brushes don't do a thing for their fur so don't bother.

Congrats on the new pup! They are the best dogs in the world!

[Anathea]

Oh Post pics when you bring he/she home- I would love to see! We had a sable sheltie growing up and my parents have a mural sheltie now. Both of them were/are the biggest sweethearts on the planet. What colour markings are the pups that you are looking at? Are they the smaller shelties or the little bit larger shelties? Eg. My mom's sheltie is very oversized and they got him a crate almost big enough for a lab (I think my sister climbed in there when we got it). He didnt' use it for very long though...he has a dog house outside that he hangs out in.

Yes they do herd, my mom used to yell "bring em in" and both dogs would take off and round us up. They never nipped at our ankles or anything like that but they would bark at us. I have found and this could be a huge generalization that the females tend to be a little bit more timid then the males.

Good luck- I hope you find a great puppy :D

[Tiffany]

Well, we got one of the little boys. He is so adorable, but whew, he wears me out. He is great in his crate though. We play a lot before he goes in, cuddle a little and he lays right down and stays asleep all night long. We even had a nasty storm and he stayed quiet all night long.

So here is a couple pictures, it is so hard to get good pictures since he is always on the move

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dd32b3127cce97a7846f9d8900000016108AcNXLZo4aNI

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dd32b3127cce97a7846d9d8b00000016108AcNXLZo4aNI

Now I just need to figure out what to call him. With my cats, a name just sort of jumped out at me. He came with the name Peanut, and I think that is really cute for him but I don't know if I like that for when he is an adult. I had thought of Cody before we got him but now I don't know that he seems like a Cody. We need to pick something soon other wise is is going to think his name is 'puppy' or 'good boy'

Fingers crossed his puppy exam goes well today.

[Kanga]

Awwww! I love sheltie pups! We had a tri color growing up and he was the best, although my dad nicknamed him schitzo (schitzophrenic...sp).

Where do I start? As he aged he had an abnormal fear of strangers. He would go ballistic when anybody rang the doorbell, run to it and bounce off the side glass panel over and over again and bark constantly until he was put in his kennel. We had one family friend that came over to our house almost every weekend for years, and he did this every.single.time.

I make him out to sound like an awefull dog, but he was only this way with strangers and great the rest of the time. Once kenneled for 30 minutes or so we would let him out, he'd barke under his breath a couple times and then proceed to check everyone out and then he would be ok. Once he even nipped at the ankle of an "intruder" trying to chase him away, so needless to say small children and those who couldn't read body language of dogs were not allowed around him without extremly close supervision. I don't mean to scare you but just wanted to let you know what can happen with these dogs if not socialized properly. When my parents got him we lived in the boonies so rarely did we have people over. When he was just with the family he was the sweetest dog ever. Very much a lap dog.

As far as a crate goes, I don't think we had one bigger than 30". Usually the packaging says what type of breeds are best for that size. So if yours doesn't have that, maybe look at a different one about the same size.