pzoo9

My parents got her in Richmond,VA. I was 12, so I don't know the breeder. She came to us because she was too tall for show. She wasn't sickly by any means. I was not the primary care giver so my dates might not be accurate. I was 12. She lived to be 14 years. The breed is prone to skin problems and cancer. We also dipped her because the topical flea stuff was only in the experimental stages 3 years after her passing. I think the dipping may have had something to do with the skin problems. :( I see too many people insisting on a purebred and making uinformed choices. I love this breed but it only takes a few irresponsible owners to ruin it for everyone. Example close to home, our neighbors have a beautiful male Dal. He is also unneutered, they didn't bother to leash train him and they exercise him by letting him run lose at night in the neighborhood. We live near a highway. I think that is a slice of the good things going on in his life so no small wonder he has potential to be a fear biter. He is sweet to us and accompanies us free form on our walks with our dogs some nights.

I have a photo going up on the breeds list as "Mixed Breed" Tristan und Isolde. It is not the best photo of her, but she is sitting pretty with my other dog. I have a better one, but I don't know how to attach in here. How does it work? She has prick ears and is very shy so, she holds her ears back a lot. At rest, they stick out at 11:00 and 1:00. At attention they are straight up. She is probably just a mix of cattledog and something fuzzy. I still love her though. She has a merle and black mask, brown boots and the underside of her face is brown. Her back end is growing long and white. We joke that maybe she put her "collar" on backwards. She weighs around 25 lbs. Thank you for your responses. [/img]

I had a Dalmation, Brendle, growing up. She lived 14 years. Everything you have read about them being "high energy" is true. I love them still, but if you aren't an active outdoors person and don't have a fenced yard chose another breed. Brendle was a chewer for 7 years easily. Furniture, wallpaper, stuffed animals, etc. My mother took her running 3-5 miles [b][u]every day [/u][/b]and played with 4 kids in our family and she still had energy to burn. My parents were not experienced dog owners, so I am sure there were things that could have been done to correct it sooner. Friends of ours have a rescue and since they are bred to follow carriages, they run their dog several miles daily with a golf cart. That keeps him satified. Once the destructiveness stopped, other problems Brendle had were skin problems like dermatitis and she developed cysts and skin cancer. She also had arthritis in her hips around 10. She lived to be 14 years old. Also, you need to like wearing fur. Your black clothes show the white and white clothes show the black fur. We did not have any problems with biting or aggressiveness. I love this breed, but with my current lifestyle I couldn't own another one. They are great dogs, for owners with their eyes open.

I have adopted a dog from the Shelter that could be a sheltie. It is a stretch though. She is blue Merle, but she does not have the signature white collar or chest. I have never seen a photo of a Sheltie without those markings. Does this ever happen? I know that there are a lot of "pet quality" dogs out there. A sheltie owner has told me that this is a very rare occurance. Any breeders with an opinion?

I know this is an old post, but I have heard about Mini-Aussies. I adopted a dog from the shelter that could pass, so I was curious too. Her fur is growing in and she is proving to be a sheltie cross. In my research I have found that the mini-Aussie is just an Aussie line that crosses the smallest of the litter with the smallest. The AKC and UKC do not accept this line as an actual breed. They state essentially that it is playing with genetic fire. There is a breeder in our area, and the word on the street is they do not have very nice personalities.

Those are both good ideas. As far as tracking, she does like to look for food on the beach. (Most of which is not good for her.) When my other dog is playing fetch, she is exploring. Food is one of her favorite things. Between her jumping ability and food, it is amazing she is not a counter surfer. I agree that she probably needs more consistant positive attention. In the last 5 months she has been treated for heartworm and recently spayed. Not the healthiest in the pound. That is a lot for a little dog to handle. So patience and kindness may very well be the answer. We are still learning about each other. Thanks so much for your help.

This is my first post, so bear with me. :D I have a mixed Sheltie/Aussie/Heeler (not really sure) which I adopted from the shelter. We have had her 6 months and gotten her through a variety of health issues. She had a tough life, but seems to have come out of it well. She is obeys basic obedience commands and a is fast learner. She enjoys obedience. However, she is not really interested in playing. There aren't any agility classes available in the area. I have explored this extensively and there is no interest in my circle of local friends with dogs. The nearest AMBOR group is 4 hours away and the local kennel club is more for purebred Labrador Retrievers and hunting. Any creative suggestions for one on one games? She doesn't care for fetch and tug of war is not a good idea for her. We have a second dog. I try to spend time with each separately. This is where a game would come in handy after obedience practice.