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From: Abby/Sheltie Breeder
Date: 10 Nov 2004
Time: 21:28:13 -0600
Remote Name: 67.250.216.229
If a breeder says they breed Mini's or Toys RUN FOR THE HILLS! There is no such thing as a mini or toy sheltie. What these breeders are doing is PURPOSELY diviating from the standard and obviously they are not even making an attempt to better the breed (which should be the goal of any REPUTABLE breeder). Either they are purposely deceiving the general public by saying there is a seperate "breed" (like there is for poodles) for small shelties - OR they don't know enough about shelties to know their is no such thing (kind of scary if you think about it since they are breeding). For some odd reason it has been come trendy for folks to breed itty bitty teeny weeny dogs (I've seen tea cup versions of Yorkies and other already toy breeds advertised - can't even imagine how small these would be!). The sheltie (or Shetland Sheepdog) standard is 13-16 inches. Anything in that range is considered "Standard size". With our breed there can be a huge variance in size because of crosses that were made while the standard was being set - which is why it is not unheard of to see a 20 inch sheltie and a 11 inch sheltie FROM THE SAME LITTER. Ideally you would want to find a breeder that knows a lot of history behing their line and can give you a really good estimate of what size their puppy will be as an adult based on passed puppies and ancestors. 8 week size DOES NOT tell you this. (We have had a puppy that was 4 lbs at 8 weeks turn out to be 17 inches and 40 lbs and he has a sister from the same litter that was 6 1/2 lbs at 8 weeks and she is now 15 inches and 25 lbs) The only way a breeder can have great insight into this is if they have seen lots of puppies from their line and if they know a lot of history into the line. Even then the puppy CAN still surprise you. Obviously you want to stay within standard if you are aiming to better the breed - but also the standard is there for function and health reasons. Imagine a 10 inch sheltie trying to herd sheep. Not a great picture. Now imagine a nice 15 inch sheltie doing the job and it makes more sense. Even though you don't plan to herd, the standard is still there in order to optimize the health of the dog, structure wise. It is actually pretty common to see more health issues in the itty bitty shelties. The biggest thing I have seen/heard of is the occurance of pattellar luxation (where the knee joint is too small for the knee cap and the joint pops in and out freely - requires a spendy surgery to correct in order to prevent crippling and from what my vet explained to me usually means your dog won't be doing agility and shouldn't even be jumping off of furniture - I have a female I "rescued" (she's spayed) from a puppy mill advertising toys and mini's that has pattellar luxation in both rear legs). This is common in toy breeds, like poodles, which is why the super small shelties are more prone to it - but it shouldn't be a problem our breed suffers from. Unfortunately it is becoming so because of those breeders who are trying to make shelties so small. You will also find that they are priced in a higher range. This is because the breeders think these are some kind of rare "designer" dogs. Actually they have a disqualifing fault that means they would never make it to the show ring - which I think means they should be marked down in price. My recommendation - try and find a good, reputable breeder who can show you some pictures of past puppies, or can show you older siblings that they have on premises from previous litters. You say you want a smaller sheltie since you live in an apartment - Aim for something in the standard. Truthfull, since you are only looking at a 3 inch variable any size of standard sheltie would do fine in an apartment and a 13 inch is going to require the same amount of excercise and attention that a 16 inch requires. It's such a minute difference in the size (if you have a chance to see two side by side it would help you see it - or just look at a ruler and see the size difference)that is doesn't make enough of a difference to matter. Your other option - talk to a breeder and aim for the little guy/girl in a standard sized litter (where both parents are in standard). It doesn't guarantee that you are going to get a small sheltie, but may be your best bet (and will have the least chance of a health problem as most are genetically inherited). If you can't tell I get a little worked up about those claiming to breed "Mini's". There are a lot of breeders that work really hard at improving the breed. So when you run into a breeder (or hear about) that is purposely doing something that is counterproductive it stinks. My last bit of advice - choose a breeder that you feel comfortable with concerning YOUR relationship with them. If you adopt a puppy from a good breeder the breeder comes with the puppy in a sense. This means you get their support as you raise your little one - and just think about IF a health issue comes up. Do you want a breeder that you feel will honor their health guarantee with no fuss and with complete understanding - or do you want one that is going to fight you tooth and nail? Also, breeders that are willing to answer your questions eagerly now mean they will be easy to deal with later as well. And finally - make sure your breeder asks YOU lots of questions. If they show an interest in the quality of home you will be willing to provide it means they have an emotional investment in the puppy - which means he or she will have had lots of love and handling right from the start, which is really important in order to have a well socialized, friendly adult sheltie. If the breeder views the puppy as merchandise to be sold they probably don't care enough about the puppy to make sure they are well taken care of and well handled. Let me know if you have more questions! Abby