It is also possible to be very active with a Sheltie. Shelties have an enormous * will to please*, this means they love to work for their owner.
* Herding *
The Sheltie is a herdingdog, so herding sheep might be a very nice activity to do with your Sheltie. One thing though: your Sheltie must have the *feeling* for it!
It isn't always easy
for such a small dog to do work like this! And it can also be difficult for the owner to
keep in touch with the dog. But with your voice and a good doses of trust you can achieve
quite a lot.
When they're working, Shelties bark quite a lot and when a sheep doesn't do what the Sheltie wants it to do he/she can receive a (sometimes nasty) nibble in a rearleg.
It is very important that the sheep are used to dogs and
they must have a certain amount of respect for the dog. This respect however must be
earned by the dog, because those who are afraid or insecure for instance, can get
themselves into a lot of trouble being kicked at or rammed with the horns.
* Agility *
Agility is a very popular activity in the Netherlands. Shelties are competing in the top!
Here's a photo of Gwendy and me
during an
Agility-contest. This of course doesn't come along by it self. Once again your Sheltie
must have the *feeling* for it and then you can start to learn your Sheltie everything within Agility step by step. After a while you are
both good enough to try a little competing with others. Be aware however that
Shelties can be very enthousiastic once they know what's expected of them, so
don't start overdoing things...!!!
Gwensigor's Catchy Jackie: Agility Champion 2002
Jackie also became 3rd at the World Championship Agility in Dortmund 2002.
We are however sad that Jackie has been badly injured twice because of the heavy training. It's OK if you want to achieve something at the top, as long as this doesn't cause any health problems for the dog...!!!