Puppy - what's worth buying and what's not

greensalad

ka7e said:

Fellow Sheltie owner here!

I would recommend early socialisation and carry your puppy to as many places as possible before his vax immunity kicks in. Shelties can be quite robust and out-going if they're introduced sensibly to lots of new experiences when young, but they can be overly sensitive and nervous if overwhelmed. They are also reckoned to be one of the most vocal dog breeds, so early training on the "quiet" command is advised....my 2 have never mastered it *sigh*.

They are also one of the most intelligent breeds and love to learn. I have quite a few enrichment games and they master them very quickly.

A good fitted harness is a must. Shelties have a very slim skull profile and a collar can easily be slipped off.

One huge note of caution - please get your Sheltie tested for the MDR1 (multidrug resistance 1) gene mutation, even if his breeder claims the parents are genetically clear. The use of certain drugs including some anaesthetics and wormers can have devastating neurological effects on herding breeds. Do your research and make sure your vet is aware of possible drug sensitivity with your dog. Both mine are only carriers but are treated as "affected" to avoid any risks.

I recommend the All4Shelties group on Facebook and contacting your local English Shetland Sheepdog Club branch, as many hold group meetings, walks and social events https://www.essc.org.uk/links.htm

Nice to hear of another sheltie owner! I have, to be honest, never met one before. I chose his breed entirely based on research and what I wanted from a dog and tried to keep an open mind to all breeds. Landed on the pastoral group as we have cats and lots of friends with small children. Finally, my OH wanted a dog on the smaller side so Sheltie it became. 

Thanks for the socialisation tips. We have lots of plans. At the moment we're trying to teal with our sensitive tummy issues before we can really start to socialise/carry him about. But we had a car journey this morning (we had to go drop our car at a bodywork place and take the hire car with us so he had no choice but to come!) Later we have the vets, so another 20 minute car trip. He's been stellar. Once we start getting firmer stools I'm more inclined to take him further afield (like the garden centre where I can carry him) to experience some sights and smells. We also have a puppy playdate already arranged with friends of ours. Their small dog is vaccinated and also gets on very well with other dogs so we're excited about that. 

The barking is something we understand will be an issue and we're going to try our best on a quiet command! Luckily we live somewhere rural where it shouldn't be an issue, and we actually liked the idea of a watchdog anyway. 

Harness has been ordered (Perfect Fit so we can extend the straps). He has a nylon collar at the moment but I've read that Shelties do well with rolled leather collars so not damage their fluff, so once he needs a size upgrade we'll get one of those. I plan to use the harness for walking and a lead just for occasional safety.

Thanks a lot for the heads up on MDR1. I will chat to the vet at lunch but also my sister in law is a vet so I'll send the info her way, maybe she has some thoughts on it. 

I'll check out the group you mentioned. I actually found our pup via our local ESSC! We plan to go to their quarterly meets in the future as they're located in my hometown so we can go visit my Mum (or "Grandma" as I've now started calling her) at the same time. 

ka7e

Sensitive tummies in Shelties is quite common. Mine are fed pre-prepared, frozen raw complete mince and will eat almost anything. My older one carefully picks and eats wild strawberries in the garden, while my tri has suddenly discovered the delights of lettuce.

You mention you have cats - if they toilet in the garden it is almost a certainty your pup will unearth and eat cat poo at some time, so worming your cats with a safe wormer is vital!

Also, as you live in a rural area, beware of sheep and horse manure as they are wormed with ivermectin and it is excreted in doses toxic to some dogs..

greensalad

Just got back from the vets.

She's given me something for his diarrhoea, to try for two days. She's then given me a sample pot. 

She wants to get his bloods sent off for the genetic testing but is just going to get me a price first. She is concerned though about the amount of blood needing to be taken. Considering he's only 2kg she's not sure if she can take enough from him. But we'll wait and see. 

We do have cats but they are indoors so no issues there, he's separate from the litter box as it's upstairs. 

We do live in a rural area but not a lot of sheep around as we're a hamlet surrounded by fruit farms rather than animal farms! But very good idea on keeping him off. 

Hopefully we can get the testing done nice and quickly so we can be confident in where he can go. 

Vet has said he can start going outside on the ground in public one week from now. She's concerned if we wait until the full vax course is done (he only has 1 thing left) he won't get socialised enough and she felt it was more important long term to be well socialised than the small risk of contracting something. So this week we're going to focus on his harness exposure and then hopefully from next week we can start taking him out. We're going to carry him to the park over the road and then see how he does walking around, then carry him back so as not to wear him out.

ka7e

Genetic testing for MDR1 is commonly done using buccal swabs, scraping a sample of cells from inside the cheek, rather than analysing blood. This is a DIY method and works out cheaper than having a vet take a sample! The DNA analysis company usually send you a swab kit and instructions when you book a test.

greensalad

ka7e said:

Genetic testing for MDR1 is commonly done using buccal swabs, scraping a sample of cells from inside the cheek, rather than analysing blood. This is a DIY method and works out cheaper than having a vet take a sample! The DNA analysis company usually send you a swab kit and instructions when you book a test.

Oh wow that's very interesting. I think the vet was looking at a bundle test which had a few more genetic things in and it was from the specific lab they work with (I noticed on the KC website there are about 5 labs).

Let me investigate, I can ask my sister in law to vet (haha) an available test I find in law as he's a vet!