Welcome to Suffolk Shelties!
Our females have retired there will be no more litters.
We are located in the Holland area of Suffolk, Virginia.
The Shetland sheepdog is lively, intelligent, playful, trainable, and willing to please and obey. They
are loving, loyal, and affectionate with their family, but are naturally aloof with strangers; for this reason Shelties must be socialized.
Shelties are vocal dogs, and are very alert to outside stimuli. The average Sheltie is an excellent watch dog.
Shelties have a high level of intelligence. According to Dr. Stanley Coren, an expert on animal intelligence, the Shetland sheepdog is one of the brightest dogs, ranking 6th out of 132 breeds tested. His research found that an average Sheltie could understand a new command in less than 5 repetitions and would obey a command the first time it was given 95% of the time or better.
Sheltie quirks
* The Sheltie spin - Some Shelties get so excited or anxious that they perform a fast series of tight spins without chasing their tails, a behavior unique to the breed.
* Hearding - The herding instinct is strong in many Shelties. Some may try to herd people and other pets by poking or nipping.
Since Shelties were originally herding dogs, many still exhibit behaviors related to herding such as biting and barking at moving feet or brooms, mops and vacuum cleaners, circling people or objects, and chasing moving objects such as other animals, birds, planes and cars. Obviously, chasing cars can be fatal so don't allow your Sheltie to do this. Shelties love to run in wide-open areas
If you want a dog who...
· Is conveniently-sized, elegant and graceful
· Has a lovely coat that comes in a variety of striking colors
· Is athletic and animated, a swift light-footed runner and jumper
· Has a "soft" personality (sweet, gentle, sensitive)
· Is peaceful with strangers and other animals
· Is bright and attentive and learns very quickly
A Sheltie might be right for you.
· Has a lovely coat that comes in a variety of striking colors
· Is athletic and animated, a swift light-footed runner and jumper
· Has a "soft" personality (sweet, gentle, sensitive)
· Is peaceful with strangers and other animals
· Is bright and attentive and learns very quickly
A Sheltie might be right for you.
Callie had Separation Anxiety
If you don’t want to
deal with…This!
Providing sufficient exercise and mental stimulation to prevent boredom.
"Separation anxiety" (destructiveness and barking) when left alone too much.
I was only gone 20 minutes! It may be necessary to place your Sheltie in a crate/kennel when
you go out for the well being of everyone involved. Shelties want to be with you and are not
happy when left alone for long periods of time. Callie doesn't like to be left alone at all!! She knows when we are going to leave, she goes right into her crate.
· Shyness or fearfulness when not socialized enough
· Emotional sensitivity to stress and loud voices
· Chasing and nipping at things that move (Their herding instinct)
· Barking
· Lots of brushing and combing
A Sheltie may not be right for you.
deal with…This!
Providing sufficient exercise and mental stimulation to prevent boredom.
"Separation anxiety" (destructiveness and barking) when left alone too much.
I was only gone 20 minutes! It may be necessary to place your Sheltie in a crate/kennel when
you go out for the well being of everyone involved. Shelties want to be with you and are not
happy when left alone for long periods of time. Callie doesn't like to be left alone at all!! She knows when we are going to leave, she goes right into her crate.
· Shyness or fearfulness when not socialized enough
· Emotional sensitivity to stress and loud voices
· Chasing and nipping at things that move (Their herding instinct)
· Barking
· Lots of brushing and combing
A Sheltie may not be right for you.
Buddy at 7 weeks old
Buddy is our Tri male and was born August 2, 2007. He is all grown up now and he loves his frisbee!! He is the swimmer in the family, he loves to dive into the pool!!
The Sheltie is a beautiful, intelligent, friendly, loyal, affectionate, gentle and quirky dog breed. They are family-oriented dogs, making them very loyal to their human pack. They are also great with kids if you socialize them early.
The Sheltie is a beautiful, intelligent, friendly, loyal, affectionate, gentle and quirky dog breed. They are family-oriented dogs, making them very loyal to their human pack. They are also great with kids if you socialize them early.
Bubby, diving into the pool!
While many owners say that Shelties hate water, it turns out that with the right encouragement, many Shelties take to water like... well, ducks! Just like socializing puppies, if you want your pooch to become a true water sheltie, you need to gently encourage lots of positive swimming experiences when it's young - ideally by nine months.
Why should you encourage water Shelties? Swimming is an
excellent way to keep your Shetland Sheepdog fit, especially if she gets too
lazy to run around. But it's also a great positive experience to give her as a
puppy so she doesn't have the stress of fearing water her whole life.
Why should you encourage water Shelties? Swimming is an
excellent way to keep your Shetland Sheepdog fit, especially if she gets too
lazy to run around. But it's also a great positive experience to give her as a
puppy so she doesn't have the stress of fearing water her whole life.
Callie, lounging at the pool!
Callie was born February 12,2011. She was already 7 months old when we got her, she lived in North Carolina. She is part of our family now and spoiled rotten, as they all are. She is still learning to swim, she likes to sit on the steps and watch every one else before she decides to get in!
Callie was a very shy dog when she came to live with us she might not of had much socialization when she was younger....
Although there is an underlying genetic component to this trait. As a result, some Shetland Sheepdogs can grow up to be fearful of strangers, causing them to alarm bark or run away altogether.
She is loving life right now and we are loving her! Not as nervous but still very cautious when strangers or someone she doesn't see often enough comes around.
Callie was a very shy dog when she came to live with us she might not of had much socialization when she was younger....
Although there is an underlying genetic component to this trait. As a result, some Shetland Sheepdogs can grow up to be fearful of strangers, causing them to alarm bark or run away altogether.
She is loving life right now and we are loving her! Not as nervous but still very cautious when strangers or someone she doesn't see often enough comes around.
Haley at the office!
Haley was born September 12, 2013. She is from North Carolina and she became a apart of our Sheltie family when she was 10 weeks old, also spoiled rotten and we love her very much.
She is very shy and will run and hide until you leave. If you come around often and she gets to know you she will eventually come out of hiding.
She does not like to get in the pool like my other two but she loves the water hose, frisbee and her favorite thing is going to work with mom at the office!
She is very shy and will run and hide until you leave. If you come around often and she gets to know you she will eventually come out of hiding.
She does not like to get in the pool like my other two but she loves the water hose, frisbee and her favorite thing is going to work with mom at the office!
Chase is our Alpha Sheltie!
Chase is the newest addition to our Sheltie family. We kept him from the last litter Callie had on May 24, 1014.We thought Haley and Chase would make beautiful puppies...see them together at the window, Haley on the left, Chase on the right. Of course he loves to come to work with Haley at the office with mom also they get on their bench at the window and watch everything going on outside :-)
He was our Alpha puppy and he still rules! We named him "Chase Beau Barkley"
How he got his name........We had to rush Callie to our vet at 4:30 am Dr Chase met us. Callie had been pushing to long and he said to bring her right in......well we arrived at our vet in 20 minutes and just before we pulled in the male puppy decided it was time to be born! So I delivered him in the back seat of our truck (my husband was driving thanks goodness!) So we named him "Chase" after the Dr Chase who rushed to the office to try and save him and the other 2 puppies....."Beau" because he was so beautiful or should I say handsome....."Barkley" because, yes he is a barker. Shelties can be very vocal dogs and he is extremely vocal and we are working on this with Chase with a lot of love and patience.
Chase is also loving the pool and can catch a frisbee in mid air off all four paws!! Gives his dad a good run :-)
He was our Alpha puppy and he still rules! We named him "Chase Beau Barkley"
How he got his name........We had to rush Callie to our vet at 4:30 am Dr Chase met us. Callie had been pushing to long and he said to bring her right in......well we arrived at our vet in 20 minutes and just before we pulled in the male puppy decided it was time to be born! So I delivered him in the back seat of our truck (my husband was driving thanks goodness!) So we named him "Chase" after the Dr Chase who rushed to the office to try and save him and the other 2 puppies....."Beau" because he was so beautiful or should I say handsome....."Barkley" because, yes he is a barker. Shelties can be very vocal dogs and he is extremely vocal and we are working on this with Chase with a lot of love and patience.
Chase is also loving the pool and can catch a frisbee in mid air off all four paws!! Gives his dad a good run :-)