Barbara... sheltie question

I was wondering if you knew whether shelties come in the smooth (short) coat like the smooth collies do?

As a previous owner of shelties I would say no. It would be considered the ultimate fault and would have to be the result of crossbreeding. (Barbara will correct me if I am wrong... )

Hi,
no, they don't, but some have less coat than others. I have a male with a huge coat, but two of my females are quite moderate and another has a shortish coat. My sister has a couple that are dripping with coat.
The ones with less coat still have the lovely petticoats, just less over the body.
Barbara B

Ok... no worries... I was hoping there would be a short coat version... I don't want to have to groom all the time.

Hi Simon,
the coat wouldn't be a reason not to have one. I've had up to seven or eight at a time and I didn't spend all my time grooming them.
It's like any trade or business - it's easy if you have the correct tools for the job.
Mine get a regular flick-over with a nylon and bristle brush, mostly just before we're going out somewhere. The only time they need intensive grooming is when they drop their coat, which is once a year with males and spayed females, twice a year if the bitch isn't spayed. You'd be looking at a combing every few days for a couple of weeks. It's just combing them out with an ordinary metal comb to get their undercoat out.
If you decide to get one, your problem will be finding one. They're few and far between everywhere. They don't have big litters and there's a National Show on in May this year - breeders are putting off having litters so they can enter it.
Barbara B

At the moment, the long coat is the reason to look at another breed. I don't have the time to groom it at the moment. I have a lot of the right tools to do it now; roller combs, cut combs, etc.... for my long haired bunnies... I'm cutting them back too as I don't have the time to put into grooming them. I have a lot of burrs here too... my two dogs already need more coat attention than I can give them.

Hi Simon,
have a look at Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Apparently they're similar in nature to shelties.
Barbara B

Barbara, your Shelties are Soooooo pretty as are Betty's. I love their long coats and the King Charles Spaniels, I just love thoses long hairy ears and big eyes.

Hi Carole,
I like them because they're so trainable. We've had so much fun with them over the years. My best tracking dog was a sheltie.
Barbara B

Yeah.... not a fan of CKCS... I had a Welsh Springer Spaniel once... would get another one of them in a flash.