Sheltie / Poodle mix?

Question

Hey!
So I have some questions. I found some Sheltie/Poodle puppies in a shelter and since I really love shelties I thought that I'd look them up. Butttttt, I have some questions to ask.

#1: How much do they shed? 10 being a LOT 1 being not at all.
#2: How much do they bark? 10 being a LOT 1 being not at all.
#3: How much exercise do they need? (an example would be great!)
#4: Are they hard to house break? 10 being VERY hard 1 being not hard at all.
#5: any other things that I should know?

Thank you! :)

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Because these pups are a mix, some of your questions are going to be very difficult to answer.
For example, #1: How much do they shed?
Well a sheltie tends to shed a lot while poodles shed very little, practically not at all...
Your best bet is to actually see the pups. Those that are double coated (like a sheltie) are going to shed more than those with a coat more like a poodle.
Also be aware that both breed need regular grooming. Because of the double coat Shelties need regular brushing to remove loose fur and prevent matting. Poodles on the other hand need to be clipped by a groomer (unless you know how to do it yourself) quite often. My friend takes her Standard in every 6 weeks. Grooming needs are going to be different for each pup and be dependent on coat type!

#2: IME shelties tend to be pretty vocal. As far as poodles, all of the standards I have met/know have been pretty quiet. I have not met many minis or toys.
However barking is more of a training issue. Any dog can be taught not to bark all of the time. If you find yourself with a big barker Kikopup has a whole series of training videos about barking on her youtube channel. Here is the link to the first video in the seires. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp_l9C1yT… They are all free and of course fabulous!

#3: They probably will need a decent amount of exercise. I would say that they are not likely to need as much exercise as Labs, Huskies, Pointers, etc. but are not going to be as laid back as an English Bulldog or Greyhound. Be prepared to take a long daily walk each day as well as play a game such as fetch.

#4: They shouldn't be too hard to house train as shelties are quite smart and poodles are one of the most intelligent breeds. Also IME most of the time people who are having a hard time house training are doing something incorrectly. It is usually not the dog's fault.
If you want to read up on house training go here:
http://www.dogforum.com/housebreaking-pu…
Lots of really good advice! Everything you will need to do to housetrain a puppy is laid out for you. And again it is free!

#5: Just keep in mind that these are mixed breed puppies. Read up on both shelties and poodles. But even then understand that there no guarantees when it comes to mixed breeds. You just never know what traits are going to pop up!

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thank you so much! You answered all of my questions and put in a lot of extra details. :)

Answer 2

No one can answer your questions.
#1 - depends whether he takes after the poodle (a 1) or a sheltie ( 9), or somewhere in between, since he's a mix.
#2 - depends if he takes after the sheltie (10) or a poodle (5), or somewhere in between.
#3 - depends if he takes after the sheltie (8) or poodle (5) or somewhere in between.
#4 - depends on the individual puppy. Probably a 5 (average).
#5 - when you get a mix, it can be *anything*. No way of knowing until after you get it.

Answer 3

1. there is no way to know how much a mixed breed would shed. it could shed the minimal amounts like a poodle, or it could shed as much as a sheltie

2. barking comes down to TRAINING and keeping the dog stumulated and exercized. Shelties as I understand tend to be barkers tho- some just simply bark to hear their own voice, so a sheltie mix has the potential to be such a barker

3. no guarantee with mixes.. I would plan AT LEAST half an hour to an hour daily tho

4. no way to know with mixes on how easy they are to train, this will come down to the individual pup.

Answer 4

The puppies are mixed breed and there is no way to tell what characteristics they will inherit from each parent. So educated guesses

#1 no way to tell. Probably a little less than a Sheltie.
#2 totally depends on how well you train them.
#3 both breeds are high energy so once they are 6 months old or so, a total of an hour a day minimum. This can be broken into several short and one long walk
#4 depends on how they were raised and how reliable you are about taking the puppy out for a potty walk every hour for the first few months
#5 both breeds are very Intelligent, so I would expect the puppies to be smart too

Answer 5

I can't answer any of your questions but THANK YOU for considering adoption rather than buying from a breeder or pet store. :-)

ADOPT A DOG, SAVE A LIFE!

Answer 6

You have gotten some Pretty advise just one note Shelties do need a fair amount of grooming and Poodles do not. Depending on the coat you made need to plan on regular brushing.

Answer 7

MUTTS are unpredictable.