My Sheltie Sammi lived to be almost 19 years old. She was a wonderful, smart little dog that learned obedience fast and loved to do agility. Here are some tips that will help any Shetland Sheepdog owner.

Tip #1: Start training early. Shelties as a breed can be a little shy and need a lot of socialization. I recommend training as early as eight weeks old. Your Sheltie will learn fast and you should plan on teaching your pup obedience, agility and tricks.

Tip #2: Shelties do not do well with harsh training techniques. Lots of positive reinforcement is the way to go with these gentle dogs. Most of the Shelties that I have dealt with were very motivated by toys and treats making it easy to train them.

Tip #3: Plenty of exercise. Being from the herding breed they need to exercise. A bored Shetland Sheepdog can cause problems. Chewing, digging and barking are just a few. By giving them enough exercise you can easily avoid these problems.

Tips #4: Train in short, fun sessions. Keeping the session short will motivate your dog and you will get much better results. Long training sessions tend to lose your dog's attention and they will not be as enthusiastic at the next training session.

Tip #5: Becoming your pup's pack leader is very important. Dogs are social animals and need leadership. Establishing leadership is not done through force or intimidation. It is done by controlling the activities that your dog needs. Playing, eating, sleeping and social contact. Control each of these activities and you will establish leadership.

Good luck!