We have had a great experience getting our new sheltie puppy from Sheltiesmiles. Jodi, a very busy mom to 7 human kids, was great in replying to my emails and questions. She happily scheduled a visit for us to come and meet the puppies and pick one out, which is probably the hardest thing we've ever had to do...just pick ONE out of the litter of adorable puppies. The contract is simple and straightforward. Jodi does request that on the day you get your puppy that you not come into the house--this is to limit/avoid the stress to the mother, who will worry and search for the "missing" puppy if she smells strangers in the home that day. Jodi was able to meet us half way to deliver the puppy to us. The stuffed animal and little fleece blanket that Jodi gave us, which had been rubbed on her mother and litter mates was very comforting, I believe, on the drive home and for the first days and nights with us.
The puppies are litter-trained. After a few days, we began the house training process as usual, but did keep the litter box outside the door to help with any middle of the night potty trips (I have to carry her down some stairs to get to the yard, so if we're in a big hurry or it's the middle of the night the box was there for our back up.
She is very confident, likes meeting visitors, is curious and explores everything, and is comfortable with most household sounds (vacuum, garbage disposal, beeps of microwave, doorbell, talking, laughing, sneezing, etc.). She has instantly fallen in love with our two year old sheltie and it's mutual. From the beginning she usually sleeps the night through--hurray!
I hope you will conduct your own research and get in touch with Jodi if you're interested in getting a Sheltie for your family. It has truly been a great experience for us. read more