posted 06-07-2003 08:18 PM         

Does a Sheltie/Golden Retriever sound like a good mix of breeds to anyone out there? Anyone with any experience with this mix?

I've met the Golden Retriever Mum and she's lovely and sweet. The Shelties in the house are also friendly and smart. (Mum and Dad are both pure breds who had an illicit affair)

The puppy is not cheap, but it is from a breeder who is making sure the Mum and puppies are getting good vet care and puppies are very well socialized. After all, isn't that why we are willing to pay higher prices for dogs? Because we know that it's not cheap to give good vet care and good food for a family? Or am I totally mixed up about pricing.

posted 06-08-2003 02:14 AM         

There's nothing wrong (IMO) with buying a mixed breed dog if that's what you want, it does bother me though when breeders/owners try to pass off mixed breeds as a breed (and breeders demand overly high prices for their "designer breeds"), which is insulting to the people who work/ed to create the breeds there are today and keep them around.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the best way to determine temperament/physical characteristics of a mixed breed pup is to look at the parents and any other close ancestors. There is usually very little uniformity in F1 (first generation) crosses (it can take dozens of generations to finally develop some uniformity in physical/mental characteristics), so there's no telling whether your sheltie/golden will be anything like you neighbor's sheltie/golden, cousin's sheltie/golden, etc. Even looking at the parent's/relatives isn't a guarantee that they'll be like that, as some genes can be carried without being expressed for generations, but it's definitely a much safer bet than looking at other examples of the cross, but by different parent dogs.

posted 06-08-2003 12:25 PM         

Thank you all for your responses.

I do really like the idea of getting a dog from a shelter. In fact I have recently had two dogs from our local shelter. The problem is that both dogs have had terrible health problems and both had to be put down (our most recent baby had to be euthanized at 2 yrs - we were working through her hip displaysia and knee problems and her stranger anxiety but then when we took her in for booster shots we found she had cancer all through her lymph nodes)

posted 06-08-2003 12:53 PM         

Here are two links that list some genetic diseases common in goldens http://www.gaylans.com/diseases.html http://www.k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeds/goldens.html

Some about shelties http://www.rehler.com/html/sheltie.html#health http://www.assa.org/notice_on_genetic_diseases.html

And more more that lists a bunch of breeds and some common genetic diseases for them http://www.raot.org/information/genetic.htm

posted 06-08-2003 01:07 PM         

There is good info on the site about what to look for in a good breeder, things to be aware of, genetic testing - and why its important.

Health testing and conformation are two extremely important things if someone is looking to have a companion who will be healthy well into old age. There are no guarantees even if a breeder does every health test possible, but the chances of a problem arising are certainly lessened. The better a dogs conformation (build) the better his body will hold up for him in later years. A good diet also plays a crucial part in good health.

posted 06-08-2003 02:23 PM         

(Although I'm impressed by what a relatively healthy breed Shelties appear to be.) I will now ask about hips, eyes, etc.