# Golden Retriever/ Shetland Sheepdog Mix?



## ilovemydogs (Jun 18, 2009)

Does anyone know anything about golden retriever/ shetland sheepdog mixes? I found a golden sheltie at a local shelter that I am very interested in meeting, and I was just wondering if anyone can tell me anything about the personalities. Obviously, with a hybrid dog there is no way of knowing exactly how much golden and how much sheltie it will be, but I was just wondering in general. Do they usually have a pretty long life expectancy as mutts? Also, are they good with other animals and children? My husband and I currently do not have any kids, but we will be looking at having a baby in the next 2-3 years or so and it's a must that the dog we pick now be a good dog for kids. Also, how big do these dogs normally get? The one I am looking at is currently around 7 months (the shelter doesn't know for sure) and is about 25, which I think is on the lower end for golden shelties.

Thanks in advance!

Ashley


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

You should be able to tell the dog's basic personality when you meet him/her, there's no way to tell personality from the breed mix. Same for weight (anywhere between a Sheltie and a Golden), though a 7-month-old won't get much larger, but will just fill out a bit. A dog who is is 25 pounds at 7 months will probably top out at 35 pounds or so. Whether a dog is good with kids and other animals or not depends on the individual dog.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

If you plan on adopting this dog I highly suggest reading everything you can about both the Shetland Sheepdog and the Golden Retriever.

I will tell you from experiance Shelties are usually nippy with children. Some line of Goldens have aggression issues, and some have snugglyness issues (lol)

It is impossable to guess how long that puppy will live it all depends on how long the bloodlines of the parents live. and if your puppy inherited any health problems from eather or both parents. Mutts ARE NOT inherintly better. A puppy is only as healthy as it's parents make it.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

I have visions of this dog herding the kids into a corner and instead of just holding them there and circling, like most Shelties,....he'll start licking them to death!

As others pointed out it can go many different ways. Most Shelties are somewhat reserved while most Goldens are lovers....generalizations to be sure and every dog is different even within a breed...but, you get the idea.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

That could be a very interesting mix... the breeds have totally different temperaments so that'll be impossible to tell unless you meet them. Be aware that if it takes more after the sheltie side of its heritage it may not be overly excited to meet you. Shelties take time to really truly bond with a person. they are not like most retrievers who will fawn all over everyone they meet. That doesn't, however, mean they aren't affectionate. They're just a breed that takes time to really bond with, they can be very reserved towards newcomers. 

We grew up with shelties around as kids and I watched mine around my sister (who is much much younger than I). My shelties were fabulous with her and my female in particular really nannied her. They're great family dogs but be aware some can be heel nippers around running kids. With training of both the kid and the dog, though, that can be easily worked through.


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## ilovemydogs (Jun 18, 2009)

Laurelin, thanks for the info, especially about the shelties you grew up with. I think we're going to go at least meet him to get a feel for his temperament.


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## sheltiemom (Mar 13, 2007)

I think it would be a good mix...I personally would be interested. I have two shelties and two kids and they've been fine together. We had an incident where one of my shelts didn't like my kids going upstairs and he nipped at them a couple times...I corrected him and it really only happened maybe twice. I would meet the dog for sure, and keep in mind that shelters often only guess at breed...the dog may not act like a sheltie or a golden, but could still be a very good dog.


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