Temperment

The Shetland Sheepdog is an outstanding companion dog and is intensely loyal. It is lively, intelligent, trainable, and willing to please and obey. Shelties are loving, loyal, and affectionate with their family, but are naturally aloof with strangers; for this reason Shelties must be socialized. Some can be quite reserved. Although they are excellent family pets, Shelties do especially well with children if they are raised with them from an early age; however, their small size makes it easy for a child to accidentally injure them, so supervision is necessary.

Shelties have a deserved reputation as vocal herding dogs. Shelties can display a terrier-like personality, which tends to be hyper, and always on the go. Other Shelties can just as easily be very timid. The average Sheltie can be trained to be an excellent watch dog, giving two or three alarm barks when a person is at the door, or a car is in the driveway.

Activity Level

The herding instinct is strong in many Shelties. They love to chase and herd things, including squirrels and ducks. Shelties love to run in wide-open areas. The space should be safe, and they should not get too far away.

Care should be taken when using gasoline powered yard care equipment in the presence of Shelties. Particular attention must be given during the starting process of weed-eaters (also known as lawn trimmers) and chainsaws. The strong herding instinct quickly comes into play, but subsides just as quickly as the Sheltie finds that his/her job has been done.

Shelties usually love to play. They do best with a sensitive, yet firm, owner. The Sheltie is, above all, an intelligent herder and likes to be kept busy, although their activity level usually coincides with their owner's level. Shelties also are very smart, making them highly trainable. Shelties are very good with children. Neglecting a Sheltie's need for exercise and intellectual stimulation can result in undesirable behaviors, including excessive barking, phobias, and nervousness. Fortunately, the reverse is also true: annoying behaviors can be lessened greatly by an hour of intense ball-retrieving at the park or other exercise than engages the dog with its owner.

Intelligence

Shelties have a high level of intelligence. According to Dr. Stanley Coren, an expert on animal intelligence, the Shetland Sheepdog is one of the brightest dogs, ranking 6th out of 132 breeds tested. His research found that an average Sheltie could understand a new command in less than 5 repetitions and would obey a command the first time it was given 95% of the time or better.^[9]

^{Height and Weight}

The size of a Sheltie (at the withers) can range from being undersized (under 13 inches) to being oversize (over 16 inches.) The average height of a Sheltie in the United States according to the AKC Standard is between 13 - 16 inches. A measurement of either below 13 inches or above 16 inches will result in being dismissed from the conformation ring. Being dismissed three times will result in the dog being banned from any more conformation classes.^[4] Some of the smaller Shelties are incorrectly called "teacup" Shelties, while some of the larger Shelties may incorrectly be identified as small Rough Collies. The Standard for the Sheltie varies from country to country with the UK Kennel Club Standard measurement being 14 inches for females and 14.5 inches for males. The height can not vary more than a half inch either way.

There is no agreed-upon weight range for a Sheltie. Many websites range from 14 to 17 lbs,^[5] to a range of 12 to 18 lbs.^[6] Since the Sheltie is a descendent of both small and large breeds, the weight can range from under 10 pounds for very undersized Shelties to over 40 pounds for Shelties that are over 20 inches.^[7]. The Blue Ridge Shetland Sheepdog Club gives the weight as being "proportionate to height",^[8] which means a small Sheltie will weigh much less than a large Sheltie.

Coat and Colors

Shelties have a double coat, which means that they have two types of fur that make up their coat. The long, rough guard hairs lie on top of the thick, soft undercoat. The guard hairs are water-repellent, while the undercoat provides relief from both hot and cold temperatures. There are three main colors: sable, which ranges from golden to mahogany; tri-colour, made up of black, white and tan; and blue merle, made up of grey, white, black, and tan.

Bi-Blues (grey, black, and some white) and bi-blacks (white and black) are less common but still acceptable. The best-known color is the sable, which is dominant over other colors. Shaded, or mahogany, sables can sometimes be mistaken for tri-colored Shelties due to the large amount of dark shading on their coats. Another name for a shaded sable is a tri-factored sable and white. This name comes from the breeding of a tri-color to a sable and white, or a tri-factored sable to another tri-factored sable. Another acceptable color in the show ring, but much less seen, is the sable merle, which can often be hard to distinguish from regular sables after puppyhood. The sable merle would have patches of dark brown on a light brown background, as compared to the black and gray of a blue merle.

There are two additional coat colors that are quite rare because they are unacceptable in the breed ring. The color-headed white (majority of fur white, with the head 'normally' marked) is the product of two white-factored dogs being bred. Double merles, the product of breeding two merle Shelties together, can be bred but have a higher incidence of deafness or blindness or retardation than the other coat colors.^[2] There have been reports of a brindle Sheltie^[3] but many Sheltie enthusiasts agree that a cross sometime in the ancestry of that specific Sheltie could have produced a brindle coat.

Grooming

Shelties have a double coat. The topcoat consists of long, straight, water-repellent hair, which provides protection from cold and the elements. The undercoat is short, furry, and very dense in order to help keep the dog warm. The Sheltie is usually a clean dog and should only need to be brushed once or twice a week (it is helpful to spray-mist with water when brushing). Mats can be commonly found behind the ears, under the elbow on each front leg, and in the fluffy fur on the hind legs (the "skirts").

Although its coat might appear to be a time-consuming task, a once-weekly, but thorough, brushing is all that is needed, though more frequent groomings and trimmings will contribute to a beautiful and tidy coat. Shelties 'blow' coat usually twice a year, often at spring and fall, and should be groomed more often at those times. A good brushing with an undercoat rake, which removes the dead and loose hair from its coat daily should reduce the amount of hair that is shed. Females will also blow coat right before or right after giving birth.

It is easiest to teach a dog to tolerate, or even enjoy, grooming if they are shown that it is a pleasurable thing from a young age. Breeders usually teach the dogs to lie on their side, be brushed, and then flip over to the other side. Toenails and hair between the pads need to be trimmed every couple of weeks to ensure traction and to prevent mud and snow from balling up on the feet. Most Shelties learn to love the attention that grooming provides, if the routine is started when the dog is still young.

Show dogs may require more frequent brushing to keep their coats in top condition. Regular brushing encourages undercoat growth, distributes healthful oils produced by the skin, and prevents sores known as "hotspots" which can occur when dead undercoat is allowed to accumulate close to the skin. Show dogs also require trims to certain parts of the coat, including shaping the ears, the topskull, the jawline, paws and topline. There are several published works on the subject, including the book "Sheltie Talk."^[12]

The Sheltie - A History

The Shetland Islands makes up a group of approximately 100 islands, about 50 miles off the northern coast of Scotland, and almost as far north of Norway.  Of the all the islands, only about 25 are inhabited. The largest of these islands is called Mainland.  It is about 60 miles in length, and 20 miles at it widest and just 50 yards at its smallest width - where one can throw a stone from the Atlantic Ocean into the North Sea.

The islands are rugged as they are beautiful, with rocky coastlines, harsh and damp climate and coastal storms  and sparesness of vegetation and grazing lands. Because of this spreness in vegetaion and grazing areas, the islands are known for producing livestock in diminutive size... from their cattle to their world famous Shetland Ponies... to their sheep whose long, soft wool has made Shetland wool products
in demand the world over.... to their beautiful Shetland Sheepdog - with it's look of a Collie in miniature.

IN THE BEGINNING: The Islands first inhabitants were a small dark race of people - the Picts - who gave the land its reputation for being inhabited by "pixies" or fairies.  Later the Norsemen overran the Islands, and then the Scots as well, so that today, the inhabitants are a combination of the native breeds of each of these peoples, the most influencial of which is the Collie crosses introduced by the Scots in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

It is important to note that Shelties are NOT merely a deriviative of small collies bred to small collies to get a miniature collie  -- they only "resemble" a miniature collie, and credit must also be given to the other breeds that are part of their ancestry.  During the early years, the Spitz, Icelandic, and some say Spaniel bloodlines were diluted with the Collie crosses that occured early in the breed's history.

At one point, the Sheltie was known as the "Toonie" dog.  The theory behind the name is that since many of the islanders were of Norwegian ancestry, and the Norwegian word for small farm is "Tun or "Toon"... thus the name Toonie, or small farm dog.

The chief job of the Sheltie was not to herd huge groups of cattle or sheep as is commonly thought o herding breed.  Rather, the Shelties job was to keep the small ponies, cattle, sheep, and water fowl out of the gardens and flower beds found on the farms of the homesteaders. They did not have huge flocks or herds to maintain, they simply had to chase away the livestock that threatend to eat the garden and flowers of the homesteaders.  The islanders selected their dogs for these qualities, as well as for their ability to work, stamina, courage, and intelligence - a trait which can still be seen in the modern
Shelties of today.   This background probably explains why the Sheltie of today are homebodies that prefer to be busy little bees around the yard, chasing and often barking at anything that moves, eager to please, and intensely loyal to its family. 

The Sheltie was originally recognized as the "Shetland Collie", but early Collie breeders objected to the name and it was ultimately changed to the Shetland Sheepdog.  They were originally not supposed to exceed 12 inches nor 14 pounds according to the Shetland Stud book set up in 1908.  Official recognition from the Kennel Club (English) occured in 1909.  The first Sheltie standard was written in 1910, at which time the size was raised to 15 inches.

Shelties were first registered in the United States in 1911 but there was no real interest in the breed until 1924 when Catherine Coleman Moore began "Sheltieland" Kennels by importing an English female "Kilvarock Lassie."  As a result, all of the founding stock for American, and subsequently Canadian Shelties trace to English dogs.  The modern American/Canadian Sheltie is descended almost entirely from dogs imported from England between World Wars I and II.

Of the dogs registered bewtween 1909 and 1926, 42% were black and tan with no white (a colour we no longer see).  18% of the dogs registered were tricolours, 15% were sables, 4% black and white and 8% sable and white. Other  colours recorded  where chocolates, browns, blacks, brindled sable, and white black and tan.  The Blue Merle colour was introduced into the breed after they were brought to England and crossed with Collies.   

Interestingly enough, the most popular colour in the first part of the centruy (black and tan no white) is  virtually extinct having been bred out over the years.  The solid coated colors - those having no white - and which originally accounted for at least half the original registrations - are gone from the breed.  And one of the least popular colours of the time, the sable and white, is now by far, the most popular colour of the Sheltie.  Orginally coats were sparse and light since a heavy coat was a detriment to a working dog, but over the years, as popularity demanded, coats in fullness and length at about the same rate as the Collie's over the past 75 years to the more heavily coat dog we see today. 

Both the Canadian Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club presently recognize the breed in the Herding Group. The current size standard in both countries is 13-16 inches at the withers.

The Sheltie we love today were once the homesteaders working partners, sharing their live's during long winters and summer days, caring for their flocks, and guarding their property.  This close association with humans, plus the instinct of generations of herding dogs in his genetic makeup, gave the Sheltie uncanny understanding of people and an intense sense of loyalty and responsibility... a trait which they still exhibit in today's modern world, making the Sheltie one fo the most endearing and popular breeds of dogs in North America.