DESCRIPTION

The Shetland Sheepdog is a strong, nimble, lightly built, beautiful dog, with a long, wedge-shaped head. Its coat is rough with a soft undercoat. Some say they are almost a perfect miniature copy in of the long-haired collie. The top plane of the muzzle should be parallel to that of the skull. The glorious long double coat sports a lion-like mane and frill around the neck, and comes in blue merle, sable and black with various amounts of white and/or tan. The outer coat is lined with a dense, woolly undercoat. The legs and long tail are feathered, and the hair on the face and feet is smooth. The tail should reach to the hock. The almond-shaped eyes are generally dark, except in blue merle dogs where they may be blue or merle color. The dog should have a watchful, gentle, questioning and intelligent expression. The nose should be black. The teeth should meet in a scissors bite. The ears are small, flexible and expressive, with dropping tips. The Sheltie is an agile, swift dog and a good jumper. Dogs should appear masculine and bitches, feminine.

HISTORY

The Shetland Sheepdog originated in the Shetland Islands off the northeast coast of Scotland and was bred as a working dog, primarily to herd and protect the livestock. The Shetland Sheepdog was once called the "Toonie", taken from the word "tun" which is the Norwegian word for farm. It is believed that the Shetland Sheepdog and the larger herding Collie have a common ancestor, a herding dog bred in the British Highlands, believed to be similar to today's Border Collie. The dogs that stayed on the Scottish mainland eventually developed into the Rough Collie and those that were taken to the Shetland Isles were downsized to meet the needs of the island and developed into the Shetland Sheepdog. Today, the Shetland Sheepdog has the same relationship in size and appearance to the Rough Collies as the Shetland Pony has to some larger breeds of horses. There are, however, other differences between the breeds. The Kennel Club (UK) recognized the breed in 1909 as the Shetland Collie and, in 1914, the breed became a completely separate breed known as the Shetland Sheepdog.

TEMPERAMENT

The Shetland Sheepdog is an outstanding companion dog with a delightful temperament. Gentle, sensitive, loyal and dainty. Very lively, intelligent and trainable. The Shetland Sheepdog is one to the smartest breeds, very willing to please and obey. These dogs are so smart that many fanciers consider them to have almost human intelligence. Loving, loyal and affectionate with its family, but suspicious with strangers, especially with children, but they will put up with a lot from children in the family. The Sheltie is known to not allow themselves to be touched by strangers and will display noisy persistent barking. It is a good guard and watchdog. Socialize extensively as a puppy. This breed needs people and must be raised in a home where he can have a lot of companionship. They like to be kept busy. The Sheltie is above all an intelligent herder, capable both of commanding large cattle and holding small sheep in check. The herding instinct is still very strong in many of them. They love to chase things. Unfortunately - and often disastrously - they love to chase cars. A Sheltie should not be allowed to run free near a road as it may decide to chase a car or something else it sees across the road, running a high risk of getting hit by a car. Because of its beauty and kindness, the Sheltie has become a popular companion dog. This breed may bark a lot. Some say males make better and more affectionate pets.

Breeds

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