SCRAPS Breed Profile SHETLAND SHEEPDOG

Stats

Country of Origin: Scotland Group: Herding Use today: Family companion, sheep herder and farm dog. Life Span: 12 to 15 years Color: Coat colors are blue merle, sable and black with various amounts of white and/or tan. Coat: The outer coat is lined with a dense, woolly undercoat.. Grooming: The coat is easier to care for than you might expect, but regular brushing is important. Mist the coat lightly with water before you begin and tease out the mats before they get bad, but use the comb sparingly. This breed is a seasonally heavy shedder. The dense undercoat is shed twice a year: in the spring and fall. The coat readily sheds dirt and mud and Shelties are quite fastidious about their cleanliness. Bathe or dry shampoo only when absolutely necessary. Height: Male 13 – 15 inches; Female 12 - 14 inches Weight: Male 14 - 18 pounds; Female 12 – 16 pounds

Profile

In Brief: The Shetland Sheepdog or Shelties love their families, but may be reserved at first with strangers. As a herding dog, they can be color. The dog should have a watchful, gentle, inclined to bark at and herd people. Shelties questioning and intelligent expression. The nose thrive on the farm, but adapt to many living should be black. The teeth should meet in a situations if given proper exercise. Very lively, scissors bite. The ears are small, flexible and intelligent and trainable. They like to be kept expressive, with dropping tips. The Sheltie is an busy. The breed's dense double coat requires agile, swift dog and a good jumper. Dogs should regular maintenance. appear masculine and bitches, feminine.

Description: The Shetland Sheepdog is a Temperament: The Shetland Sheepdog is an strong, nimble, lightly built, beautiful dog, with a outstanding companion dog with a delightful long, wedge-shaped head. Its coat is rough with temperament. Gentle, sensitive, loyal and a soft undercoat. Some say they are almost a dainty. Very lively, intelligent and trainable. The perfect miniature copy in of the long-haired Shetland Sheepdog is one to the smartest collie. The top plane of the muzzle should be breeds, very willing to please and obey. These parallel to that of the skull. The glorious long dogs are so smart that many fanciers consider double coat sports a lion-like mane and frill them to have almost human intelligence. around the neck, and comes in blue merle, sable Loving, loyal and affectionate with its family, but and black with various amounts of white and/or suspicious with strangers, especially tan. The outer coat is lined with a dense, woolly with children, but they will put up with a lot from undercoat. The legs and long tail are feathered, children in the family. The Sheltie is known to and the hair on the face and feet is smooth. The not allow themselves to be touched by strangers tail should reach to the hock. The almond- and will display noisy persistent barking. It is a shaped eyes are generally dark, except in blue good guard and watchdog. Socialize extensively merle dogs where they may be blue or merle 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 Exercise: This active, graceful dog needs lots of both of commanding large cattle and holding exercise, preferably running free; but be sure the small sheep in check. The herding instinct is still dog is in a safe area. very strong in many of them. They love to chase things. Unfortunately - and often disastrously - Origins: The Shetland Sheepdog is probably they love to chase cars. A Sheltie should not be descended from Scottish Rough Collies brought allowed to run free near a road as it may decide to the Scottish island of Shetland and crossed to chase a car or something else it sees across with the Icelandic Yakkin, a small island dog the road, running a high risk of getting hit by a (now no longer recognized) brought over in the car. Because of its beauty and kindness, the boats of fishermen. By 1700, the breed was Sheltie has become a popular companion dog. completely developed. For centuries these little This breed may bark a lot. Some say males dogs were used to herd and guard the sheep make better and more affectionate pets. flocks of the Shetlands, those rugged islands off the Scottish coast where many of the animals Health: Like the Rough Collie, there is a are rather small in stature. Refinement of the tendency toward inherited malformation and breed took place mainly in the twentieth century disease of the eyes. Each individual puppy after the export of Shelties to mainland Scotland should have his eyes examined by a qualified and beyond. These small shepherds were very veterinary ophthalmologist. Some lines may be gentle when herding the miniature stock. One of prone to hypothyroidism. It can also be affected the top obedience competition breeds, the by displacement of the patella (kneecap), which Sheltie is an extremely smart and willing worker. is thought to be inherited. The Sheltie is a very The Shetland Sheepdog was first recognized in popular breed, leading to the sale of many England in 1909, and first registered in the inferior animals. Buy only from a reputable United Stated in 1911. Because of his kindly breeder. Do not over-feed the Sheltie. disposition, the Sheltie has become one of today's most popular companion dogs. Some of Living Conditions: The Sheltie will do okay in the Shelties talents include: tracking, herding, an apartment if sufficiently exercised. They are watch dogging, guarding, agility, competitive fairly active indoors and will do okay without a obedience, and performing tricks. yard.

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