Shetland Sheepdog Details
Height: 33 - 41cm (13 - 16" )
Colour: Tri-colours, sable or blue merles.
Coat: Outercoat long straight & harsh, shorter undercoat.
Features: Medium sized body. Wedge shaped head with almond shaped eyes & small semi erect ears. Tail is long & coated.
Temperament: Loyal, Obedient, Intelligent
Lifespan: 12-14yrs, although with proper breeding and care they can reach up to 16+years old
Recommended for: Families, Everyone.
Be Aware
# Can be sensitive to some heartworm preventatives.
History of the breed;
The Shetland Sheepdog has been developed over the centuries on the Shetland Islands, were it was used for herding sheep.
They are extremely intelligent and easy to train; they do very well in obedience. They make wonderful family pets, as they love to be around you and are very affectionate. They are very alert so make great watchdogs(NOT protection dogs though lol); they tend to be shy with strangers.
Grooming- the coat needs regular brushing to keep it knot free and looking good. Bath when necessary or dry shampoo.
Exercise- love to run around and play games, daily walks and plays will keep them fit and happy.
Health- a good diet is important obviously. This breed can suffer from some eye problems.
What are some problems associated with having a sheltie?
This is a good question to ask yourself if you are interested in getting a sheltie. No breed is right for everyone, and all breeds have strong and weak points. First off, the sheltie is a long-coated breed. While his coat does require less care than some, you should expect to spend a minimum of 2-3 times a week brushing him which may take 1/2 hour to an hour depending on how full a coat he has. During shedding seasons, you may want to brush him every day to keep the hair-level on the carpets down.
Secondly, the sheltie is a barker. The amount of barking varies with the individual dog and often with the number of dogs. Barking is often learned from other dogs, and a house with a number of shelties is invariably a noisy one. If you are persistent, though, you can often teach your dog to be quiet once they have done their job and sounded the alarm.
Finally, you should expect to spend some time exercising your sheltie. This is a working breed, and while they will adjust to living in apartments, etc. better than larger breeds, they do need to spend time running off that excess sheltie energy every day. This may mean taking a walk, or maybe just throwing a tennis ball in the house. But consider doing obedience, agility, or other dog sports with your sheltie. A sheltie enjoys nothing more than getting to work and spend time with you and you will have a much closer relationship with your dog.
There is just a FABULOUS book you can get called "Sheltie Talk". It has EVERYTHING you'd ever need to know about Shelties in it. The book likes like this;
There are a few different versions of it(from being updated and such).
I will try and dig out mine tonight for you.
Anything else you'd need help on just let me know
