Dogs

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Scotland
MOST SUITED AS Sheepdog or family pet

SIZE
The shoulder-height is 37cm (141/2in) for dogs and 35.5cm (14in) for bitches. Deviation of 2.5cm (lin) above and below these standards is permissible.

COAT
They have a double coat: the outer layer con­sists of long wiry hair, whilst the inner layer is soft, short, and close. Shetland Sheepdogs are bred in sable ( light sandy-coloured to mahogany), with and without black tips to the hairs, and also in three-colours (black with tan and white markings), blue-black, and black-white. The most attractive look is the three-colours with white feet, white chest, collar ruff, blaze, and tip of the tail.

CARE REQUIRED
The care of the Shetland Sheepdog is not demanding; grooming with brush and comb are needed, especially during moulting. Tangles form, particularly behind the ears, the hind­quarters, and beneath the shoulders. Make sure these areas are attended to during grooming.

CHARACTER
This extremely intelligent, and cunning dog is loyal to its handler and family, affectionate, obedient, responsive, happy, considerable stam­ina, and fairly robust.

TRAINING
Not a difficult breed to train. The Shetland Sheepdog learns happily and enjoys being busy. For this reason it is an excellent idea to enrol in obedience training classes and to follow a course for agility competition. You will see how much enjoyment it gets from these activities.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
These are extremely sociable dogs who usually get on extremely well with their own kind, cats, and small animals. Provided children leave the dog in peace, there will be no problems. They are cautions and watchful with strangers.

EXERCISE
They will readily adapt to the circumstances but you will harm an intelligent and workaholic animal if you do not engage it in plenty of activity. They enjoy learning and love to be out with their handler. They are high performers in various areas of dog sports.