Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie)

Quick to learn and close to its people; notably vocal.
A Shetland Sheepdog
Photo: ApiStart
Adult male
7–11 kg
15–24 lb
Adult female
6–10 kg
13–22 lb
Lifespan
13.4 yrs
Handler demand
Suits a first-time owner
Class · Companion
also Sport, Family

What it's like

Shelties learn quickly, respond well to handling and are closely attached to their own people, though they are often reserved with strangers. They are notably vocal, a trait often linked to their past as watchdogs, and they have a strong record in obedience, agility and herding trials.

Owners in a large survey found Shetland Sheepdogs much like dogs in general on independence, calmness, friendliness with people and friendliness with other dogs. Breed is only a small part of any one dog's personality, so meet the dog before you decide.
Day to day
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Needs daily brain work
Handler demand
Suits a first-time owner
With people
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Keen to work with you
Around the home
Sensitivity
Needs a calm, predictable home
Voice
Very vocal
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
Is a Shetland Sheepdog right for you?
Take the breed matcher

Living with one

It has a long coat. Most of the shedding comes when the seasons change. Plan on daily brushing. It needs plenty of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Shetland Sheepdog is a small dog, about the weight of a grown Pug. Males end up a little heavier than females.

It resembles a small Rough Collie, with a long, tapering head, small ears tipped forward at the ends and a long double coat. The coat has a harsh, straight outer layer over a soft, dense undercoat and forms a full mane and frill. Usual colours are sable, tricolour, blue merle, and black with white or tan.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
By about 5 months, a male Shetland Sheepdog puppy is already as heavy as a grown Yorkshire Terrier. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
10 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight7
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
0510152m4m6m9m12m18m
0510152m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
1.8–2.8 kg 4.0–6.2 lb
1.9–3.2 kg 4.2–7.1 lb
3 months
2.4–3.8 kg 5.3–8.4 lb
2.5–4.1 kg 5.5–9.0 lb
4 months
3.4–5.3 kg 7.5–11.7 lb
3.3–5.5 kg 7.3–12.1 lb
5 months
4.2–6.6 kg 9.3–14.6 lb
3.9–6.5 kg 8.6–14.3 lb
6 months
4.9–7.6 kg 10.8–16.8 lb
4.4–7.3 kg 9.7–16.1 lb
7 months
5.4–8.4 kg 11.9–18.5 lb
4.7–7.9 kg 10.4–17.4 lb
8 months
5.7–9.0 kg 12.6–19.8 lb
5.0–8.3 kg 11.0–18.3 lb
9 months
6.0–9.4 kg 13.2–20.7 lb
5.2–8.7 kg 11.5–19.2 lb
10 months
6.2–9.8 kg 13.7–21.6 lb
5.3–8.9 kg 11.7–19.6 lb
11 months
6.4–10.0 kg 14.1–22.0 lb
5.5–9.1 kg 12.1–20.1 lb
12 months
6.5–10.2 kg 14.3–22.5 lb
5.6–9.3 kg 12.3–20.5 lb
15 months
6.8–10.6 kg 15.0–23.4 lb
5.8–9.6 kg 12.8–21.2 lb
18 months
7–11 kg 15–24 lb
6.0–9.9 kg 13.2–21.8 lb

Health and lifespan

In UK vet and lab records, the conditions below turn up more often in Shetland Sheepdogs than in crossbreeds. Underactive thyroid stands out as much more likely. The most serious, melanoma of the eye or eyelid, is rated serious and is more likely. These are figures for the breed as a whole, not a prediction for your dog.
Listed by likelihood level, highest first, then by how serious it is, then by name.
  • Underactive thyroid
    Much more likely
    Impact: moderate
  • Melanoma of the eye or eyelid
    Lab-confirmed cases
    More likely
    Impact: serious
Lab-confirmed: compares dogs whose tumour samples went to a lab with dogs seen in general practice, so the figures run higher than vet-record ones.

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical Shetland Sheepdog lived to about 13 and a half years, about average for a small breed.

Where it comes from

The Shetland Sheepdog grew from the small farm dogs of the Shetland Islands, which kept sheep and birds out of the gardens and away from fish set out to dry. Show Collies were bred in after mainland exhibitors took it up in the early 1900s. The Kennel Club registered it in 1909 as the Shetland Collie, and objections from Collie fanciers had it renamed within the year12,13.

The Shetland Sheepdog, usually called the Sheltie, took much of its modern shape on the British mainland. Around the time of the First World War and into the nineteen-twenties, breeders used further Rough Collie crosses to settle on a uniform type. The old island dog, which had varied a good deal in looks, was largely absorbed into the new breed. In Shetland it had been known as the toonie dog, from a local word for a farm. It was kept as an all-round crofter's dog, herding sheep and warning of strangers.

Breed standard

The Shetland Sheepdog is judged against standard no. 88, in group 1, Sheepdogs and Cattledogs4.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Shetland Sheepdog figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a small breed is most likely at the early end.

Compare with related

Rough Collie
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Miniature American Shepherd
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Small
Australian Shepherd
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Border Collie
Sheepdogs & cattledogs · Medium
Or compare the Shetland Sheepdog with any breed you choose
Track your own Shetland Sheepdog
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Sources

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Parts of this page were written by AI ·