Shelties: The Smartest Small Dog Breed

Shelties took over my life when I met Howard Woofingtoon Moon in 2008. I made this site in honor of this gorgeous, enigmatic furball and his worldwide Shetland Sheepdog kin.

My Shetland Sheepdog

Howard Woofington Moon, our magnificent Shetland Sheepdog.

With his floppy ears and almond eyes, Howard had me at "Yap!" He was my first ever puppy, my first dog love, and that kind of love digs deep.

Is this the cutest puppy in the world?

Is this the cutest puppy in the world?

As Howard grew bigger, we realized that he was driven by his stomach. He stole food at every opportunity and he didn't care if it was your favorite sandwich, fisherman's bait, or his own poo. He simply couldn't understand why all the food wasn't for him. Could you?

Soon, we adopted Howard's half-brother, Piper: a Sheltie who was set to be a show dog but turned out to have monstrous stage fright. At 9 months old, Piper came to live the beach life and that's when the Woofington brothers found their stride.

Piper barks, while Howard keeps watch for sea gulls

Piper barks, while Howard keeps watch for sea gulls.

Howard, bold and enigmatic, was diametrically opposed to Piper, who's hypersensitive and eager to please. But when they teamed up, they ruled the beaches of Auckland, with their barking, wave-chasing, and general interrogation of beachgoers.

And at the end of a busy day, there's nothing they enjoyed more than laying their wet, sandy bellies on my bed, intermittently dozing and waking to have a dog scruff.

Sheltie montage: fighting and hugging on the bed

Our Shelties fighting and hugging simultaneously.

If you'd like to know more about our wee Shelties, you can read all about Howard and Piper here. Otherwise, let's turn our attention to some articles about this beautiful and idiosyncratic dog breed. If you're not sure what you're looking for, scroll down for an overview of Shelties.

What Are The Parts of a Sheltie?

Ah yes, of course. A very normal question. Here's your basic Sheltie anatomy:

Anatomy of a Sheltie Cartoon

Anatomy of a Sheltie.

If you want a more technical answer, here's a summary of the Shetland Sheepdog Breed Standard. This defines the ideal Sheltie when it comes to judging champions and responsible breeding.

What Types of Shelties Are There?

There are some subtle differences between American and English Shelties:

  • English Shelties are petite with the ideal male being 14.5 inches and the ideal female being 14 inches at the shoulder.
  • American Shelties are 13-16 inches at the shoulder, regardless of sex. The wedge-shaped head is slightly larger than the English type.

Shelties can also be distinguished by their coat colors, with Sable (tan) being dominant. Here's my most popular article on the Shelties colors with photos, illustrations, and explanations of coat inheritance patterns.

Are Shelties Good Family Dogs?

These little dogs make wonderful family pets, provided they are well-socialized with children when they're puppies. Because they're smart and sensitive, they're highly trainable and often very gentle with little ones.

Moderately active with a love of playing chase, Shetland Sheepdogs are keen to join in with all family activities. Whether it's herding rolling rocks, playing hide-and-seek, or zooming around with no purpose whatsoever, they're are endlessly entertaining. And kids love them.

It's essential to socialize a puppy with all kinds of people at a young age including children and babies. Lots of early exposure is key. A well-adjusted adult dog gets along with everyone because they have positive associations guiding them from puppyhood.

Don't worry if your Sheltie puppy nips a lot when he's young. Puppies explore the world with their mouths, and sometimes their teeth get in the way. It's all part of the great learning experiment.

When your puppy nips, withdraw your hand and let out a little yelp to show him it hurts. Once he learns bite inhibition, he'll know it's never ok for his teeth to make firm contact with your skin.

What's The Sheltie Temperament Like?

Shelties are quirky and expressive. They have many different ways of displaying their emotions through body language, facial expressions, and vocal chords. Known for their high pitched barking, they can be trained to stop barking so much if you employ firmness and consistency. They can also be trained to speak, howl, and sing.

Being a small dog breed, Shetland Sheepdogs are naturally gentle creatures. Their intelligent and playful nature enables them to frolic safely with young children and many other types of dogs.

As an alarm dog, Shelties are very sensitive to their environment too. They'll alert you to any unusual activity going on outside. And that includes cars, cats, and their mortal frenemy, the mailman.

Shelties get along with other pets, as long as their housemates (cats in particular) can stand their ground when herded. There will be a transition period as each pet comes to understand their role in the dynamic, but give them time. Early, positive exposure to other animals helps a lot.

The herding instinct will drive your Sheltie to herd your cat, for example. But once he's cornered the poor feline, he won't know what to do with her. To establish the ground rules, your cat needs to be confident enough to stay calm, ignore him, or walk away all sassy. If your Sheltie doesn't get a reaction, his instinct won't be triggered.

Should I Get a Sheltie Puppy?

All puppies are adorable. But the Sheltie puppy, with his big floppy ears, beautiful almond eyes, and silky soft fur, can be deliberately cute on demand.

Sheltie puppies are deliberately cute

See? Deliberately cute.

Still, puppies are hard work. They demand constant supervision so they don't chew through wires, get stuck in weird places, or escape through a tiny hole in the fence. On top of this responsibility, there's housetraining, obedience training, puppy vaccinations, and socialization.

If a puppy sounds like too much responsibility, you should absolutely rescue an adult Sheltie instead. Sadly, people give up adult dogs for all kinds of reasons, including neglect, abuse, or straight up abandonment. You can make a difference.

Find a Sheltie rescue near you and see if your new best friend is already waiting for you. Rescue Shelties are vet checked, vaccinated, de-sexed, and de-wormed to give them the healthiest start in their new life. Alternatively, search our Sheltie breeder listings for puppies. Avoid puppy mills and puppy farms at all costs.

How Do I Train My Sheltie?

The number one rule of dog training is to build a relationship based on mutual trust and respect. So before you begin obedience training, focus on forming a loving bond with your Shetland Sheepdog. This helps you understand his needs and instincts, while allowing him to develop trust in you.

Once a Sheltie puppy understands he belongs to the family, he's more likely to respond to your commands. The trust you build early on comes from showing affection, defining mutual boundaries, and treating any breaches with kindness but firmness. Like a child, a puppy needs to know what's expected of him before he can learn to regulate his own behavior.

Our special AGM voted on the purchase of more Peanut Butter Futures

Our Latest AGM voted on the purchase of more Peanut Butter Futures.

What's the best way to train a Sheltie? I recommend clicker training. It's a gentle, conditional dog training method that uses only positive reinforcement to teach your Sheltie obedience.

It's beautifully simple really. When paired with a command, the clicking sound ingrains the habit for your dog to listen and respond appropriately. It's based on a natural way for both dogs (and humans!) to learn, allowing you to train new behaviors your smart Smehtlei in just a few repetitions.

Are Shelties a Healthy Dog Breed?

To produce healthy purebred dogs, breeders rely on careful breeding practices. They must take care to select mating pairs that are free of genetic disease and have good temperaments.

This is because extensive mating of related dogs in the past left many breeds with common genetic diseases, including:

  • Patellar Luxation (kneecap dislocation)
  • Hip Dysplasia (malformed hip joint)
  • Dermatomyositis (skin inflammation)
  • Collie eye (eye deformities)
  • Von Willebrande's Disease (blood disorder)

If you have a Sheltie from a puppy mill, pet store, or backyard breeder, read up on these genetic issues in Shelties. By knowing what symptoms to look for, you can start treatment early and slow the disease progression.

As a small to medium sized dog breed, Shetland Sheepdogs typically live for 12-13 years, which roughly equates to living around 84-98 human years. If you're up to speed on diet, grooming, exercise, vaccinations, and dental hygiene, he's much more likely to enjoy a long and healthy life.

How Do I Groom My Sheltie?

Part of the attraction of Shetland Sheepdogs is the luxurious double coat. This comes with the responsibility of weekly or fortnightly brushing sessions.

At around 5-6 months old, your puppy will begin to develop the classic Sheltie coat. That's when you need to seriously step-up your grooming routine. Read my illustrated guide on How to Groom a Shetland Sheepdog to keep his skin and fur healthy, and prevent your home from turning into a fur-fest. The article also details the best dog brushes, how to use them, how to bathe a Sheltie, and and how to clip his claws.

Groom your Sheltie and strip out that undercoat

The fur. THE FUR!

Download My Sheltie eBook

If you enjoy Sheltie Planet, consider downloading my 153-page illustrated ebook, Shelties: The Complete Pet Owner's Guide. It's a goldmine of information for new and long-time Sheltie fans.

Besides being an excuse to ogle Shelties, it has detailed advice on housebreaking, socialization, grooming, obedience training, de-sexing, healthcare, personality, breed traits, and more.

Download Shelties: The Complete Pet Owner's Guide
Rebecca Casale, Creator of Sheltie Planet

Rebecca Casale is the creator of Sheltie Planet. She has two goofball kids and lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Meet her furballs Howard and Piper, download her guide to Shelties, and check out her other website Science Me.

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