GENERAL APPEARANCE
Shoulder height: 35.5-37cm (14”-14½”).
Colour: Tricolours; sables; or blue merles with a white blaze, collar, chest, legs and tail tip.
Coat: Outer coat is long, harsh and straight with a short soft undercoat. Short hair on head, ears, front and lower legs.
Gait: Graceful and lithe with fore and hind legs moving straight.
Showing activity, elegance and grace, this breed is not dissimilar to a small Rough Coated Collie. The wedge shaped head is refined and clean cut, the almond shaped eyes are obliquely placed, and the small ears are semi erect.
The arched neck carries the head proudly and runs into sloping shoulders with the elbows set beneath the withers. The body slightly longer than shoulder height, has a graceful sweep to the low set profusely feathered tail.
The forelegs are straight and clean and the well angulated hindquarters finish with arched oval feet.
CHARACTERISTICS AND CARE
These little sheepdogs are extremely intelligent, easily trained, and ideally suited to obedience training. In the domestic environment, they make first class pets being both affectionate and biddable. Not being over friendly with unknown people, makes the Sheltie an excellent watchdog. The coat needs regular grooming using a brush with pins or bristles which reach right through to the undercoat.
HISTORY
Originally known as the Toonie dog, this breed is believed to have evolved from old hill collies and Yakki dogs, and arrived in the Hebridean Islands off the west coast of Scotland, with the Iceland fishermen. Like many things in this area (trees, ponies and sheep), a diminutive variety of sheepdog was evolved. Kept purely for utilitarian purposes and ability rather than beauty, the local crofters and farmers found these smaller sheepdogs better suited for the job of looking after their smaller sheep. Held in high esteem, these little sheep dogs always shared their owners’ home.