The Sheltie Stands on Its Own

By Leslie Brown, Chief Editor, JonesTV

Although they resemble a small Collie, the Shetland Sheepdog (or Sheltie), is not a miniature Collie. The term "miniature collie" implies that the Sheltie is a bred down version of the Collie, which it is not. Unlike many miniature breeds that resemble their larger counterparts, this breed was not developed by selectively breeding the Collie for smaller and smaller sizes. Rather, it is the result of the intermingling of Border Collies and possibly several other herding breeds over the past several centuries. Some smaller Shelties are mistakenly referred to as “teacups,” while some of the larger Shelties can be incorrectly identified as a small Collie.

The “Collie” refers to various breeds of herding dogs. Collie crosses were introduced in Scotland, giving the Sheltie many of the Collie physical characteristics and colors. The Sheltie came from the Shetland Islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. Although they are the most well-known breed for herding sheep throughout the world, the Sheltie is not always that efficient at herding cattle.

There are a number of differences in both appearance and behavior between the Sheltie and the Collie. The Sheltie is bred to be a small sheep dog, trained to guard and herd sheep, while the Collie has been bred to be a herding dog, trained to work cattle or other livestock.

Not as famous as the Collie, who played “Lassie,” the Sheltie does have its own unique credits. According to an expert on animal intelligence, the Sheltie is one of the brightest dogs, ranking sixth out of 132 other breeds. Research found that an average Sheltie could understand a new command in less than five repetitions, and would obey a command the first time it was given 95 percent of the time or better.

Because the Sheltie is a descendent of both small and large breeds (the Pomeranian and the Collie) , their weight can range quite a bit from under 10 pounds to over 40 pounds. The Sheltie is an outstanding companion dog and is intensely loyal. He is lively, intelligent, trainable, and willing to please and obey. Shelties do bark more than the average dog, however, but if you properly train the Sheltie, and never leave him outside alone for more than 20 minutes, his barking will be kept to a minimum. A few will bark when the doorbell or the phone rings. Some will even bark at the vacuum cleaner!

Shelties usually love to play, and to run in wide-open areas. With their herding instinct still strong, they love to chase things, including squirrels, ducks, and children. The Sheltie is, above all, an intelligent herder and likes to be kept busy. When people are milling around in the yard, Shelties sometimes try to "herd" the people into a group by running around, barking, and nipping at heels. The strong herding instinct quickly comes into play, but subsides just as quickly as the Sheltie finds that his job has already been done.

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