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About the Shetland Sheepdog

Origin: Great Britain
Typical life span
12-14 years
Size
Small — from its typical weight
Weight
7-11 kg
Height
33-41 cm
FCI status
Recognised by FCI
FCI group
Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs)
Origin
Great Britain
Also called
Perro Pastor de Shetland
Known hereditary risks
6 documented conditions, with the test for each

About

What is a Shetland Sheepdog?

Small, agile herding dog from the Shetland Islands, resembling a miniature Rough Collie with a dense double coat, intelligent expression, and alert demeanor. A distinct breed known for its bright, playful nature and collie-like appearance.

Shetland Sheepdog history and origins

Developed in the rugged Shetland Islands of Scotland as a small, hardy herding dog for sheep and ponies in harsh conditions. Created by crossing native dogs with Border Collies, Scotch Collies and possibly Spitz breeds. Recognized by AKC in 1911.

Shetland Sheepdog appearance and size

Typically 7-11 kg and 33-41 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.

What the breed standard says

Bred for
Companion dog and Sheepdog
Behaviour and temperament
“Alert, gentle, intelligent, strong and active. Affectionate and responsive to his owner, reserved towards strangers, never nervous”

Quoted from FCI standard n°88. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.

Breed reference from The Dog API.

Characteristics

Size
Small
Exercise needs
—
Easy to train
—
Amount of shedding
3 of 5
Grooming needs
4 of 5
Good with children
—
Cost to keep
—
Tolerates being alone
—
Intelligence
—
Health of breed
6 conditions documented

Pros & cons

Pros & cons for the Shetland Sheepdog

What you get with the Shetland Sheepdog

  • Purpose stated in the standard: “Companion dog and Sheepdog”
  • The standard describes the breed as: “Alert, gentle, intelligent, strong and active”

What you are taking on

  • 3 serious inherited conditions are documented, mainly in eyes and blood. The health guide tab has the test to ask for on each.
  • High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Mane and frill very abundant, forelegs well feathered.”

Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; American Shetland Sheepdog Association — Recommended Tests. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.

Characteristics

FCI standard · Shetland Sheepdog

Coat and colour

As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged preferred and undesirable.

Coat

Double

outer coat of long hair, harsh-textured and straight.

Undercoat soft, short and close.

Mane and frill very abundant, forelegs well feathered.

Hindlegs above hocks profusely covered with hair, below hocks fairly smooth.

Face smooth.

The coat should fit the body and not dominate or detract from the outline of the dog.

Smooth-coated specimens highly undesirable

Colour

  • Preferred
  • Permissible
  • Undesirable
  • Disqualifying

Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.

Sable

  • clear or shaded, any colour from pale gold to deep mahogany, in its shade, rich in tone.
  • Undesirable: Wolf-sable and grey
  • Preferred: Tricolour: intense black on body, rich tan markings
  • Blue Merle: clear silvery blue, splashed and marbled with black.
  • Preferred: Rich tan marking but absence not penalised
  • Undesirable: Heavy black markings, slate or rusty tinge in either top or undercoat highly
  • general effect must be blue.
  • Black and White, and Black and Tan: also recognised colours.
  • White markings may appear (except on black and tan) in blaze, collar and chest, frill, legs and tip of tail.
  • Preferred: All or some white markings (except on black and tan) but absence of these markings not to be penalised
  • Undesirable: Patches of white on body highly

Shortened from FCI standard n°88 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.

What the breed standard says

Size
“Ideal height at withers: Males 37 cm Females 35,5 cm More than 2 1/2 cm above or below these heights highly undesirable”
FCI distinguishes an ideal from what is permitted.

Quoted from FCI standard n°88. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.

Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Shetland Sheepdog in general; any individual animal can differ.

Health guide

Health & screening guide for the Shetland Sheepdog

Known hereditary risks for the Shetland Sheepdog breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.

6 conditions documented

Health checklist (PDF)

Bones & joints

Hip dysplasia

Monitor

Malformation of the hip joint that can progress to arthritis and lameness; one of the parent club's three required CHIC tests, though the parent club itself describes health problems in general as less common in this breed than in many others.

What to ask for

A hip evaluation via OFA or PennHIP, on both parents.

1 source

Immune system

Dermatomyositis

Monitor

An inherited autoimmune disease affecting skin and muscle, usually appearing in puppies under 6 months old as lesions over the face, ears and legs. Severity ranges from mild, self-limiting lesions to, in uncommon severe cases, muscle wasting.

What to ask for

The 3-gene DNA test developed by the Clemson University Center for Human Genetics, on both parents — one of the parent club's elective CHIC tests.

2 sources

Eyes

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA-BBS2 variant)

Serious

A specific inherited form of retinal degeneration documented in this breed, leading to progressive vision loss and eventual blindness. It is one of the parent club's three required CHIC tests.

What to ask for

A DNA test for the PRA-BBS2 variant, on both parents, with results submitted to OFA.

1 source

Collie eye anomaly (CEA)

Serious

The same inherited defect in retinal, optic nerve and choroid development described in the Border Collie and other collie-type breeds, ranging from no visual impact to blindness.

What to ask for

A DNA test for the NHEJ1 gene deletion, on both parents — one of the parent club's elective CHIC tests (at least two of which are required alongside the three mandatory tests).

2 sources

Blood

Von Willebrand disease Type III

Serious

The most severe form of this inherited bleeding disorder, caused by near-complete absence of von Willebrand factor, which can turn surgery, whelping or an injury into a serious or fatal haemorrhage.

What to ask for

A DNA test for von Willebrand disease Type III, on both parents — one of the parent club's elective CHIC tests.

1 source

Medication sensitivity

Multidrug sensitivity (MDR1)

Monitor

The same ABCB1 mutation described in the Border Collie, disabling a drug-transport protein in the brain; an affected dog can react severely to normal doses of drugs including ivermectin and loperamide.

What to ask for

A DNA test for the ABCB1 4-base-pair deletion, on both parents — one of the parent club's elective CHIC tests, and UC Davis's Veterinary Genetics Laboratory lists Shetland Sheepdog among the breeds appropriate for testing. Share the result with a vet before anaesthesia or antiparasitic treatment.

2 sources

How long the Shetland Sheepdog lives, in the records

Median survival 13,4 years

95% confidence interval 13,1–13,6 years, from 793 recorded deaths among 1884 dogs

Mortality hazard 0.69 (0.64, 0.74) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12,0 years.

Measured in the United Kingdom from 584.734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.

McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.

Gallery

No photographs yet

This is where Shetland Sheepdog owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.

A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.

Puppies

No puppies listed right now

No Shetland Sheepdog breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.

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