Origin
and Purpose
The Shetland Sheepdog, like the Collie, traces to the
Border Collie of Scotland which, transported to the
Shetland Islands and crossed with small, intelligent
longhaired breeds, was reduced to miniature
proportions. Subsequent crosses were made from time to
time with Collies. This breed now bears the same
relationship in size and general appearance to the Rough
Collie as the Shetland Pony does to some of the larger
breeds of horses. Although the resemblance between the
Shetland Sheepdog and the Rough Collie is marked, there
are differences which may be noted.
GENERAL
APPEARANCE
The Shetland Sheepdog is a small, alert, rough-coated, longhaired
working dog. He must be sound, agile and sturdy. The
outline should be so symmetrical that no part appears
out of proportion to the whole. Dogs should appear
masculine, bitches feminine.
TEMPERAMENT
The Shetland Sheepdog is intensely loyal, affectionate, and
responsive to his owner. However, he may be reserved
towards strangers but not to the point of showing fear
or cringing in the ring. Faults: Shyness, timidity or nervousness. Stubbornness, snappiness,
or ill temper.
SIZE
The Shetland Sheepdog should stand between 33.02 and 40.64 cm
(13-16”) at the highest point of the shoulder blade. Note:
Height is determined by a line perpendicular to the
ground from the top of the shoulder blades, the dog
standing naturally, with forelegs parallel to line of
measurement.
COAT AND
COLOUR
The coat should be double, the outer coat consisting of long,
straight, harsh hair; the undercoat short, furry, and so
dense as to give the entire coat its "stand-off"
quality. The hair on face, tips of ears and feet should
be smooth. Maine and frill should be abundant, and
particularly impressive in males. The forelegs well
feathered, the hind legs heavily so, but smooth below
the hock joint. Hair on tail profuse.
NOTE:
Excess hair on ears, feet and hocks may be trimmed for
the show ring. Colour black, blue merle, and sable (ranging from golden through
mahogany); marked with varying amounts of white and/or
tan.
Faults: Coat Short or flat, in whole or in part; wavy, curly, soft
or silky. Lack of undercoat. Smooth-coated specimens.
Rustiness in a black or blue coat. Washed out or
degenerate colours, such as pale sable and faded blue.
Self-colour in the case of blue merle, that is, without
any merling or mottling and generally appearing as a
faded or dilute tricolour. Conspicuous white body spots.
Specimens with more than 50 per cent white shall be so
severely penalized as to effectively eliminate them from
competition.
HEAD
The head should be refined and its shape, when viewed from
top or side, be a long, blunt wedge tapering slightly
from ears to nose, which must be black. Top of scull
should be flat, showing no prominence at nauchal crest
(the top of the occiput). Cheeks should be flat and
should merge smoothly into a well-rounded muzzle. Skull
and muzzle should be of equal length, balance point
being the inner corner of eye. In profile, the topline
of skull should parallel the topline of muzzle, but on a
higher plane due to the presence of a slight but
definite stop. JAWS clean and powerful. The deep,
well-developed underjaw, rounded at the chin, should
extend to base of nostril. Lips tight. Upper and lower
lips must meet and fit smoothly together all the way
around. Teeth level and evenly spaced. Scissors bite.
EYES medium size with dark, almond-shaped rims, set
somewhat obliquely in skull. Colour must be dark with
blue or merle eyes permissible in blue merles only. EARS
small and flexible, placed high, carried three-fourths
erect, with tips breaking forward. When in repose the
ears fold lengthwise and are thrown back into the frill.
Contours and chiselling of the head, the shape, set and
use of ears, the placement, shape and colour of the
eyes, combine to produce expression. Normally the
expression should be alert, gentle, intelligent and
questioning. Towards strangers the eyes should show
watchfulness and reserve, but no fear.
Faults: Two-angled head. Too prominent stop, or no stop. Over-fill
below, between or above eyes. Prominent nauchal crest.
Domed skull. Prominent cheekbones, Snipey muzzle. Short,
receding or shallow underjaw, lacking breadth and depth.
Overshot or under-shot, missing or crooked teeth. Teeth
visible when mouth is closed. Light, round, large or too
small eyes. Prominent haws. Ears set too low. Hound,
prick, bat, twisted ears. Leather too thick or too thin.
NECK
Neck should be muscular, arched, and of sufficient length to
carry the head proudly.
Faults: Too short and thick.
FOREQUARTERS
From the withers the shoulder blades should slope at a
45-degree angle forward and downward to the shoulder
joint. At the withers, they are separated only by the
vertebra, but they must slope outward sufficiently to
accommodate the desired spring of rib. The upper arm
should join the shoulder blade as nearly as possible at
a right angle. Elbow joint should be equidistant from
the ground or from the withers. Forelegs straight viewed
from all angles, muscular and clean, and of strong bone.
Pasterns very strong, sinewy and flexible. Dewclaws may
be removed.
Faults: Insufficient angulation between shoulder and upper arm.
Upper arm too short. Lack of outward slope of shoulders.
Loose shoulders. Turning in or out of elbows. Crooked
legs. Light bone.
BODY
In over-all appearance the body should appear moderately long
as measured from shoulder joint to ischium (rearmost
extremity of the pelvic bone), but much of this length
is actually due to the proper angulation and breadth of
the shoulder and hindquarter, as the back itself should
be comparatively short. Back should be level and
strongly muscled. Chest should be deep, the brisket
reaching to point of elbow. The ribs should be well
sprung, but flattened at their lower half to allow free
play of the foreleg and shoulder. There should be a
slight arch at the hip bone (pelvis) should be set at a
30-degree angle to the spine. Abdomen moderately tucked
up.
Faults: Back too long, too short, swayed or roached. Barrel
ribs, Slab-sides. Chest narrow and/or too shallow. Croup
higher than withers. Croup too straight or too steep.
HINDQUARTERS
The thigh should be broad and muscular. The thighbone should be set
into the pelvis at a right angle corresponding to the
angle of the shoulder blade and upper arm. Stifle bones
join the thighbone and should be distinctly angled at
the stifle joint. The over-all length of the stifle
should at least equal the length of the thighbone, and
preferably, should slightly exceed it. Hock joint should
be clean-cut, angular, sinewy, with good bone and strong
ligamentation. The hock (metatarsus) should be short and
straight viewed from all angles. Dewclaws should be
removed. Feet should be oval and compact with the toes
well arched and fitting tightly together. Pads deep and
tough, nails hard and strong.
Faults: Narrow thighs. Cow hocks. Hocks turning out. Poorly defined
hock joint. Feet turning in or out. Splay feet. Hare
feet. Cat feet.
TAIL
The tail should be sufficiently long so that when it is laid along
the back edge of the hind legs the last vertebra will
reach the hock joint. Carriage of the tail at rest is
straight down or in a slight upward curve. When the dog
is alert the tail is normally lifted, but it should not
be curved forward over the back.
Faults: Too short, twisted at end.
GAIT
The trotting gait of the Shetland Sheepdog should denote effortless
speed and smoothness. There should be no jerkiness, nor
stiff, stilted, up-and-down movement. The drive should
be from the rear, true and straight, dependent upon
correct angulation, musculature, and ligamentation of
the entire hindquarter, thus allowing the dog to reach
well under his body with his hind foot and propel
himself forward. Reach of stride of the foreleg is
dependant upon correct angulation, musculature and
ligamentation of the forequarters, together with correct
width of chest and construction of rib cage. The foot
should be lifted only enough to clear the ground as the
leg swings forward. Viewed from the front, both forelegs
and hind legs should move forward almost perpendicular
to ground at the walk, slanting a little inward at a
slow trot, until at a swift trot the feet are brought so
far inward towards centre line of body that the tracks
left show two parallel lines of footprints actually
touching a centre line at their inner edges. There
should be no crossing of the feet or throwing of the
weight from side to side.
Faults: Stiff, short steps, with a choppy, jerky movement. Mincing
steps, with a hopping up and down, or a balancing of
weight from side to side (often erroneously admired as a
"dancing gait" but permissible in young puppies).
Lifting of front feet in hackney like action resulting
in loss of speed and energy. Pacing gait.
Overall Breed
FAULTS
Shyness, timidity or nervousness. Stubbornness, snappiness, or ill
temper. Coat Short or flat, in whole or in part; wavy,
curly, soft or silky. Lack of undercoat. Smooth-coated
specimens. Rustiness in a black or blue coat. Washed out
or degenerate colours, such as pale sable and faded
blue. Self-colour in the case of blue merle, that is,
without any merling or mottling and generally appearing
as a faded or dilute tricolour. Conspicuous white body
spots. Specimens with more than 50 percent white shall
be so severely penalized as to effectively eliminate
them from competition. Two-angled head. Too prominent
stop, or no stop. Over-fill below, between or above
eyes. Prominent nauchal crest. Domed skull. Prominent
cheekbones, Snipey muzzle. Short, receding or shallow
underjaw, lacking breadth and depth. Overshot or
under-shot, missing or crooked teeth. Teeth visible when
mouth is closed. Light, round, large or too small eyes.
Prominent haws. Ears set too low. Hound, prick, bat,
twisted ears. Leather too thick or too thin. Too short
and thick a neck. Insufficient angulation between
shoulder and upper arm. Upper arm too short. Lack of
outward slope of shoulders. Loose shoulders. Turning in
or out of elbows. Crooked legs. Light bone. Back too
long, too short, swayed or roached. Barrel ribs,
Slab-sides. Chest narrow and/or too shallow. Croup
higher than withers. Croup too straight or too steep.
Narrow thighs. Cowhocks. Hocks turning out. Poorly
defined hock joint. Feet turning in or out. Splay feet.
Hare feet. Cat feet. Tail too short, twisted at end.
Stiff, short steps, with a choppy, jerky movement.
Mincing steps, with a hopping up and down, or a
balancing of weight from side to side (often erroneously
admired as a "dancing gait" but permissible in young
puppies). Lifting of front feet in hackney-like action
resulting in loss of speed and energy. Pacing gait.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Cryptorchidism in adults over 12 months of age.
A Shetland Sheepdog over or under height limits, i.e.,
33.02-40.64 cm (13-16 in.) that has been excused at
three shows for this reason. Brindle colour.
