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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Sheltie Colors
Here's a showcase of the standard Sheltie colors: Pure Sable, Mahogany Sable, Tri Color, Blue Merle, Bi Black, and Bi Blue.
What to Know About Mini Shelties
Miniature Shelties (aka Toy Shelties) are an unofficial breed variation, measuring under 13 inches. Here's the backstory of these extra tiny Shelties.
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.
How to Socialize a Shy Sheltie
Shelties can shy dogs if they aren't well socialized as puppies. Missing this window is a huge loss for a Sheltie, but there are ways to help minimize his anxiety.
Introducing a Newborn Baby to a Sheltie
It's natural to be apprehensive when you bring your newborn baby home. Your whole life will be different, especially if this is your first child. And having pets around can shake things up that extra bit.
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.
10 Things I Love About Shelties
Shelties are small dogs with a dainty appearance and lots of fur. They're sensitive, eager, and highly vocal. Here's what I love most about Shetland Sheepdogs.
Cool to Play with Shelties
Many dogs love to play fetch or tug-of-war, but Shelties are far more idiosyncratic. Here are some fun games for Shelties that reward their herding instinct.
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.
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.
Sheltie Puppy Development in Pictures
See Sheltie puppies growing into an adult dogs in pictures: tiny newborn dumplings, plump 8-week furballs, gangly coyotes, and billowing fur beasts.
20 Things You Need for a Puppy
You're getting a new puppy! Praise Wibblesniff! Life is good! Here are 20 things you need for your new teeny friend, from feeding bowls to grooming tools.
101 Cute Sheltie Puppies
Here are 101 pictures of Sheltie puppies sent in by our readers. Get ready for puppy overload—we're talking cute, playful, curious, sleepy, bashful... oh wait, now I'm just naming dwarves.
Never Buy a Puppy From a Pet Store
Pet store puppies often come from puppy mills who, unlike ethical breeders, bypass genetic screening and vet checks in exchange for more profits.
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 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.
Clicker Train Your Sheltie
Clicker training is ideal for Shelties learning obedience, tricks, and agility. It's a gentle training method that uses psychological conditioning.
How to Stop Your Sheltie Barking
Behavioral problems aside, the best way to stop your Sheltie barking is to fill her life with productive outlets for her energy: agility, tricks, obedience, chew toys, games, and exercise.
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.
Genetic Diseases in Shelties
Purebred dogs are more susceptible to certain genetic diseases than mixed-breeds. Shelties in particular are more prone to problems of the eyes, skin, knees, hips, and blood.
The Best Food for Shelties
Here's an in-depth review of the best dog food for Shelties, examining dry dog food ingredients, healthy kibbles, toxic foods, and oral health.
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.
The fur. THE FUR!
How to Groom a Sheltie
Shetland Sheepdogs have luxurious double coats which need weekly grooming. Here's my guide to de-shedding the undercoat, untangling mats, and trimming the claws.
101 Shelties in The Bath
When I asked Sheltie Planet readers to share their cutest, funniest and oh-so-sorrowful photos of dripping wet Shelties in the tub, this is what I got back.
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.
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.
