Shetland Sheepdog  

       The History of  the Shetland Sheepdog      

As the name implies, the Shetland Sheepdog  Sheltie  is indigenous to the Shetland Islands, which lie in the wild seas between Scotland and Norway. A land of brooding, barren beauty, Shetland and its inhabitants have long figured prominently in European mythology. This probably explains the more fanciful stories about the Sheltie's origins, such as the idea that they were originally called "fairy dogs," or the notion that the breed was developed by prehistoric Picts. In fact, Shetland owes its misty otherworldly aura to the incessant storms that sweep the North Atlantic. With topsoil and vegetation constantly threatened by erosion, Shetlanders of necessity practiced economy in all things. The ponies and tiny cattle and sheep so essential to the natives' livelihood were allowed to forage freely, while the few crops cultivated were protected in walled gardens on the tiny "toons" (from the Norwegian tun for "farm"). However, the two means of subsistence often came into conflict when the nimble Shetland animals jumped the stone walls to feast on the tender sprouts growing within. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the thrifty islanders began to breed small agile dogs which they called "toonies," to keep the ponies and sheep out of their precious crops. Little is known of the dogs' ancestry. An earlier, larger sheep dog of Shetland, various British working collies, the Icelandic Yakkie, and the continental dwarf spaniels all may have contributed genes, but nothing is recorded of the Shelties' history until close to the end of the century. Around 1890, British dog fanciers became alarmed by reports that the Toonies' numbers were diminishing. Sailors from whaling vessels had reportedly taken many away to serve as ships' dogs, or as gifts for loved ones back home, and changes in the islands' economy were making other kinds of herding dogs more important. At this point, Scottish and English breeders set about the task of "preserving and purifying" the little island dogs, but almost immediately, serious differences arose among them. Some wanted to perpetuate the characteristics of the crofters' dogs, which were described in a publication of the day as 10-11" tall, weighing 6-10 lbs, "pretty, intelligent and hardy." Others, however, viewed the toonies as little more than mongrels, and in need of considerable refinement. The latter group sought to strengthen what they perceived to be the Toonies' best traits by crossing them with small rough Collies, a practice accepted at the time by the Kennel Club. These "declared crosses" produced a somewhat bigger dog, which was called the Shetland Collie. Subsequent efforts to bring the dogs' size back down by selective crosses with toy breeds resulted in a loss of Collie type and were soon abandoned. The Kennel Club recognized the Shetland Collie in 1909, and a year later the first representative of the new breed was registered with the American Kennel Club. In 1914, to accommodate objections by Collie fanciers, the Shetland Collie was officially renamed the Shetland Sheepdog. A World War I breeding ban in Britain significantly set back the Sheltie's progress, but after it was lifted, American fanciers began to import more Shelties, and by 1929, enough U.S. enthusiasts existed to form the American Shetland Sheepdog Association. The ASSA would hold its first specialty show in 1933. Imports from England continued until the 1950's, when American and British Shelties began to diverge greatly in type. This may be partly attributable to Collie crosses in the U.S. which remain largely undocumented (Unlike England's Kennel Club, the AKC has always forbidden cross-breeding.) It may also stem from the fact that the English standard has long declared an ideal height for all Shelties (14" for bitches; 14.5" for dogs), while the American standard does not give preference to any height between 13 and 16 inches. (Prior to adoption of the present standard in the 1950's, American Sheltie champions could be as tall as 18"). Today Shelties from the two countries are distinctly different, and U.K.-U.S. imports are rare. While Sheltie numbers increased modestly in the United States, for many years they remained considerably less well known than their Collie cousins. By the end of the 1970's, however, the situation had reversed, and the Shetland Sheepdog appeared on AKC's list of the ten most popular dogs in twelve of the next fifteen years. By the early 1990s, however, Sheltie popularity had peaked, and registration numbers began to drop. In 1992, Shelties were the #9 AKC breed with 43,449 individual registrations. By 1998, Shelties ranked #15 with 27,978 individual registrations.

The Shetland Sheepdog Breed Standard

General Appearance *** Small, long-haired working dog of great beauty, free from cloddiness and coarseness. Outline symmetrical so that no part appears out of proportion to whole. Abundant coat, mane and frill, shapeliness of head and sweetness of expression combine to present the ideal.

Characteristics ***  Alert, gentle, intelligent, strong and active.

Temperament ***  Affectionate and responsive to his owner, reserved towards strangers, never nervous.

Head and Skull *** Head refined; when viewed from top or side a long, blunt wedge, tapering from ear to nose. Width of skull in proportion to length of skull and muzzle. Whole to be considered in connection with size of dog. Skull flat, moderately wide between ears, with no prominence of occipital bone. Cheeks flat, merging smoothly into well rounded muzzle. Skull and muzzle of equal length, dividing point inner corner of eye. Topline of skull parallel to topline of muzzle, with slight but definite stop. Nose, lips and eye rims black. The characteristic expression is obtained by the perfect balance and combination of skull and foreface, shape, colour and placement of eyes, correct position and carriage of ears.

Eyes ***  Medium size obliquely set, almond-shape. Dark brown except in the case of merles where one or both may be blue or blue flecked.

Ears *** Small, moderately wide at base, placed fairly close together on top of skull. In repose, thrown back; when alert brought forward and carried semi-erect with tips falling forward.

Mouth ***

Jaws level, clean, strong with well-developed underjaw. Lips tight. Teeth sound with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. A full compliment of 42 properly placed teeth highly desired.

Forequarters ***  Shoulders very well laid back. At withers, seperated only by vertebrae, but blades sloping outwards to accomodate desired spring of ribs. Shoulder joint well angled. Upper arm and shoulder blade approximately equal in length. Elbow equidistant from ground and withers. Forelegs straight when viewed from front, muscular and clean with strong bone. Pasterns strong and flexible.

Body ***  Slightly longer from point of shoulder to bottom of croup, than height at withers. Chest deep, reaching point of elbow. Ribs well sprung, tapering at lower half to allow free play of forelegs and shoulders. Back level, with graceful sweep over loins, croup slopes gradually to rear.

Feet ***  Oval, soles well padded, toes arched and close together.

Tail ***  Set low; tapering bone reaches to at least hock; with abundant hair and slight upward sweep. May be raised when moving but never over level of back. Never kinked.

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. Smooth coated specimens highly undesirable.

Tricolour * intense black on body, rich tan markings preferred.

Blue merle *  clear silvery blue, splashed and marbled with black. Rich tan markings preferred but absence not penalised. Heavy black markings, slate or rusty tinge in either top or undercoat highly undesirable; 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, chest, frill, legs and tip of tail. All or some white markings preferred (except on Black and Tan) but absence of these white markings not to be penalised. Patches of white on body highly undesirable.

Faults ***  Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

Note ***  Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

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