Shelties are an extremely difficult breed to master judging due to the many types that appear in the ring. These types are due to the youngness of the breed and the varied hereditary components from the black Zetland Toonie (Picts’) dog, the red Icelandic, the smutty muzzled Yakki, the then-large Pomeranian (all Nordic Spitz breeds) the Border Collie, the Blenheim King Charles Spaniel, and lastly, the Scotch Collie. Rough Collie crosses were done as late as the 1940’s on a clandestine basis. There were originally two stud books – Book “A” for the 10”-12” toy type that was sold off Islands and Book “B” for the 12”-15” working dogs that remained on the Islands. The Shetland Collie (their original name) was first shown as a Collie in the “Under 27 lb” class. In 1914, when the English Kennel Club recognized the Shelties as a separate breed, only stud book “B” was adopted as the true breed. But the throwback to toy type still emerges on occasion and is not a desirable type among knowledgeable breeders.

When judging for type, head is always very important. But it is becoming far harder to find a correctly proportioned body nowadays. We are losing the essence of the working dog in favor of a faddish, “pretty”, poodle-like “fluff & flash” caricature. A good rule of thumb is that if an individual Sheltie reminds you of a Pomeranian (too compact, short thick head & neck, cobby body, excess coat, sometimes “busy” 4-beat movement) or a Poodle with huge cotton candy coat and ewe necks, hard 90 degree angles to the body lines, or strikes you as an overdone Collie (too long in head - be sure to measure this - slabby/herring gut shelly body, too long in loin, too small in eye), then it is atypical and reminiscent of a “foreign” breed. If true type, that of a very moderate Collie in miniature proportions, is not available in a reasonably sound dog, it is better for the breed integrity to err to a strong, sound, quality dog with Collie type preferable over Pomeranian type. Many may disagree with me on this point, and there is wide latitude in our breed, but the main point is that working type is what the standard describes, and toy type, while very cute and extremely appealing, cannot work well day in & day out. Other virtues that are fast disappearing from this breed are: a cresty neck of elegant length properly set into the shoulders (poor set-ins, ewe or short necks are the norm); rich pigment (not dyed) such as Irish Red, English Orange, mahogany sable, pigeon, steel or powder blue, blue-black, and copper face trim; proper harsh coat texture, although AOAC’s are usually softer than sables by nature; a “rough” coat that naturally fits and is suitable for work and weather, not an overdone, sculpted one; a properly placed, unfilled stop on a well-muzzled, but clean, lean skull without depth, brow to throat, or coarse zygomatic arches; and plainly marked dogs. Due to the 50% white markings penalty, if you “pelt out” most flashy dogs in your mind, you will find they are MORE than 50% white. The Irish pattern is NOT a requirement, although the original breed had color-headed whites and anopthic colors such as chocolate and slate (then called “blue”) in abundance. The blue merle gene was not introduced into the breed until the Collie cross in 1917.

It is also useful to review both the Border Collie and Rough Collie standards as some of the descriptive phrases such as, in the RC one, “carrying no useless timber” and “head inclined to lightness” could equally apply to Shelties. However, please note that “sweet” expression is purposely not in the Sheltie standard while “alert” and “intelligent” is. But the body proportions of the RC and Sheltie are approximately the same: height to length ratio is to be 9:10. Today we see too many short-legged, coarse headed, clunky boned dogs in the ring. The Sheltie standard asks for “strong” bone and a “sturdy” dog, NOT a cloddy one. Even though light bone is listed as a fault, it needs to be remembered that when the current standard was written in 1959, pencil legs were the norm.

The pendulum has now swung too far in the opposite direction. A Sheltie should be able “to leap small buildings with a single bound” and work tirelessly, not plod around the ring and wilt after two laps. Nor should they charge around, “busy” legs ablur in a 4-beat gait. A long, easy, light yet springy, daisy-clipping, almost loafing, suspended (yes, suspended), glass-of-water iron-back gait has almost disappeared from this breed. They should also be able to spring 3 feet straight up in the air standing still. And have the attitude to want or actually do that for their owners. But dogs are NOT to be penalized if “reserved”. This does not mean shy or spooky. It means aloof, you don’t exist in their universe, you are a stranger and they don’t like you putting your hands on them. They will literally turn their head away from you. This is the mark of a working herder and is rapidly disappearing from this breed in favor of a “showier” terrier-type temperament which is NOT correct.

The breed’s main function was as an able, all-purpose farm dog in the Islands. The Shetland Sheep they herded is a diminutive, active, agile and wily breed. The climate there is extremely harsh, cold and damp, as the Islands are situated in the middle of the North Sea above Scotland. It is an unforgivingly hard, sparse, rugged and rocky landscape. The crofters were as poor as the land and food was scarce. Wolves and other major predators did not exist in the Islands, unlike the Scottish mainland or European continent. Therefore a small size was more efficient to go with the small sheep. At home, the dogs were the crofter’s family companion, and to this day often herds children as part of its “flock”. This breed was developed as a good-natured, all-round dog that performed many chores and functions: herder, hunter and ratter, pet and sentry/alarm dog. Intelligence has been a must for this Collie-family breed to do its multi-purpose job.

IN SUMMARY, THE "ESSENTIALS" OF A SHELTIE:

WORKING DOG, not “stuffed-toy”

STRUCTURE (Can it do the job, day in, day out?)

SOLID, stabile temperament (Would you trust your sheep with this dog?)

Proportionate/enough “leg” under it

AGILE/easy, suspended gait

Alert, INTELLIGENT expression

One-piece, lean head (long, blunt wedge)

Rough/fitting/working coat, not over 50% white

These items correspond to the “Big 6” (the major 10 point items in the scale at the end of the standard), plus type, and the problems currently being seen in the breed such as front assemblies literally set on too far forward and cowhocked rears. The problems of bad bites, missing and crooked teeth are another issue altogether and not listed here because, by the standard’s scale, these are minor faults. It is an issue the breeders need to educate themselves about and take responsibility to eradicate, the same as our other genetic defects such as eye anomalies, hip dysplasia, vWD, thyroid and autoimmune disorders.

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