Shetland Sheepdog
The Shetland Sheepdog was bred on the islands of its name to work the small, hardy sheep of the crofts, and it is a working collie in miniature rather than a toy. The breed is…
About the Shetland Sheepdog
The Shetland Sheepdog was bred on the islands of its name to work the small, hardy sheep of the crofts, and it is a working collie in miniature rather than a toy. The breed is intelligent, quick and deeply attached to its family, and often reserved with strangers, which the standard describes as a natural trait rather than a fault.
Shelties stand about 35.5 to 37 cm for dogs, with a long, straight, harsh outer coat over a dense undercoat, in sable, tricolour, blue merle and black with white or tan. A blue merle should never be mated to another merle. The coat needs regular work, and the breed's readiness to bark needs sensible early handling; a stud of calm, confident disposition is the first thing to look for.
Ask a Sheltie stud owner for a current eye certificate, since collie eye anomaly is the breed's best-known concern, and for the DNA tests widely used in the breed: collie eye anomaly, the MDR1 drug-sensitivity gene, von Willebrand's disease type III and degenerative myelopathy. Hip scores are worth asking about as well, and so is thyroid function in the line.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Shetland Sheepdog
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Good Practice — the Royal Kennel Club’s minimum before breeding
The tests the Royal Kennel Club says breeders should, at a minimum, complete before breeding.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| DNA test — BBS2-PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy, BBS2) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| DNA test — CEA/CH (Collie Eye Anomaly / Choroidal Hypoplasia) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| DNA test — CNGA1-PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy, CNGA1) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| DNA test — MDR1 (Multi-Drug Resistance) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| DNA test — vWD3 (von Willebrand Disease type 3) | DNA test | Laboratory | The result printed on the laboratory certificate. |
| Hip score (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Total of both hips, 0–106. Lower is better. |
| Elbow grading (BVA/KC) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC | Grade 0–3. The dog is graded on the worse of the two elbows. |
Breed hip median
Breed median 9 (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years, 129 dogs scored). Lower is better. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Shetland Sheepdog stud dogs
No Shetland Sheepdog studs are listed right now
When a Shetland Sheepdog on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Shetland Sheepdog litters
No Shetland Sheepdog litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
