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Shetland Sheepdog breeders

The Shetland Sheepdog, usually called the Sheltie, comes from the Shetland Isles off the north-east coast of Scotland, which the Royal Kennel Club (RKC) notes also gave rise to the Shetland pony: both are compact…

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Advertise your Shetland Sheepdog puppies, litters and stud dogs

Do you breed Shetland Sheepdogs? List your kennel on caninebreeder.co.uk so buyers searching for the breed can find you. You can advertise Shetland Sheepdog puppies for sale when a litter is planned or born, and offer your Shetland Sheepdog stud dog to other breeders looking for a suitable mate. Add the parents' eye certificates, DNA results and RKC registration details so buyers and bitch owners can see the health testing behind your dogs, and update your listing as each new litter arrives.

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Create your free breeder profile Advertise a litter Advertise a stud dog

Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Shetland Sheepdog

The Shetland Sheepdog, usually called the Sheltie, comes from the Shetland Isles off the north-east coast of Scotland, which the Royal Kennel Club (RKC) notes also gave rise to the Shetland pony: both are compact animals suited to small holdings. The Sheltie is a small working sheepdog in the RKC Pastoral group, and the RKC says the Scottish sheepdogs that were the foundation of the Collie, Border Collie and Bearded Collie are thought to feature in its ancestry. Shelties were exhibited as miniature Collies when first shown at Crufts in 1906, but the breed has its own standard and differs from the Collie in several subtle points.

Size. The breed standard gives an ideal height at the withers of 37 cm (14½ in) for dogs and 35.5 cm (14 in) for bitches, and treats a variation of more than 2.5 cm (1 in) either way as highly undesirable. The RKC lists the Sheltie as a small breed with a lifespan of over 10 years.

Coat and grooming. The coat is double: a long, straight, harsh-textured outer coat over a short, soft, close undercoat, with a very full mane and frill and well-feathered forelegs. The RKC lists the breed as shedding and recommends grooming every day. Accepted colours are sable (from pale gold to deep mahogany), tricolour, blue merle, black and white, and black and tan. Some white markings are preferred on every colour except black and tan, although their absence is not penalised.

Exercise. The RKC suggests up to an hour of exercise a day. The English Shetland Sheepdog Club describes the breed as intelligent and active, content with anything from a short stroll to a long day in the hills, and Shelties take part in obedience, agility and rally.

Temperament and suitability. The standard describes an alert, gentle and intelligent dog, affectionate towards its owner and quick to respond, reserved with strangers but never nervous. The club says Shelties like to join in family activities, including with children, and respond well to reward-based training. The RKC considers the breed suitable for town or country with a small to medium garden. Before buying, weigh up the daily grooming, the shedding coat and a natural reserve with people the dog does not know.

Shetland Sheepdog health tests

The RKC Health Standard sets out the tests it expects before a Sheltie is bred from, split into Good Practice (the minimum) and Best Practice. The Kennel Club's Breed Health and Conservation Plan for the Shetland Sheepdog, available on the English Shetland Sheepdog Club website, names generalised progressive retinal atrophy (GPRA) and Collie eye anomaly (CEA) as the breed's priorities. DNA tests cover CEA/CH and two PRA variants, and are used alongside clinical eye examinations.

MDR1 is an inherited drug sensitivity. In affected dogs, some medicines, including ivermectin and loperamide, can build up in the fluid around the brain and spinal cord and cause serious illness, so a dog's MDR1 result is worth sharing with its vet. The club's health pages also cover dermatomyositis, an uncommon inherited skin disease, and the breed plan discusses gallbladder mucoceles.

The RKC does not register puppies from merle-to-merle matings whelped on or after 6 July 2010, because of the risk of impaired sight and hearing. The breed is in Breed Watch Category 2, with misplaced canine teeth listed as a point of concern for judges. Health testing reduces risk; it cannot guarantee a healthy puppy.

Good Practice (RKC Health Standard)

  • Prioritising genetic diversity
  • Eye testing using the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme (including litter screening)

Best Practice (in addition)

  • DNA test for Collie eye anomaly/choroidal hypoplasia (CEA/CH)
  • DNA test for multi-drug resistance (MDR1)
  • DNA test for progressive retinal atrophy (BBS2-PRA)
  • DNA test for progressive retinal atrophy (CNGA1-PRA)
  • DNA test for von Willebrand disease (vWD3-2)
  • Elbow testing for elbow dysplasia (BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme)
  • Hip testing for hip dysplasia (BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme)

Breed Watch: Category 2 (misplaced canine teeth)

Choosing a Shetland Sheepdog breeder

A careful Sheltie breeder has both parents examined under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme within the 12 months before mating, and has the litter eye-screened while the puppies are young; the BVA screens litters at five to twelve weeks old. Expect DNA results on the parents for CEA/CH, MDR1, both PRA variants and vWD3-2, plus hip scores and elbow grades where the breeder follows Best Practice. Results for RKC-registered dogs can be checked on the RKC Health Test Results Finder.

Good breeders plan matings with genetic diversity in mind, aiming for a coefficient of inbreeding at or below the breed average, and never pair two merles. In England, a licensed breeder may show a puppy to buyers only together with its mother and may not sell a puppy under eight weeks old. Breeders recommended through the English Shetland Sheepdog Club's puppy registers have agreed to follow the club's Code of Ethics.

  • Can I see current eye certificates for both parents, and was this litter eye-screened?
  • What are the parents' DNA results for CEA/CH, MDR1, BBS2-PRA, CNGA1-PRA and vWD3-2?
  • What colour is each parent, and is either of them merle?
  • What is the litter's coefficient of inbreeding compared with the breed average?
  • Will you take the dog back at any age if I can no longer keep it?

Shetland Sheepdog questions

Is a Shetland Sheepdog just a miniature Rough Collie?

No. The Sheltie is a separate breed with its own RKC breed standard. The RKC says it is thought to share ancestry with the Scottish sheepdogs behind the Collie breeds, and it was exhibited as a miniature Collie when first shown at Crufts in 1906, but the standards for the breeds differ.

How big does a Shetland Sheepdog grow?

The breed standard gives an ideal height at the withers of 37 cm (14u00bd in) for dogs and 35.5 cm (14 in) for bitches, and treats more than 2.5 cm (1 in) above or below this as highly undesirable.

What is MDR1 and why does it matter for Shelties?

MDR1 is an inherited mutation that lets some drugs, such as ivermectin and loperamide, build up in the fluid around the brain and spinal cord. The RKC says dogs with two copies can become seriously ill if given them. A DNA test shows whether a dog is clear, a carrier or affected, and the RKC lists it as a Best Practice test for the breed. Share the result with your vet.

Do Shetland Sheepdogs shed?

Yes. The RKC lists the breed as shedding and recommends grooming every day to keep the double coat, mane and frill in good order.

More for Shetland Sheepdog owners and breeders

Official sources