Shetland Sheepdog
A miniature collie-like herder from the Shetland Islands, quick to learn and quick to bark — the register's line on the Shetland Sheepdog wastes no words, and neither does its sheet.
The temperament sheet
Energy is rated high. A Sheltie is a working herder in a small frame and wants daily exercise with some thinking attached — the register’s ‘quick to learn’ is an invitation as much as a compliment. Tolerance for time alone is rated moderate, so reasonable absences are workable.
With children the rating is good, and first-time owners get a yes: the drive is real, but a committed beginner can meet it. Space is marked needs-garden; the sheet wants somewhere for those herding legs to work.
The practical side
A small dog with a serious coat. Grooming is rated moderate, but shedding is rated heavy — the heaviest mark on our scale — and anyone precious about dark clothing should know that going in. Barking is rated vocal: ‘quick to bark’ sits on the register’s own line, and the sheet agrees without apology.
Before you decide
Then apply the order of authority that governs every page here: individual dogs outrank their breed sheet, and meeting the dog outranks everything.