Breed Showcase: The Shetland Sheepdog

This week, Laura Reeves is at the Shetland Sheepdog Club of America National Specialty, in Albany, Oregon. Laura is joined by a group of Shetland Sheepdog lovers who spend the episode talking about the very fun breed. 

What makes a Shetland Sheepdog a great pet? Shelties are a beautiful breed, they are smart, intelligent, easy to clean and to train, and always willing to please. They are the perfect sized dog, and are fancy for their size. They are greatly adaptable: they can live in an apartment or in a farm - they are completely content with where you choose to put them. 

Who would not be a really good owner for a Shetland Sheepdog? If someone is interested in an extremely aggressive dog, or a guard dog, Shelties may not be the best fit. 

Shetland Sheepdogs are a vocal breed. They bark when they have a reason to bark. They aren’t recreational barkers, they bark for what they need to bark over and then they stop. 

Moving on to the health side of the breed. Shelties, comparatively, are healthy. There are not a ton of health issues, although they do have problems that can arise, just like all dogs. Eyes and heart are the primary health concerns. 

To find out more about this non-mainstream breed, head over to the episode!