The Shetland Sheepdog, like the Collie, traces to the Border Collie of Scotland, which, transported to the Shetland Islands and crossed with small, intelligent, longhaired breeds, was reduced to miniature proportions. . . This breed now bears the same relationship in size and general appearance to the Rough Collie as the Shetland Pony does to some of the larger breeds of horses. Although the resemblance between the Shetland Sheepdog and the Rough Collie is marked, there are differences which may be noted. The Shetland Sheepdog is a small, alert, rough-coated, longhaired working dog. He must be sound, agile and sturdy. The outline should be so symmetrical that no part appears out of proportion to the whole. Dogs should appear masculine; bitches feminine.¹

Shetland Sheepdogs, like most profusely coated breeds, will go through a visible change in their coat during puberty. Coat change in Shelties may start as early as six months, with visibly longer, stronger, better-pigmented and more protective adult topcoat, or guard hairs, coming in along the spine. Eventually as puberty progresses, the minimally protective puppy coat will be replaced by this beautiful, plush, long double coat. Show-bred lines will often have more profuse coat than pet-quality dogs, where breeders pay less attention to breed standards.

Spayed and neutered long double-coated breeds like Shelties can often develop much more profuse coat. Their underline, front and rear leg furnishings, and tail should be lightly shaped to stay up off the ground and keep their rear end neat. Outline trimming of the underline and furnishings is best done with thinning shears, not scissors, as they are to appear natural, not with a lined edge. But the most important rule is that the topcoat, or guard hairs, must always remain longer than the insulating undercoat.

The Shetland Sheepdog AKC Breed Standard says this of their magnificent coats: “The coat should be double, the outer coat consisting of long, straight, harsh hair; the undercoat short, furry, and so dense as to give the entire coat its ‘standoff’ quality. The hair on face, tips of ears and feet should be smooth. Mane and frill should be abundant, and particularly impressive in males. The forelegs well feathered, the hind legs heavily so, but smooth below the hock joint. Hair on tail profuse. Note: Excess hair on ears, feet, and on hocks may be trimmed for the show ring.” ¹

A thorough line brushing through the entire torso will gently remove any shedding undercoat hairs. A long-tined soft slicker with pliable tines is best. Training a Sheltie to lay on one side and then the other is easy with these smart dogs. Be consistent with training to lay down for brushing when they are young, and they will learn to relax and love your grooming sessions with them. To line brush, the groomer makes a part in the coat and holds it open with one hand while pulling small lines of coat through with the brush or wide-toothed comb. This systematic approach will keep the owner happy with less shedding at home, and as with all dogs, they should be groomed monthly.

There has been a fad of late in our grooming industry which we see a lot, for example, in Pomeranians. This fad pretends to protect the double coat by only scissoring an “outline” as opposed to taking clippers to it, which are even worse in their destructive effect. The groomer will tightly scissor a double-coated dog like a Sheltie, or even a triple-coated like a Pomeranian, to equalize the outer topcoat hairs with the insulating undercoat hairs. This creates a very “artistic-appearing” puffy and plush outline. The only problem is that it is very destructive to the natural double-coated dog. This would “equalize” the length of the primary and secondary hairs, which, in turn, would lead to an explosion of undercoat growth that would eventually crowd out the vital topcoat hairs, destroying the amazing and beautiful balance with this natural coat type.

Shelties may sometimes need matt removal from behind their ears or thinning and shaping so as to prevent matting. All that soft coat behind their ears is undercoat that, unlike topcoat, can and should be trimmed. The ear set on the Sheltie is very distinctive and quite adorable with their semi-prick ears. The groomer should spend most of their grooming time at the front of the dog, holding the ears erect with their hands, in order to best assess the front-on view of the regal neck rough as it frames the head. Use thinning shears to shape stray hairs in the “mane” or rough area of the neck so as to frame their unique semi-prick ears.

The Sheltie’s hocks, where the undercoat can densely pack, can be combed out to poof up nicely. They should be scissored into two perfect columns when viewed from behind. Stack up the dog to evaluate them from front, side and rear views. With some “corrective grooming” (making the dog appear closer to its breed standard than it really is), the hocks can be corrected to look like they have more bone or a straighter line by taking away more hair or leaving more hair in your scissoring.

These delightful dogs are a joy to be around and to groom. When the Sheltie breeders in your area hear of your commitment to groom these magnificent dogs correctly, they will no doubt spread the word and send more clients your way!

1. Official Standard of the Shetland Sheepdog. AKC. https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/ShetlandSheepdog.pdf