Breed # Shetland Sheepdog The Shetland Sheepdog is a herding breed from Scotland, standing 13–16 in at the withers, weighing 11–24 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–18 yrs. ![A photograph of the Shetland Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/shetland-sheepdog.webp) Breed group Herding Origin Scotland Height 13–16 in Weight 11–24 lb Lifespan 12–18 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Shetland Sheepdog is taller than 18% of the measured breeds, heavier than 13%, one of 27 in the Herding group, one of 10 from Scotland. Compare the Shetland Sheepdog with another breed ## Living with the Shetland Sheepdog Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Shetland Sheepdog’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 5 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 5 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 4 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 5 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 4 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 5 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 1 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 4 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Shetland Sheepdog on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/shetland-sheepdog/)[Shetland Sheepdog on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/shetland-sheepdog) ## Breeds that look like the Shetland Sheepdog A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Shetland Sheepdog. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/rough-collie.webp)Rough Collie](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/rough-collie/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/finnish-lapphund.webp)Finnish Lapphund](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/finnish-lapphund/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/mackenzie-river-husky.webp)Mackenzie River husky](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/mackenzie-river-husky/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/japanese-spitz.webp)Japanese Spitz](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/japanese-spitz/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/alaskan-klee-kai-toy.webp)Alaskan Klee Kai (Toy)](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/alaskan-klee-kai-toy/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/pastore-della-lessinia-e-del-lagorai.webp)Pastore della Lessinia e del Lagorai](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/dog-breed-explorer/?breed=Pastore%20della%20Lessinia%20e%20del%20Lagorai) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Shetland Sheepdog13–16 in 2. Rough Collie22–26 in 3. Finnish Lapphund18–21 in 4. Mackenzie River husky26–29 in 5. Japanese Spitz12–15 in 6. Alaskan Klee Kai (Toy)13 in 7. Pastore della Lessinia e del Lagoraino recorded figure Weight 0–220 lb 1. Shetland Sheepdog11–24 lb 2. Rough Collie44–75 lb 3. Finnish Lapphund33–53 lb 4. Mackenzie River husky64–104 lb 5. Japanese Spitz11–20 lb 6. Alaskan Klee Kai (Toy)9 lb 7. Pastore della Lessinia e del Lagoraino recorded figure Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Shetland Sheepdog12–18 yrs 2. Rough Collie11–14 yrs 3. Finnish Lapphund12–15 yrs 4. Mackenzie River huskyno recorded figure 5. Japanese Spitz12–14 yrs 6. Alaskan Klee Kai (Toy)12–16 yrs 7. Pastore della Lessinia e del Lagoraino recorded figure Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. ## Guides that mention the Shetland Sheepdog Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed. - [The Intelligent Canine: How Many Total Words Can a Dog Learn?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-many-words-can-a-dog-learn/) See the Shetland Sheepdog on the breed map Read about the Shetland Sheepdog on Wikipedia