The Sheltie is not common as a herding dog in Europe, he is much more common in USA, where he can be found both doing real work and at trials. But here is danish Nanna Holt Kjær with her own-bred Shetla's Boisterous Breeze ("Breezy") at a herding training-camp held by Maud Grönberger in Sweden. Breezy has turned the sheep to fetch them.

Breezy is going round the sheep in order to get up to their heads and turn them. Nanna has written a very interesting report from the training camp. You can read it here.

The working qualities has not been primary in breeding, but there are Shelties who has been tested on herding trials and has shown very good instincts. It is a good idea to allow the Sheltie to use his teeth on the sheep to gain their respect. He drives more than he is herding and pushes the cattle in front of him.

Swimming is a gentle kind of exercise, this is Annika Sandqvists Now-or-
Never's Give me your love "Marja". Photo: A Sandqvist.

The Sheltie feels most at home in the active family, but does not demand hours of training at the local dog club. He always enjoys doing everything his master wants, without hitting the roof if he is not activated. The soft herding-features are well kept. You don't have to roar and jerk, if he does wrong it's enough to withhold treat and on the contrary when he does right really praise. Your foremost training tool is your voice, since the Sheltie has a really great hearing. Despite that, he is almost never afraid of high noises and shots.

The Sheltie gets along if he is allowed to accompany his family everywhere, the environmental training is very important. Here is Marja again, on a trip in the mountains. Photo and owner: Annika Sandqvist.

Zizi Ohlson and SLCH DKELCH LP Smedjenäs Joy has won 80 first-prizes in top obedience and has attended both the Swedish and the European obedience Championships. The titles are for Swedish and Danish obedience Champion. Photo: Zizi Ohlson.

You will be astonished of how quick the Sheltie absorbs information. If you get stuck on something and back a few steps in the training, the Sheltie only gets convinced - "I know better than you what this is all about".

Still there are a few individuals who can become independent, unwilling to obey and start to question everything you ask them to do. This dog is easily mistaken for being hard, but before you get rough with him, you should examine all the possible reasons so that he is not being blocked by stress, which is not unusual when it comes to herding dogs. With shaping/clicker training you can reach even the unwilling Sheltie. That is for the rest a training method that fits the breed like a hand in a glove, he gets to use his intelligence and his need of thinking, he doesn't make many mistakes and the training is really positive. The tough Sheltie who likes to work has great use of his independence in the disciplines tracking and search & rescue.

Zizi Ohlson has one of the tough Shelties in her Smedjenäs Smile.
In this picture you can really see the mischief glimmer in his eyes...
But that is a big advantage when he is tracking and searching.
Photo: Zizi Ohlson.

The Sheltie possesses a lot of will to please, and if he doesn't understand what you want him to do, he tries everything to figure it out. If you repeat something over and over again he will only get bustled. He is very skilled when it comes to reading his owners tiniest moodswing, that's why you should always stop training the minute you feel out of balance. The herder in the Sheltie is also attentive on everything that happens in the surrounding, that is why an audience can disturb him. Since he is soft and a little week you should put some time in his environmental training.

LPI Teddyvail's Jessamine and Pia Gustavsson during "Grännaveckan" 98.

As guardian at the farm the Sheltie was supposed to bark on strangers without getting in contact, so you problably don't have to teach him to bark on command, that he learns so well all by himself! Many Shelties are reserved with strangers, and that can be a problem, for example in obedience when the judge want's to take a look at the teeth. You solve that problem with a lot of socializing. The Shetland Sheepdog is extremely owner focused, which makes him very eager to please, but it has also at more than one time caused bars to fall down in agility, because he looks more on his master than on the obstacles! On the agility course the Sheltie really shines. He is flexible, agile, fast and he scores high on all lists year after year.

The picture above, below and to the right: Gitte Hoffmeister (above) has a little different Sheltie in her Zita, she is mostly white! Her real name is LP1 LP2 BRGPR DKSPCH Shellove Zita La Bana. Photo below and above: Tina Brigo-Hansen, to the right: Gitte Hoffmeister.

Many are the Shelties who has succeeded in obedience, scores close to the maximum points are not unusual. But it is a fine line between demand on details and joy in the performance. The Sheltie is very intelligent and always tries to be one step ahead, he soon learns in which order the tasks are coming, and can also very well perform them in advance, without command. All exercises where the Sheltie has to keep some distance to his handler, like go out, demands a little extra care while teaching. The will to keep the herd gathered has helped several Shelties to top results in search and rapport. Despite his small height, he is very robust with endurance. When it comes to retrieving and fetching, it's almost like the breed has been divided into two, some are natural retrievers, and some can cause a lot of problems. All training has to be performed with lots of joy and happiness and every session finished with something that the dog does great, so that you can really praise, by that you have created the positive memory that is so important to the Shetland Sheepdog.

Hampus has tracked down the teddybear for his master Freddy. Photo: Karin Olsson. LP I LP II Smedjenäs Smile with the workingsign for search and rescue on. Photo and owner is Zizi Ohlson.

The Shetland Sheepdog is doing well with other dogs, but he prefers other Shelties. In the hall is Shellove Blå'N'else: owner E. og H.I. Staugaard, LP1 LP2 BRGPR DKSPCH Shellove Zita La Bana, owner Gitte Hoffmeister, LP1 LP2 LP3 DKLPCH BRGPR Peerie Love Lady, owner Merete Hoffmeister, LP1 LP2 LP3 BRGPR Shellove Dad's Elfie, owner Merete Hoffmeister, LP1 Shellove Liza Minelli, owner Merete Hoffmeister lying. Photo: Gitte Hoffmeister.

Alar Meomuttels NORD AgCh Starbelle Statuette "Chip" has just left the tunnel and is on his way towards the tyre on the agility course. Photo: Madeleine Lund.

More pictures of Marja, as puppy and grown-up. Photo and owner: Annika Sandqvist.

Ulrica Ahlsén Competing in obedience III.
Taina Axelsson Kennel Chiroskas. Has the Sheltie for help in the daily work with the cattle on the farm.
Pia Bäckman Kennel Nightshelter. Editor for the swedish Sheltieclubs paper, the working pages. Competes with three Shelties in agility and two in obedience.
Marie-Louise Gunnarsson Competes in agility, obedience II and is training search and track.
Marie Hansson Has entered both the Swedish and the Nordic Championships in agility, dog psychologist and author.
Gitte Hoffmeister Is training agility.
Nanna Holt Kjær Kennel Shetla, Denmark. Is competing in agility Championships, training obedience, herding with one of her Shelties, and has tested three of her Shelties herding instincts on sheep.
Gudrun Hortell Has both Sheltie and Border Collie on the farm with cattle.
Tina-Maria Jørgensen Denmark. Is competing in agility Championships (has won gold medal on both the World Championship as well as the Nordic Championship).
Alar Meomuttel Championship agility.
Lotta Nilsson Agility, obedience, tracking, and working dog for the civil military defence. Also experience from other breeds.
Zizi Ohlson Two Shelties. Has competed in the European Championship and the Swedish Championship in obedience and team agility. Has also competed in search and tracking. Experience of German Shepherd and working hunting dogs.
Pälle Sundell Championship agility. Also experience of Cairnterrier and Poodle.
Anna Uthorn Kennel Shelgate. Trained and competed the first Sheltie obedience Champion in Sweden. Also helped her brother to take the second Champion-title. Competed in tracking and rapport.
Sonja Wakefield Kennel Nightwind, USA. Webmaster for the swedish Sheltie clubs homepages. Instructor.
Cecilia Wester Training both agility and obedience III.
Janne Wihlborg Competing obedience II.

Some facts are from the swedish Sheltie clubs website, the breed standard and the book Shetland Sheepdog by Madeleine Lund.