Ch Kilwarrin Fair Thee Well and son Kilwarrin Fair Talisman in the backyard at Kilwarrin

The Shetland Sheepdog or "Sheltie" as he is affectionately known, originates from the Shetland Islands where he was used by crofters as a sheepdog and guardian of the farm.

Today he makes an ideal family pet, being equally happy in a suburban back yard or running free in open spaces as long as he is with his family.  Often referred to as a miniature Collie, the Sheltie certainly has the overall appearance of the Rough Collie, however he is a breed all of his own and possesses some minor distinguishing features apart from the obvious size difference.

The Sheltie's glamorous coat which requires surprisingly little attention, together with his sweet expression, make him a dog of great beauty.  A brush and some comb attention behind the ears each week or so, check our grooming page, will keep the Sheltie in good condition. In size he stands around 14 to 15 inches at the shoulder, his head being about level with your knee, making him sufficiently small to take anywhere without intrusion, liking nothing better than riding in the family car.  However do not be fooled!  Although rather a small dog, the Sheltie is not fragile and basically sound healthy dogs with a life expectancy of 12 to 16 years.

The Sheltie is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a small to medium size, well mannered companion or obedience dog. They are happiest when with you, hence good for either the older person who wishes to stay at home most of the day with them sitting beside the chair or good with active person who wants a dog to take out walking, or jogging, they are happy and capable to do that as well Easy to train being so quick to understand what you require as they are usually paying attention, this devotion to their owner is a great quality and often means they are considered snobbish as whilst they will tolerate being petted and fussed over by strangers they do not react with the same enthusiasm they would for an owner or well known friend. Shelties are unlikely to follow someone else home, most are unlikely to let you leave their sight, when out walking in a safely "offlead" area of course, they tend to keep checking you are not too far away. This attention means that they are readily able to adjust to the level of obedience you require whether that be, just simple commands as "Go outside" "In the car" "Off the Couch" or better yet "On the Couch" or high levels of competitive obedience,"Companion Dog", "Utility Dog", "Agility Dog" titles and even tracking.
Often this means there is not a great difference in getting either a male or female puppy, as if you encourage boisterous wild play with your female as a youngster then she is likely to be as rough and tumble as any male, and visa versa, if you like a knee sitting, quiet petting dog, a male will be quite happy to oblige.

Sheltiesare special companions and we are willing to help you in your choice of them as the dog for you. Our goals are to match dogs with owners/families so that there is the minimum chance of the dog being dumped or handed on to people who dont appreciate or know how to care for them properly.
If you are not willing to have a fully fenced backyard, spend time exercising and grooming or paying for it to be done by professionals, or take them to the vet yearly for vaccinations, then I would not recommend one of ours or anyone elses Shelties, Our approach has always been to tell people what we can about health, grooming, training, to the best of our knowledge. We will give you all the information we can about our puppies and are happy for you to call with questions at any time later.

Aside from the many attributes which makes him an ideal family pet, the Shetland Sheepdog has proved a very popular show dog and is frequently to be seen taking top honors amongst the best of all breeds in both overseas and Australian show rings. 
He has also proved his worth in obedience competition, where his intelligence and eagerness to please have placed him amongst the best. 

In a recent survey the Sheltie was placed 6^th of all the breeds in the most intelligent dog stakes, a position that all Sheltie lovers think is much too far down the list.

An excellent watch dog who will alert you to any visitors or unusual occurrences.  He lives happily with the family cat and will get along with most other dogs.