Shetland’s are a small breed of dog that was originally bred to protect and herd sheep, something which they are still used for in the Shetland Islands to date. They are one of the most loyal breeds of dogs that you can have, making them the perfect companion and family dog, and also a good guard dog as they will bark to alert you, they are also very intelligent, lively and easy to train.

Due to them being first bred as herding dogs, Shetlands have it in their nature to chase after things, from a ball to small animals. This also means that they enjoy going off and exploring there local surroundings, so have an insurance policy out with them is particularly useful. Due to their herding background they have a nature that makes them want to keep busy, which is one of the reasons why they live well will children would like to play in the garden with them.

They have health issues similar to Rough Collie dogs, as they have the tenancy to inherit eye diseases. This is something that you should look into when your puppy is first born, you can take them to a vet who will be able to look at their eyes and see if there are any problems, in some cases they are able to link problems to something that they might suffer from in the future such as epilepsy. However getting them checked over at a young age will mean that if they might suffer from something in the future vets will probably be able to give them treatment early on to prevent or help them in some way.

As a breed they are also known to sometimes suffer from Von Willebrand disease, this is again an inherited problem that results in blood clotting. There are 3 levels of the illness and those with the worst form are unlikely to live very long. However in recent years there have been medical developments that now mean you can get the DNA tested by your vets, something which is advised.