The breed belongs to group 1: Sheepdogs and Cattledogs.
Overall impression: Small, long-haired utility dog with great beauty, not lumpy or rough. Symmetrical silhouette so that every detail harmonizes with the whole. Plenty of fur, mane and chest fur, well-shaped head and adorable expression help to create the ideal.
Characteristics: Awake, gentle, intelligent,
strong and moving.
Temperament: Devoted and attentive to his owner, reserved to strangers, never nervous.
Head and skull: Noble head; viewed from above and
from the side shaped like a long, blunt wedge that decreases in width from the ears to the nasal cartilage. The width of the shell is proportional to the length of the shell and muzzle portion. The head must be proportionate to the size of the dog. Flat skull,
moderately broad between the ears, with no marking of the neck bone. Flat cheeks that evenly turn into a well-rounded muzzle. The skull and muzzle of the same length, the center point being the inner eye hook. The skull's upper line parallel to the muzzle
of the snout, with a small but clear stop. Black nose cartilage, black lips and eyelid gutters. The distinctive expression is achieved by the perfect balance and combination of skull and muzzle, the shape, color and location of the eyes, as well as correctly
placed and worn ears.
Bite: Smooth jaws, dry and powerful with well-developed lower jaw. Tight lips. Healthy teeth with a perfect, smooth and complete scissors bite. Teeth evenly placed in the jaws. It is highly
desirable to have a full set of teeth with 42 correctly placed teeth.
Eyes: Medium sized, oblique, almond shaped. Dark brown, except for blue merles, which may have blue or blue-stained eyes, either or both.
Ears: Small, moderately broad in base, quite densely placed on top of skull. At rest, they are laid back; when the dog is alert, they are brought forward and carried half-standing with forward-bending ear tips.
Neck: Muscular, well curved and so long that the head is worn proudly.
Forearms: Well laid shoulders. In the withers, the shoulders are separated only by the spine, but
the shoulder blades slop outward to accommodate the desired arching of the ribs. Well angled shoulder joint. Upper arm and shoulder blade of approximately the same length. The elbow is located midway between the ground and the withers. Straight front legs
seen from the front, muscular and dry with strong leg trunk. Strong and elastic middle hand.
Body: The body slightly longer from the shoulder joint to the sitting leg than the withers. Deep chest that reaches
least to the elbow joint. Well-arched ribs that get narrower in the lower half to allow free clearance for the front legs and shoulders. Straight back with a nice lumbar arch, the intersection should slope evenly backwards.
Rear limbs: Wide and muscular thighs. Well angled knee and hock joints. The hats low employed. Strong leg trunk. Straight hocks seen from behind.
Paws: Oval paws with good pads, toes curved and placed
close together.
Tail: Low hired tail, last tail swirl should reach at least to the hock, abundant coat, saber-shaped. Can be lifted slightly under movement, but never over the extension of the back line. It
should never have a tailbone.
Movements: Smooth, smooth and graceful. Good rear leg drive so that as much ground as possible is covered with the least effort. Passing, sneezing, rolling or stiff stilting up
and down movements are very undesirable.
Fur: Double fur; cover hairs long, straight and straight. Soft, short and tight undercoat. Very plentiful mane and chest fur, the front legs should have tabs. The
hind legs above the hare should have plenty of fur, but below the hare the fur should be quite short. The head should be short-haired. Short-haired individuals are very undesirable.
Color: Sable: Clear or shaded,
any color from pale golden to deep mahogany, in its hue it should be rich in tone. Wolf and gray are undesirable.
Tricolor: Intense black color on the body, rich tan drawings preferred.
Blue merle: Clear silver-blue color, spotted and marbled with black. Rich tan drawings are preferred, but a lack of these is not considered a fault. Large black drawings, slate color or rust color in either cover hair or undercoat
are highly undesirable; the overall impression should be blue.
Black & white and black & tan are also approved colors. If you read the history you can see that the first Shetland Sheepdog was in the
color black and white. Black and tan is a color that has not been seen in the breed for many years.
White drawings can be found (except for black & tan) such as bliss and collar, on chest, legs and tail
tip. All, or some, of the white drawings are preferred (except for black & tan), but lack of these drawings is not considered incorrect. White spots on the body are very undesirable.
Size: Ideal height:
Male dogs 37 cm - Bitches 35.5 cm.New 36cm. More than 2.5 cm above or below these heights is very undesirable.
Errors: Any deviation from the preceding points should be considered as errors. The severity of
the error must be graded according to the size of the deviation in relation to the racial description.
NOTE: Male dogs should have two normally developed testicles in the normal place.
Rasestandard (Norsk)
Rasen hører hjemme i gruppe 1, bruks-, hyrde-, og gjeterhund.
Helhetsinntrykk: Liten, langhåret brukshund med stor skjønnhet, ikke klumpet eller grov. Symmetrisk silhuett slik at alle detaljer harmonerer med helheten. Rikelig pels, manke- og brystpels, velformet hode og yndig uttrykk er med på å skape idealet.
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