Most popular size of Shelties?

[SheepOfBlue]

The thing is, we need to breed to the Standard, not change the Standard to reflect the dogs that we happen to produce. The Standard describes the ideal Sheltie - not the most common Sheltie type.

Size is one of the things that characterizes the Shetland Sheepdog - it is small. In particular, it is smaller than a Collie (and likewise, the ideal Collie should be large enough that there is no confusion whatsoever at first glance as to whether it's a Collie or a Sheltie). At the same time, the ideal Sheltie is not so small that there could be any confusion as to whether it is a Toy dog.

Size is something that Sheltie breeders have been working with for a very long time. I think we've gotten better at controlling it. Those who are conscientiously breeding to the Standard will still get some over- or under-sized puppies - but with some care and good genes it's quite possible to produce a lovely, typey, in-size Sheltie.

Or as big as a Border Collie like some bad shelties that are mostly black and white...

One advantage of breed standard is many are concerned with the expected size. I admit that given a choice I would rather Sca be 14" of course he is such a cool dog that it doesn't matter now

 

[Justicemom]

Exactly... and while there are still size variations in each litter, its more refined than say 25 years ago...while one may be over, it will be under that 17" mark...and under will be mostly right around that 13" mark...The smaller ones that are mostly placed as pets are typically in the 13" range, since it is harder to get a smaller dog noticed, so to keep it in your program you need it to be REALLLY outstanding to justify keeping and showing it.

My dogs are 13 1/3(Ember), 13 1/2(Diva), 15(Justice), 14 7/8"ish(Jamie) and Porter(7 months old, currently 15.5" hasn't grown for 2 weeks)

I agree tofupup and lightpulm and for me the same can be said for the top of the standard too. The standard are the ideal to work for. We place 2 dogs in pet homes this year ,Sangria(going oversized) and Kramer(13" on his tip toes and lacking substance) and size was the main reason why on both.

We keep Porter because in him we got so many things we were looking to improve on that we were willing to keep him even though his is going to push that 16" mark. We would prefer a dog closer to 15" which his brother is going to be easily but he didn't have as much other things we needed. We know we will need to make good decisions going forward to keep size down.

If the standard were changed to allow taller dogs, one could see the height getting larger and larger because the pressure to keep them smaller would not be there.

 

[Cindy]

of my 4 shelties..

2 were in size (around 16 inches)
and 2 were oversized (18-19 inches)
one of the oversized was from a byb, one was from a hobby breeder (Gavin).

Gavin was my pick of the litter cause he was a big boy, but all I cared about was temperment. I didn't even care about sex or appearance. Of course, he is gorgeous, but I love his personality.

 

[Calliesmom]

Callie (from rescue) is about 15"
my lil man Cranberry- well he's topped out at 17.5"
and Dixie- well the lil girl is just over 14"- didn't get a good measurement on her yet.

The other shelties in our club that are from breeders are over-size.

I was always surprised when I first got Callie how people said how small she was- and I was like- but she's in size. but it's all because they see more over-size shelties than in-size. and now with the Cranboy- everybody thinks the girls are so small - and they are compared to him

 

[Pal's Mom]

My Griffin was about 15 inches and about 17 lbs- she was from a Sheltie rescue.

Paladin is exactly 17 inches and 21 lbs and Maverick is 18 inches and 24 lbs. I just assumed they were bigger because they were males. Does the sex make a difference for the standard? My boys are not show standard but I was curious if the sex made a difference when you show?

Donna

 

[DPSheltie]

Many of the Shelties I have seen at the dog parks are oversized as well. I thought that it was funny when different people tells that Riley is so small compared to the other Shelties who come to the park.....Riley is very slightly over 16, so he's either at or slightly oversized, but he is smaller (both in height and build....or fat...) then the few other Shelties that we see as pets.

That being said, at agility and obedience classes there are two other Shelties wo are similar in height and body to Riley. I am assuming this is because they were purchased from breeders and most of the ones at the park are from BYB or pet stores???

 

[Laurelin]

Mine ranged from 18 lbs to 35 lbs. I like the bigger shelties myself.

I have been seeing TEENY shelties that can't be any taller than my papillon. (She's 11.5 inches tall). I can't believe there are shelties her size!

 

[JessicaR]

I personally like shelties that are between 13.5-14.5 inches
my shelties sizes are; pepper 16, skyler 15, Belle, 14, Dusty 17.25, Summer 9.75 (she is 11.5 weeks)

 

[Caro]

I always had a preference for the larger size shelties, both in height and stockiness. I like the sturdiness.

Its been quite different having a petite 13" sheltie like Tully. She is not so good around children because they are way too rough with her, and I am constantly locking her in rooms or outside by mistake. And of course she is very agile - never had a counter surfer like her before. On the other hand its great having a dog I can lift easily and fits snugly on my lap. So now I dont know which I prefer

 

[Lovely]

Its been quite different having a petite 13" sheltie like Tully. She is not so good around children because they are way too rough with her, and I am constantly locking her in rooms or outside by mistake. And of course she is very agile - never had a counter surfer like her before. On the other hand its great having a dog I can lift easily and fits snugly on my lap. So now I dont know which I prefer

Duncan is constantly being shut behind the bathroom or closet door!! He is such a little (13") shadow that I just forget he's right there. That being said, I think most people assume he's a "mini" (I hate that term) because he is so delicately built. He's 11 lbs at his peak athletic condition. That's a taut, muscled, lithe 11 lbs, too. I've seen other Shelties close to his stature, but quite stocky in appearance and a good 4-5 lbs heavier. Being involved in Flyball, I think my tastes have shifted to the longer, leaner look Duncan has because it mimics the graceful lines of a Border Collie. That may get grunts from the Sheltie die-hards. Sorry! I look at Duncan and see an athlete in addition to the wonderful family friend and heart dog he is. I can't tell you how many people have told me that he looks built to run.

As for preference, I think mine sticks to the proportions of the body, rather than strictly size. Abigail is 27ish lbs and 18" but she has the grace and tapered musculature to pull it off. She has a similar build to Duncan, just on a different scale.