Small, long haired working dog of great beauty, free from cloddiness and coarseness. Outline symmetrical, so that no part appears out of proportion to the whole. Abundant coat, mane and frill, shapeliness of head and sweetness of expression combine to present the ideal.
A combination of the first sentence of this heading with phrases taken from later paragraphs would read "Small, longhaired working dog of great beauty. strong and active but lithe and graceful, free from cloddiness and coarseness". This would complete a picture of substance and refinement in perfect balance. The dog should of course always appear masculine and the bitch feminine .

Alert, gentle, intelligent, strong and active.

Affectionate and responsive to his owner, reserved towards strangers, never nervous .

Head refined; when viewed from top or side a long, blunt wedge, tapering from ear to nose. Width of skull in proportion to length of skull and muzzle. Whole to be considered in connection with the size of dog. Skull flat, moderately wide between ears, with no prominence of occipital bone. Cheeks flat, merging smoothly into well rounded muzzle. Skull and muzzle of equal length, dividing point inner corner of eye. Top-line of skull parallel to top-line of muzzle, with slight but definite stop. Nose, lips and eye-rims black. The characteristic expression is obtained by the perfect balance and combination of skull and foreface, shape, colour and placement of eyes, correct position and carriage of ears.

Jaws level, clean, strong with a well-developed under jaw. Lips tight. Teeth - sound with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. A full complement of 42 properly placed teeth highly desired.

Medium size, obliquely set, almond shape. Dark brown except in the case of merles where one or both may be blue or blue flecked .

The correct eye is adequately described here, but its shape and placement make such a vital contribution to the typical expression that its importance cannot be over-emphasised. It is also the ideal complement to the wedge-shaped head into which it fits as though streamlined into position.

A large round eye on the other hand does not fit the shape of the head and gives a decidedly faulty expression. Because in the past this type of eye was a common problem, there has been a tendency for a "nice small eye" to be regarded as desirable. This is certainly not the case. A really small eye can give a very hard expression as can a black or light brown eye as opposed to a dark brown one.

The permitted range of eye colour in the blue merle Sheltie is quite wide. Either or both eyes may be dark brown, blue or a combination of blue and brown. The eyes do not have to "match" in colour Two very pale blue eyes can produce a somewhat staring look but are unlikely to be penalised unless the expression produced has an adverse effect on the general appearance. Two darker blue eyes on the other hand can contribute to a very pleasing expression. There is also the rare but beautiful "merle eye" in merles where the eye is brown but with a blue fleck, patches or lights.

Any trace of blue in the dark brown eyes of sables or tricolours would be a serious fault.

Small, moderately wide at base, placed fairly close together on top or skull. In repose, thrown back; when alert brought forward and carried semi-erect with tips falling forward.

These standard requirements are reasonably explicit and it should be noted that the ears should be placed FAIRLY close together on top of the skull. While low-set, obliquely carried ears arc obviously ugly and faulty, ears that are placed VERY close together can give an uncharacteristically sharp expression. Sheltie ears are NOT required to be "bang on top - practically touching" as sometimes described with misplaced enthusiasm.

In case a change of a single word in the Standard should cause uncertainty, ("falling" has replaced "dropping" forward) it should be mentioned that the ears should curve gently over rather than appearing to drop sharply from a crisp crease. The latter carriage is another feature likely to give a sharp, terrier-like expression. The tips of the ears should point forward and not to the side. Ears which are placed low on the side of the head can make the skull look broad, and heavy ears detract from the desired expression.

The character and appeal of the breed, including its essentially sweet, alert yet gentle, expression are so dependent on the ideal combination of the eyes and ears with the head properties, that all the remarks appearing under these headings must really be read and considered as part of a whole

Muscular, well-arched, of sufficient length to carry the head proudly.

Shoulders very well laid back. At the withers separated only by vertebrae, but blades sloping outwards to accommodate desired spring of ribs. Shoulder joint well angled. Upper arm and shoulder blade approximately equal in length. Elbow equi-distant from ground and withers. Forelegs straight when viewed from front, muscular and clean with strong bone. Pasterns strong and flexible.

Slightly longer from point of shoulder to bottom of croup than height at withers. Chest deep, reaching to point of elbow. Ribs well sprung, tapering at lower half to allow free play of forelegs and shoulders. Back level, with graceful sweep over loins; croup slopes gradually to rear.

Thigh broad and muscular, thigh bones set into pelvis at right angles. Stifle joint has distinct angle, hock joint clean cut, angular, well let down with strong bone. Hock straight when viewed from behind

Oval, soles well-padded, toes arched and close together

Set low; tapering bone reaches to at least hocks, with abundant hair and slight upward sweep. May be slightly raised when moving but never over level of back. Never kinked.

Lithe, smooth and graceful with drive from hindquarters, covering the maximum amount of ground with the minimum of effort. Pacing, plaiting, rolling or stiff, stilted up and down movement highly undesirable

Double; outer coat of long hair, harsh textured and straight. Undercoat soft, short and close. Mane and frill very abundant, forelegs well-feathered. Hindlegs above hocks profusely covered with hair, below hocks fairly smooth. Face smooth. Smooth coated specimens highly undesirable.

SABLES: Clear or shaded, any colour from pale gold to deep mahogany, in its shade, rich in tone. Wolf sable and grey undesirable.

TRICOLOURS: Intense black on body, rich tan markings preferred.

BLUE MERLES: Clear, silvery blue, splashed and marbled with black. Rich tan markings preferred but absence not penalised. Heavy black markings, slate or rusty tinge in either top or undercoat highly undesirable; general effect must be blue.

BLACK & WHITE AND BLACK & TAN: are also recognised colours. White markings may appear (except on black and tan) in blaze, collar and chest, frill, legs and tip of tail. All or some white markings are preferred (except on black and tan)but absence of these markings not to be penalised. Patches of white on body highly undesirable.

Ideal height at withers: Dogs 37 cms (fourteen and a half inches); Bitches 35.5 cms (fourteen inches). More than 2.5 cms (one inch) above or below these heights highly undesirable

The requirements here are precise, the only change being the fact that one inch under the ideal height is as undesirable as one inch over

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

The Kennel Club's firm refusal to list specific faults under this heading is presumably a laudable effort to discourage so-called "fault judging". This theory is acceptable provided the aspiring judge or breeder remembers and applies the "any departure" phrase.

To those who prefer a more positive attitude it is pointed out that any characteristic described as "undesirable" may fairly be regarded as a "fault". The "highly undesirable" characteristic should be considered a serious fault.

Efforts have been made to explain most faults under the explanatory paragraphs covering each characteristic

Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.