Comparison: Australian Shepherd and Shetland Sheepdog

Australian Shepherd and Shetland Sheepdog are marked as similar in our database. The table compares only the data we have on the breeds.

	Australian Shepherd	Shetland Sheepdog
FCI group	1. Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs)	1. Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (except Swiss Cattle Dogs)
Country of origin	United States	United Kingdom
Category	Medium	Small
Height at withers	46–58 cm	33–40 cm
Weight	16–32 kg	6–12 kg
Life span	12–15 years	12–14 years
Recognition features	Frequent merle coat and odd-coloured eyes Naturally bobbed or short tail Medium-length coat and athletic build	Looks like a small rough collie, about 36 cm Dense long coat with a mane and plumed tail Semi-erect ears and a slender wedge-shaped head
Coat	Medium-length coat with undercoat; blue/red merle, black or red, often with tan.	Double coat with a long, straight, harsh outer coat and a full mane.
Purpose	Developed in the USA (not Australia) from herding dogs brought by Basque shepherds; a working dog of American ranches and rodeos.	A small herding dog from the Shetland Islands that guarded sheep and ponies; refined in the 20th century along collie lines.

Breed page: Australian Shepherd · Breed page: Shetland Sheepdog

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The information is indicative. Texts are based on available sources and may contain inaccuracies; for binding details (e.g. for breeding or shows) use the official breed standard.