The sheltie breed originated in the Shetland Islands. Originally, Shelties were bred by crofters as to keep sheep out of their vegetable gardens and to warn of intruders.
Collies are similar.
This document, and much of this site, uses frames and JavaScript. Try the Reduced graphics, no javascript version of the site. Genes for Sheltie coat colors described Sheltie Coat Color Calculator Sheltie Coat Color Genes that vary The basic scheme for Sheltie loci, genes, and alleles was established by Little in 1957 for coat color genes in dogs in general. This is the principal coat color gene in the sheltie, producing sable or black coats. Either two or three alleles of this gene are present in shelties.