Breed library
Compare dog breeds
Select 2–4 breeds to compare side-by-side on size, temperament tendencies, care, health and suitability.
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Select 2–4 breeds to compare side-by-side on size, temperament tendencies, care, health and suitability.
| Breed | Shetland Sheepdog Herding · Small |
|---|---|
| Size & physical | |
| Size category | Small |
| Height | ~33–41 cm |
| Weight | ~6–12 kg |
| Lifespan | 12–14 years |
| Brachycephalichigh | No |
| Coat | |
| Coat type | Long double coat with mane · Long |
| Sheddinghigh | 4 |
| Droolinghigh | 1 |
| Behaviour tendencies — low predictive confidence (Morrill 2022) | |
| Breed describes tendencies, not your individual dog — research finds breed explains only about 9% of behavioural variation (Morrill et al., Science 2022). Always meet the dog. | |
| Energymedium | 4 |
| Trainabilitylow | 5 |
| Barkinglow | 4 |
| With childrenlow | 4 |
| With other petslow | 4 |
| With strangerslow | 2 |
| Independencelow | 2 |
| Prey drivelow | 3 |
| Care | |
| Exercise (min/day)medium | 60 min |
| Groominghigh | 4 |
| Heat tolerancehigh | 2 ⚠ Low |
| Space need | 3 |
| Health | |
| Known conditions | 4
|
| Rec. health tests |
|
| Biddabilitylow | 5 |
| Excitabilitylow | 4 |
| Separation-related behaviourlow | 3 |
| Stranger-directed aggressionlow | 1 |
| Suitability | |
| First-time owner | ✓ Good (4/5) |
| Apartment living | ~ Moderate (3/5) |
| Children | ✓ Good (4/5) |
| Other pets | ✓ Good (4/5) |
Trait bars are 1–5 scales. Confidence pills (high/medium/low) indicate how reliably breed predicts each trait. Physical traits (size, coat, heat tolerance) are highly predictable. Behavioural tendencies are weak breed-level priors — breed explains only about 9% of variation in individual dog behaviour (Morrill et al., Science 2022). Always meet the dog.
