Originally posted by stacwase
It was necessary for them to develop a good, loud bark to be heard above the sounds of the wind and waves while they were watching the sheep.
Oh jeez, I could vouch for you on that one.

Taken from here
The SHETLAND SHEEPDOG used to be called the 'Toonie,' a name taken from 'tun,' the Norwegian word for the front yard of a farmhouse. Thus the Toonie was the farm dog whose place was the unfriendly terrain of the Shetland Islands that lie off the north-east coast of Scotland.

His job was to control small flocks of sheep and to watch over toddlers at their play. To this day the Sheltie displays a strong sense of boundary - a legacy no doubt from these early working days when to overstep the line meant a fall from a rocky cliff into the cruel sea.

It is thought the Sheltie's ancestors were the Yakkie, an Icelandic breed brought to the islands by whaling fleets, the Norwegian Buhund and the small collie. In appearance, the early specimans were far from being the elegant 'miniature Collie' of today. But after the end of the 19th century, when the breed reached the mainland, British breeders refined the type by means of various Toy breed crosses. In 1906, the Sheltie made its debut at Crufts Dog Show under the name Shetland Collie. But Collie breeders objected and the name was changed to sheepdog. The breed has become popular as a family pet suited to almost anyaccomodation.