What is this barking thing????

[RetiredProf]

I have the opposite issue--Gus hardly ever barks except when I'm prepping his food. He's been this way since I got him at 8 weeks; he's now almost 5 months old. It probably helps that my other dog, a 12-year-old Dobie, barks about every other day and then for 10 seconds. And that's when she's feeling spry!

Interesting that I was aware of the Sheltie barking situation when I was considering this breed. And, of course, everybody who doesn't own a Sheltie warned me that I would be driven crazy. But so far, so good. Keeping fingers crossed... ;-)

 

[Crystal1]

Emmygirl: If you are becoming worried about your own health and really can't take it any more, then I think it might be time to debark your sheltie. If your Vet refuses to debark your dog, ask him for a reference to a Vet who will do it. If he gets upset, tell him you cannot take it any more, and don't want to have to give up your sheltie because of the barking.

If you want to keep trying to teach your sheltie "quiet", stop using your treats, and feed her daily meals by hand whenever she is quiet.

*Caro used a water bottle, cut a few holes the size of her dog food, then filled it up with dog food and let her dog play and get the food. I used the same idea and it keeps my sheltie active for quite a while. You might want to see if your sheltie will be quiet for that. Good Luck!