My Barking Shelti

Question
Hi...I have a Sheltie, whose name is Simba and who just turned one this April. My problem is do all Shelties bark at other people? When he sees other people outside of the family he barks at them. I mean not the little yelp but the mean barks. I don't know how to make him stop. He's a very obedient dog when it comes to other family members but with strangers he gets very aggressive. Please help. Thank you.

Answer
Hello Sopheap,

Shelties are shepards, they are bread to maneuver and protect livestock.  Your family is the dog's responsibility in its mind, and it will guard you as it is bred to to.  Thus any strangers are seen as a threat---- and the warning bark is there even after they are inside your house.

My views:
1) socialize the dog.  Take him to parks and outdoor events like festivals where dogs are welcome on a leash.  Carefully control contact with him by strangers as you do not want him to be scared and bite.  For MOST shelties this is not a problem.  Hopefully you have been doing this already-if not- start now while he is young.

2) bark collar.  If you know someone is coming over, get a bark collar and place it on the dog.  It  will give a warning and then emit a small static shock to the dog.  FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS WITH THE COLLAR!  or it won't work.
We used the bark collar occasionally for about a year before our dog figured it out.  We would say "DON'T BARK" when he was barking and the collar was giving the warning. We then followed the cessation of barking with some hugging and petting to reassure the dog.  
Collars are available at good pet supply stores (those are stores that DO NOT sell puppies).

3) de-barking.  I do not favor this as it is can be done right or can be a problem medically in the future.  Also, I feel the bark, grunting, and talking that shelties do is an inherrent part of their personality and it is something to love.

Overall, expect Simba to bark.  Even with people he sees every day.  Some barking is because he is excited to see them, some is to warn you that someone is coming toward your area.  It is the one characteristic of a Sheltie that owners should learn to accept and work with.  All things considered it could be worse- some other breeds quirks involve urination so I'll take barking any day!

Let me know if this helps or if you have any more questions!

'sneezes
Dave