Are they all high energy barkers?

In comparison to my labrador, Merlin is very calm. Yes he likes to do things and is always up for a walk, but he will settle down and sleep when nothing is happening. Very different from Cadbury.

In fact, knowing how high energy springers are, I think you might find a sheltie on the easier side.

But barking is another matter. They are barkers. Merlin has a good pair of lungs on him, so if you don't want a dog that alerts you to anyone coming to the door or that needs training to stop them barking at anything that moves, maybe not a breed for you.:wink2:
 
Sunny is easy going , quiet, and mellow. She rarely barks...someone at the door, or something outside. Once she sounds an alert, she is good. She is not high energy. A good game of fetch for 30 minutes and she is fine. On her last walk, she did her "pick me up" trick twice.
She likes to snuggle, sprawl out under the a/c. We got her at about 14 weeks of age.

She is a LA sheltie...laid back and lazy...lol

pm me if you want to know about her

I cannot think of a better breed for a companion pup.

Pam and Sunny and Snow
 
My boy didn't have "excessive energy" and wasn't a problem barker.

(I taught him "Quiet", for when he got carried away. He quickly learned how much barking was appropriate, and adjusted accordingly.)
 
When I think of of a high energy dog, I think of a Jack Russell Terrier or a Border Collie. What I love about Shelties is that they are always up for a game or a walk or herding the horses, but when we're in or it's quiet time, they're just as happy to crash and nap.

They do bark, especially as a group, and one will incite the others except for my little girl who could care less what the other three are up to!

As others have said, trust a good breeder to match you with a dog who's more mellow if that's what you want.
 
My sheltie is an angel. She will play if you attempt to play with her, but she'll sleep if you want her to sleep. She mainly only barks when someone is at the door (which I allow) or when she's playing (which I can't break!) Her bark is really high pitched -- so it's a good thing she doesn't bark too much!

Now I have two sheltie mixes who have Cavalier King Charles in them and other stuff and now they BARK! They bark if you tap on the couch, if you shut a door too loudly, they bark and bark! Their energy level isn't too high, though. But I have two so they play with each other and tire each other out. The good thing is their bark is it isn't that high pitched bark like my full sheltie.

From what I've read, some shelties bark a ton and some don't. If you're sure you don't want a dog that barks a lot, or has a high pitched bark, I'd go with adopting an adult in rescue so you know ahead of time.


Good luck!
 
Another vote for rescue. We have 3 and all are rescues. One is a bit barky. The other 2 only if Casey gets them started OR if they hear a noise at the door. Casey usually only gets really barky when he has to curtail the activities of the ninja squirrels. Since he must do this through the french door, he has to make plenty of noise so they hear him.

Barking at the door is fine with me. Let's me know if someone is there. For some reason it seems to be too much for some people to manage to ring the doorbell which is right beside the door. I don't hear knocking.
 
Emma is reasonably quiet but can get carried away at time. Liam is my barker - anything will cause him to bark, particularly me leaving or coming home. Natalie is becoming a barker. She will run around in circles in the yard, barking at nothing. She is weird!

My Hamish was not much of a barker. Neither was Noah, unless the squirrels tormented him.
 
No, not all. :) I am currently owned by 3 male Shelties and 1 is a woofer, 1 is super quiet and the third falls right in the middle. :) They are great w/ my son, great watchdogs, and sooo lovable!! And they love our fosters dogs, who we have from time to time. Best wishes!!
 
Thanks so much for your responses. I had a lengthy conversation with a breeder this morning and may be going to visit a puppy this week! She confirmed pretty much everything you guys have said, and I'm very encouraged :) EEK...super excited!
 
The thing about Shelties is you need to exercise them. Every Sheltie is different. Buffy needs about 30 minutes of good exercise and she is good. (She's 3.) If she doesn't get her exercise she can get a bit needy.

We had to work with her on barking when she was about 4 months old. We worked hard to train it away and it has not really been a problem since then. (Might be harder if you have multiple dogs... they egg each other on.) We live in a condo and haven't had any problems with neighbors etc.

I have been really lucky—Buffy is fantastic and my other Sheltie Abigail was an angel. A few of the dogs on this forum are a bit more crazy. (Some of it depends on a breeder and the personality of the line, so pay attention to mama dog.) But in general Shelties are wonderful dogs.
 
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