Barking at strangers/someone at the door

S

Sophiel

Forums Novice
Hi,
I just adopted a 3 year old sheltie, and I'm looking for some advice. My dog (named Dug) is very sweet and gentle. He barely barks, and is for the most part very friendly to everyone. However, when someone comes to the front door, my dad knocks on my room door, or he hears someone outside such as my upstairs neighbor walking up the steps, he barks. I will be living in a college dorm this fall, and I'm hoping to train him not to do this. I know shelties are often loud but he is for the most part quiet so I didn't foresee barking as a problem. Other than in the situations described he's a very quiet sheltie, so I don't think it will be that big of a deal. I just don't want him barking every time he hears someone in the hall or going in their door, as this could definitely cause complaints. I don't want to do anything that would hurt him. I was thinking about a bark collar but after reading posts on that it doesn't seem like the right direction to go. Any advice on training him not to bark when people show up would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you :)
 
I will be interested in the responses you get. It is my experience that Shelties are alarm dogs and feel it their duty to alert you to stuff, most particularly in their own territory. Perhaps as he gets used to people coming and going, he will accept it as normal.
 
I agree... they feel the need to alert their owner if someone is near.

I have three. One that barks all the time, one which came to me bark softened and one that barely barks!

They have all been taught the 'No Bark' command! However, it only works if you are home to reinforce it!
 
My English is bad, so until you get more answers:

Be glad that lovely Dug is not barking a lot - And it takes time before they are completely safe

He makes you aware that someone comes - which he is created for.

Over time, he will probably know whether it is someone you know or it is stranger.

Never use "methods" absolutely not on such a lovable sensitive race..

A link to us new Sheltie owners so we may better understand this little sensitive breed.
http://sheltieforums.com/threads/are-shelties-for-everyone.22964/
 
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I do not think that it is possible to totally quiet a Sheltie. Zulu is an alarm dog, anytime he senses in his mind danger, he will bark and run to me with that "you really need to check this out look". I have been able to get him to quiet down quickly after I acknowledge that we are safe, but he goes right back to his "guard duty". I did notice that if we are not in the room with him, he almost never alarm barks. You may find that Dug is actually trying to protect you, and will be quiet when you are not around.
 
Shelties were bred to be watchdogs. The small crofts on the Shetland Islands had vegetable plats that helped sustain the family. The "toonie dogs" made sure nothing got into the veggies. They also were ferried to the small outer islands to be with the sheep grazing there. Their job was to keep the sea birds from attacking the lambs. Because they were small, their voices were their weapon, frightening the birds. That trait is embedded in their descendants; your Sheltie is warning you of strangers approaching the croft.
 
RikyR said:
--Zulu is an alarm dog, anytime he senses in his mind danger, he will bark and run to me with that "you really need to check this out look". I have been able to get him to quiet down quickly after I acknowledge that we are safe, but he goes right back to his "guard duty". ---
Click to expand...
Minnie "say" / make it exactly in the same way :lol:
 
As others have said, Shelties consider it part of their job to alert you to anything they think you should know about. Most deterrents only make it worse, in my experience. I've tried all the distraction methods ever suggested, and they only made my dogs bark more! The most effective way I found (and as others have said, unfortunately works only if you're there) is to keep a small jar of peanut butter near the door or where you can get to it when your dog is cued to bark. Put a bit on a spoon and let the dog lick it off while the noise is going on. Praise the dog with the "quiet" command. This worked for me when my dogs barked every time the phone rang. Eventually they would look for the spoon and respond to "quiet." Might be worth a try....
 
Anybody ever use the Train & Treat remote for training to go to place and stay quiet when answering door?
 
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