Indoor Apartment Sheltie - Will Neighbors Hear the Barking?

[Jaynie]

I've raised a Sheltie in an apartment. (My mom nicknamed him the "Apartment Collie".) Of course, he was a tiny little guy (12 pounds as an adult), but he had a big dog bark. Shelties as a breed are big on barking, but they don't bark non-stop. There is ALWAYS a reason why they are barking.

Keep your Sheltie happy and occupied, and it's not too bad. Really it depends on how much activity will be going on around your apartment. My apartment was on a fairly quiet street, at the very end of a building, so not much car or foot traffic. He would let me know when the neighbors got home (just a couple of "woof"s) or when someone would knock on my door or a nearby door.

Once I put him to bed at night and went to bed myself, he was very quiet (and he was a professional-level barker) and wouldn't make a peep until morning. I wasn't working at the time I got him, so he had some pretty intensive socialization and was taken to a lot of places where he could bark as much as he wanted to.

The Sheltie I have now is kind of an enigma. She's a puppy mill rescue, and is amazingly quiet for a Sheltie. She only "talks" when she has something to say, about twice a day. Once she gets her point made, she settles down. She barks for stuff like saying good morning, wanting a treat, thinking her little sister is getting a treat, or wanting affection. Once you give her what she wants, she's pretty laid back.

 

[Nostradamus]

Hello,

I have been interested in getting a dog for the past 6 months or so, and on December 1st my wife and I will be moving to an apartment complex that allows dogs. I have looked at lots of different breeds over the past few months, and I am pretty sure we will be getting a Sheltie.

I have read and seen videos that they are quite the barker. Personally, I don't have a problem with this. But as my wife and I are still saving money for a down payment on a house, we are living in an apartment in southern California, so my main concern is bothering the neighbors or them complaining that our dog is bothering them. Our Sheltie will be an indoors dog (although I plan to take it out for lots of exercise). Will our neighbors be able to hear the dog barking if it is kept inside?

Thanks in advance for any help.

I live in a apartment and debarked sheltie is NO problem. but fully grown normal sheltie, you will be able to hear it 1 mile out. so you can only imagine

 

[melbell]

I have the most barky sheltie ever and she lives in my apartment. My neighbor to my right can hear her, but she only barks at him when he leaves or enters his apartment since his door is next to ours and she thinks he's coming into our house and not his. However, my neighbor to the left has never ever heard her. And yes, she does bark inside the house while playing, wanting fed, or wanting attention. She also barks a lot outside at birds, squirrels, people... etc. but no person has ever seemed to mind. And now that I know my neighbor to the right doesn't mind one bit, I don't feel bad about getting a puppy this weekend. My apartment complex is pet friendly (you're allowed 2 dogs under 40 lbs.. [not that I would tell her if my sheltie went over 40lbs]) but honestly, there are probably 3 dogs in the whole entire complex, which one is massive so def. over the 40 lb limit. As long as you communicate with your neighbors, I don't see why it would be an issue.

 

[kagzigian]

Definitely depends on the sheltie. I have 2 that seldom bark and one the could wake the dead

 

[Fstknitter]

I lived in an apt with my sheltie and didnt have any problem because i left on the tv or radio every time i left

 

[cookieP]

The neighbors will hear. But my sheltie almost never barks unless he is in the yard. He very rarely barks inside. I know this is rare for shelties but not *every* sheltie is a barker.

 

[trini]

Your neighbors will hear the barking. So, a lot depends on who your neighbors are and if they are dog friendly and won't object. And a lot depends on the individual dog. Shelties range from dogs who seem to enjoy barking constantly to those you only bark to alert to something that concerns or excites them...although, on the whole as a breed, they do tend to be more verbal than many other breeds.

Trini

 

[EJHUNTL]

The neighbors will hear. But my sheltie almost never barks unless he is in the yard. He very rarely barks inside. I know this is rare for shelties but not *every* sheltie is a barker.

My Hanna is the same - she does not bark at the doorbell or when we have deer in the yard, not at the vacuum cleaner either. The only time she has barked, so far, is when we play fetch or tug and then it's only when she gets very excited.

We spent the weekend with some friend and their toy Poodle and a Yorkie they were babysitting - she did bark a little playing with them, but her volume was significantly lower They barked at the TV and at people walking by outside and she just snuggled up and looked at me like - are they nuts?

I will say I'm not a fan of barking- so from day one, any barking she did got no response whatsoever. I never told her no, but she certainly never experienced any reinforcement (negative or positive) for barking. One of my previous shelties was so vocal , especially at the doorbell and out in the yard if anyone went by, that I had her debarked to keep my wonderful neighbours from going nuts. It turned the volume down some but she still barked a lot!

All shelties are different.