Shelties do have sharp little voices, it's true, and they like to use them. Many working shelties (there still are some) use a little barking to help motivate the sheep they are trying to herd (hey, they're little, they have to do something, we can't all be border collies ;), so it's pretty hardwired.

However...honestly...I don't think that they are any more inclined to nuisance bark than other breeds. Terriers, in my experience, are far worse. There are lots of dogs in my neighborhood who are way barkier than Rogue. She never nuisance barks, though if a person is at the door or walks too close to the yard, she lets me know. She'll stop when the person is gone or when I ask her to. It's an intelligent bark, though I do have to silence her from time to time.

The thing about shelties is that, iike other herding breeds, they are high-energy and need at the minimum a daily walk. They are really really smart and like to be trained and, well, done things with. A lot of people don't give this to their shelties and let them get obese and bored, thus making the dogs prone to barkiness and other behavior problems. Rogue is the easiest dog I've ever owned, but I'm used to wolf hybrids. <G> Compared to, say, a Border Collie or an Aussie, meeting a sheltie's needs is a piece of cake, but they should definitely be compared to those breeds and not, say, a pomeranian or other toy.

I can't praise the breed enough...they are smart, loyal, biddable and...well...easy to live with. If you want a dog that will do pretty much any athletic activity you want to do with a dog but is still small enough to easily care for in most living situations, it doesn't get much better.

I couldn't agree with you more! While my shelties have always been noisy dogs, it's only when they hear something they may have perceived as a threat to us. A car pulling up, doorbell, etc... Though mine do have their bad habits... my dog Ginger barked at the trash bag for some reason... which she passed on to the younger two that came after her. But proper training could have eliminated that I feel, which I know I didn't do as much of when I was younger. I've gotten Smokey pretty broken of the habit, though he still does it sometimes.

But I digress. I love to hear you talk about shelties cause you obviously know so much about the breed and portray them to their true potential. They're such wonderful dogs! I'm actually thinking about getting a collie sometime in the future, and was wondering your input on that since you know so much on dog behavior. I know they're very similar, but is there any major differences I should be aware of?

Sorry to take up so much space on your page here I have a tendency to ramble about shelties. And hey you should check out this site: http://www.cafepress.com/dogs_of_war/3940583 they've got some awesome stuff!

hee, thanks. I do love my sheltie, and my wolves, and actually they make a pretty nice combination of dogs. They are pretty awesome little fluffers!

Collies...well, I've never owned one, but I've known some really, really nice ones. A nice collie is very similar to the Sheltie personality---remember that shelties were *heavily* interbred with small collies in the early 20th century when they were established with the British kennel club, and probably well before that when Scottish collies and sheep were brought from the mainland to the Shetland Isles around that time. (This was due to the new shipping tech; before that it was commercially impracticable). So there's almost more collie than 'Toonie' in the modern dog, and you see it in the looks and personality. And the fact that 100 years later shelties still tend to run oversize. A good collie is quieter and probably a little calmer than most shelties, but with the same reserved intelligence and sense of humor.

Note that I say a GOOD collie. You want to be really careful who you get it from. The sheltie standard emphasizes overall balance and movement above any one trait, so in my opinion anyhow the breed is in pretty good shape. The collie standard puts a ridiculous emphasis on head/ear shape, to the point that this is the most important feature in the ring. This has had some disasterous consequences for the breed, including what looks to me to be a very unattractive head in the extremity of its 'narrow stopless wedge' in some lines. More importantly some serious eye problems, sinus problems and brain case/intelligence issues exist in the breed---all breeds have issues, but collies can have it pretty bad. That last may be the worst, given this breed's heritage as one of the most intelligent, loyal dogs. I've known some god-awful stupid, ugly collies and it breaks my heart. So, as with any other dog, look at what your breeder is working with and producing and make certain you're getting a good collie.

Oh yeah...a rough collie has a LOT of coat. Comperable to an Old English Sheepdog, really. Way more than my fluffball malamute/wolf. It is a huge ton of grooming, one of the heaviest-coated breeds I did when I was dog grooming. Sheltie x5. Be prepared. <G>

...unless you get a smooth collie. But I think that they look silly and naked. :(

Too adorable for words!

Thanks!

Omg she is so adorable! And really looks like she's enjoying herself! My Smokey would never be up for such ideas, he's gotten so lazy in his older age ;3

hee, Rogue loves to backpack!!! She's an active little girl. But yeah, they all slow with age. Pryderi, my oldest, the wolf/mal, is starting to go weak in the hips. He's still very active, but we probably don't have too many more trail years together.

Beautiful Dog