Oh don't use a shock collar. There is a 'remote' type thing that emits a high pitch noise (you can't hear it but the dog can) that I use for Toby. It's called Ultrasonic Pet Trainer.
http://www.radiofence.com/dog-training-collars/petsafe-pupt-100-ultrasonic-dog-training-collar.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Stop Barking

Please do something I've had neighbor dogs drive us crazy The next doors finally got no bark collars since they couldn't sleep either. I have a remote no bark that doesn't work too well. It might mean a stop by animal control if it really gets out of hand. I've noticed that some owners don't hear their dogs just like some parents don't notice what their kids are doing.
Since you sound responsible I hope the answer comes soon for you.
By the way I did not put that imbeded link in this post ivillage did

We tried the shock collar on Allie, and she just SCREAMED when it shocked her, but she kept barking and screaming. I got it off of her as fast as I could. We're also looking for no bark solutions. Our girls go in the back yard and bark at anything that moves. good luck!

Oh that adorable pup wouldn't be so naughty, would she? LOL!

A barking dog lives behind us, and the owner leaves and the dog just barks and barks. I put a note on his door last weekend, and they have kept the dog quieter. So I know how annoying this is.

Could your dog trainer offer any suggestions?

More seriously, you have to do what you have to do to keep your pup. If it comes to a bark collar or get rid of the dog, the bark collar would be the choice. My sister uses them for her wonderful, happy and healthy dogs. When their collars go on, they know they cannot bark. She has to trim the neck fur sometimes to get good contact.

You can check out the reviews of bark collars and the Ultrasonic device on Amazon. Of course you don't have to buy there, but I've found the reviews invaluable. The ultrasonic one looks good, but maybe you have to be there to activate it. Then you'd have to put the dog in if you go away, right? I found one collar that is not a shock but a spray of some sort. Link below.

Good luck. I know how upsetting this is for you. You love your pup but need good behavior.

Here is a link that might be useful: Citronella spray collar

My Yorkie is nearly 5 years old now...and NEVER stops barking....I tell her "NO BARK" everytime she barks in the house...

She knows better but does it anyway...We just can't stand it. She drives us nuts...totally ruins a good relationship with her...

I can't readjust how I'm sitting without getting barked at.

I hope you can find a way to stop yours...

Right now ours makes me not want to ever have another dog.

patti

My neighbor went out of town (I think) last weekend and left the dogs out what am I saying they live outside rain shine below freezing etc and didn't put the no bark collars on . I started posting notes on his door wioth the time on them. He finally got home atound ten o'clock Sunday night then the dogs stopped and I haven't heard anything but a short bark out of them.
He is a nice guy but I think he just forgot DS says to call animal control but the dogs are sweet and it is not their fault. I think other people might have different ideas on how to stop the barking which I hate to think of

note I didn't put the link on the word home ivillage did
.

I think it is a breed thing. Some breeds of dogs just naturally bark or are more high strung. I have two mixed breed dogs and they are trained not to barn unless they see a dog or person on the property. I started with them when they were pups and taught them "Shut up!" (sounds harsh, but you have to say something) and scolded them for it. When they bark at people or dogs, I praise them.

I can't stand noise. I couldn't live with a dog that barked all the time.

I have the opposite problem where my dog seldom barks and it's hard to read his signal, so I'm no help.

Have you considered bringing in a trainer so that you won't have to resort to using harsh stimuli?

I would check out the Pets forum. There are a lot of knowledgable people on that forum. The issue of constant barking has been addressed there. Or do a search on that forum for barking.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pet Forum

Please don't punish her-no shock collar and no de-narking. Stay with her as much as possible, praise her when she's good (quiet). If she's smart, she will gradually come to understand. Keep outside with her, then slowly hide where she can't see you. Keep up praising when she's quiet. Eventually she will be quiet even if you are inside.

I vote for more training, too. I simply can't imagine cutting a dog's vocal cords!

It also won't prevent barking - you get a hacking, coughing sound instead. My neighbor (many years ago) had this done to her dogs, and the sounds they made were absolutely ghastly.

This is a puppy, and needs more training than the puppy training. Take her for obedience training, which will include barking training.

My husky was a "barker" when we first got her. With consistent training, positive reinforcement and lots of time spent with her, she's nearly silent. She barks when someone comes to the door, or when we are playing with her (or when the cats slash at her nose, LOL).

I have two Shelties myself. Shelties are known to be barkers and one of mine fits the bill. Although, she is not as bad as your baby, she will bark at strange noises when she is inside. I can control that with a spray bottle of water. Neither of mine bark outside, but we live in the country. From the way you describe things, I wonder if she isn't barking because she doesn't want to be put out by herself. Would keeping her in and going out with her on potty breaks solve the problem? Check out the options mentioned by others above and good luck. Shelties are wonderful dogs. I wouldn't trade mine for the world.

It is a breed thing. She is the herder and you are the sheep. Give her a treat to distract her when you put her out. That way she will settle into the treat and not into - where'd she go? mode. I have the same problem in the car. Sam has taught the other dog to go bonkers when we get out of the car. If I throw treats the outburst does not last nearly as long.

Put my name next to Marilyn's. I wouldn't live with a constant barker. My dogs too, have learned when I say stop or quiet with an alpha authority,,I mean it. It's not mean to talk stern or in a voice of authority when the regular training isn't sinking in. There are times when my doggies KNOW they have done wrong and they will slink off as I enter the room, before I even know what's happened. The rest of the time we get along wonderfully. They know I'm the alpha being and they want to please me. They get alot of lovin the rest of the time!

For example,,one dog gets out by the horses, kinda bugging them. If she doesn't leave when I tell her too, she know's she going to be in trouble. You can tell she just asking to stay and bug the horses but she would rather obey me first. On rare occasion when she runs away to defy me, she also knows there will be problems later.
From what I understand, Your pup is a very smart breed. I've read sometimes they can be stubburn to learn, alot like my Bishon. It's like they think more like a cat, who does what they want, when they want and how they want. Sure they can be trained but who wants too! No no really , I betting in time you can train her to slow down the barking but unfortunatly she's still a baby and she doesn't have the idea in her head yet that she can STOP what she feels like doing because it isn't acceptable in her home. Don't give up, stick with her outside when she starts to bark and begin to teach her YOUR QUE WORD for no barking. At first in a stern voice and hopefully in time, in a regular voice. I think the tone of your voice will have a bigger impact on her at first because being the ALPHA person you are,, she will begin to know that voice as YOUR TEETH so to speek. If she had an alpha dog around they would bite her or growl loudly. At this age she is still submissive and eager to please, you just need to teach her the que. As long as you don't abuse her and I KNOW you wouldn't, she needs some tough love and a good amount of praise in short bursts. Don't give up even when the basement closet is starting to look like a nice kennel. She looks so sweet, I'm betting she'll be a good dog one day.

Rose, you already know that I'm a sheltie owner too. Callie barks quite more than any other dog I've had. She's prone to "panic" barking and it drives my brother up a wall. She also freaks out when I leave for work each day, regardless if she's staying with my Mom at my brother's house, or if I have to crate her to leave my apartment. I think some of it is separation anxiety.

Could it be stress that you're leaving her alone outside? While inside, if Callie starts to bark, I send her to "bed". She'll take herself out of the situation and usually go under my bed or in her crate.

I don't mind her barking if someone is at the door. Training is the key.

Barbara and Callie

I don't own dogs so I'm not much help, but my neighbor had a huge problem with a barking Bassett dog. After many attempts at correction, he used a no-bark collar quite successfully. The dog learned almost immediately and it totally cured the problem. . . I was a happy neighbor next to them for many years until the dog passed away. It is certainly worth a try.

"I've trained her to stop barking when I appear....".

She wants you to come out and play.. She barks until you appear and then she stops. She's got you well trained!

My shelties only want to be with us - they are very people oriented. If we put them in the yard by themselves they would go crazy barking, I think. My commitment is to walk them twice a day. It's good for all of us - and for my neighbors too! lol

Your baby is still very young so she may grown out of this if you don't let it get to be a habit now. Don't give her an opportunity to make it a habit! Don't put her out by herself; take her out on the leash and the moment she barks command her to stop. If she doesn't, take her back in the house.

Shelties are definitely barkers. I can't say this STOPPED ours, but being sprayed with a water gun helped. (Not the hose, though, because she LIKED that!) Inside we used a soda can with coins inside and taped the opening and shook it when she barked. Another thing she hated was the fly-swatter. After a few swipes with one, she learned that whenever we just SAID "Where's the fly-swatter?" she would hush. Good luck.

I also think she's got you trained.
How long are you leaving her outside for and why? A lone dog out by itself usually doesn't play by itself and really isn't getting any exercise. It's a pack animal. How would you like to be left outside on the porch when you think there's a party going on inside? LOL
Keep her in if you're home. Her exercise should come from walks, runs, or with you out there in the back yard playing with her, not leaving her alone.
I'll bet that once she's grown that you will be able to leave her outside for periods and she won't bark, like when you have to wash floors etc and don't want her in the way,, but not now.

I agree 100% with PKguy. Shelties are "talkers" and very sensitive to their surroundings. There is no reason to put a puppy (or even a grown dog) outside alone. Like other posters have said they are people dogs.

I've already given my comment which is to say that I don't believe you should be putting her out by herself. I had to share my babies with you.

I forgot to say how pretty Teddy is, and yours too Pauline. But then I'm a border collie, any collie, sheltie, aussie dog type lover LOL

my pups.. Ben the 6 yo border collie and Pip the now 6 month old Aussie

I just love those doggie pics! They're all so beautiful!

Mary C is right about de-barked dogs. I went to school to be a vet technician, and our lab work was done at some of the teaching hospitals in Houston, which had research facilities in the basement. The dogs had been de-barked. It is a horrible, raspy sound. I would never do that to a dog.

BTW, I went to Galveston Humane Society to pick up some possums a couple of days ago, and they had two beautiful little shelties. Someone had taken them to a nearby vet clinic and just tied them to the door and left them. :(
Fortunately, they had been adopted and both to the same person. They didn't split them up. I did notice how hyper they were....which may be why they ended up abandoned, as
horrible as that was. I do hope they will be well loved in their new home.

@rosemaryt - I know this is a very old post but if you do see this comment I would be really interested to know how you got on and what solutions you tried?

Well, this is an old thread but I relate. I have a Boston Terrier/ Sheltie who's a barker. Not constant but enough to be annoying to me and probably others. My dogs aren't outside unless we are but Ziggy barks at people walking by, skateboarders, you name it. I didn't realize this was part of his genetic makeup. He's ten and when the rescue group brought him here, she said she had never heard him bark. I tease her and say she can come here any day to witness. On the other hand, my dachshund rarely barks.

We had a sheltie....never barked. Big cuddle bug.

Ugh. I liked a lot of answers before I saw how old this thread was. When I read the dog's name I thought you were a bit bonkers ;-) like my DD's DMIL who gives all her dogs the same name. Come to think of it they do the name the first born after dad thing to. DD broke that chain. LOL

The dog in the original post is now nearly ten years old. Wonder if she ever solved the problem.

>> When I read the dog's name I thought you were a bit bonkers

I don't understand. Teddy? I know I'm missing something - - - haha.

(By the way, it looks like Rosemary, the OP, hasn't been around for 4 years).

Teddy (Theodora) is now ten years old. She stopped barking. She's a very good dog and a sweet animal. My husband died two years ago and that was a setback for both of us.

Teddy has become a very very faithful and beloved companion.

Oh, HI, Rosemary! Great to see you here. My very sincere condolences for the loss of your husband. How wonderful that Teddy has become such a wonderful companion (and you for her).

Teddy also spends a lot of time with me, and we even go shopping together. :D

She turned out to be a beautiful dog with the heart of an angel.

How wonderful to know that Teddy is doing so well and is a happy companion to you (or is it vice versa?). Such a gorgeous dog, Rosemary.

Rosemary, thanks for the update. So glad to hear she has become such a good companion.