Might want to consider a Shetland Sheepdog:
Shetland Sheepdog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Height and weight
Shelties normally weigh around 5–11 kilograms (11–24 lb)[
citation needed]. In general, males are taller and heavier than females. Accepted height ranges may differ depending on country and standard used. In the USA and Canada, breed standards state that males and females can be between 33–41 centimetres (13–16 in), all other standards (Australia, New Zealand and U.K.) specify Males: 37 cm ± 2½ cm, Females: 35.5 cm ± 2½ cm except
F.C.I. which specifies Females: 36 cm ± 2½ cm at the shoulder (withers), however, some shelties can be found outside of these ranges but are not considered truly representative of the breed. Variation can be found within litters, and height (in the 18-20 in. range) is above the breed standard in some lines.
Temperament
The Shetland sheepdog is lively, intelligent, playful, trainable, and willing to please and obey. They are loving, loyal, and affectionate with their family, but are naturally aloof with strangers; for this reason Shelties must be socialized. Shelties do well with children if they are reared with them from an early age; however, their small size makes it easy for a child to accidentally injure them, so supervision is necessary.
Shelties are vocal dogs, and are very alert to outside stimuli. The average Sheltie is an excellent watch dog.
The herding instinct is strong in many Shelties. They love to chase and herd things, including squirrels, ducks, children, and if an owner is not watchful, cars. Shelties love to run in wide-open areas. Some Shelties get so excited or anxious that they perform a fast series of tight spins without chasing their tails, a behavior seen in a number of small dog breeds.
Neglecting a Sheltie's need for exercise and intellectual stimulation can result in undesirable behaviors, including excessive barking, phobias, and nervousness. Fortunately, the reverse is also true; annoying behaviors can be lessened greatly by an hour of exercise that engages the dog with its owner. They do well with a sensitive, attentive owner.
Shelties have a high level of intelligence. According to Dr.
Stanley Coren, an expert on animal intelligence, the Shetland sheepdog is one of the
brightest dogs, ranking 6th out of 132 breeds tested. His research found that an average Sheltie could understand a new command in less than 5 repetitions and would obey a command the first time it was given 95% of the time or better.
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My Sheltie is a little strange, as she has a gene defect that causes her to be about the size of a chihuahua, rather than the full-grown size I was expecting. Regardless, all of the rest of the above description is very accurate. She only barks when I get home or when someone knocks on the door, but I think she inherited those traits from my lab/beagle. Even then, she stops as soon as I come over and pet her. She also barks when we're playing and she gets too excited, but that's about it.