September 2008 Weddings
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Dog question....bark training?
Ok, let me try this again....
Has anyone ever done any kind of bark training with their dogs? Harley, my part-hound, barks at EVERYTHING. It's beyond the point of being annoying. She doesn't just bark, but she does that part bark/part howl thing that hounds do, and she jumps and puts her front paws on the windowsill to see out. Short of keeping my blinds closed 24/7, I don't know what else to do.
I've tried making a firm "Shh" noise, snapping my fingers and pointing to the ground and it sometimes works. The majority of the time she completely ignores me.
Any suggestions? I know she's a dog and dogs will bark, but there's gotta be something....
Re: Dog question....bark training?
It probably is not the nicest, but friends of ours had a dane and a lab and the first time they let them outdoors their neighbors complained about barking and they got a call from the city. Their dogs are not excessive barkers, I think the neighbors just saw the big dogs and assumed they'd be loud.
They put collars on them that zap them when they bark. It took them each about two zaps each to stop barking (but the dogs would know that they could bark all the time w/out the collars on, they are smart). I do know that there are mixed thoughts on the shock collars, etc - and I'm sure some are really against it, but it worked for my friend.
I've also heard there are collars that spray something that doesn't smell great (I think citronella) when the dog bars, which discourages barking.
I think also rewarding her when she DOESN'T bark might help a bit. You could try getting her to go to her "place" like a dog bed and giving her a treat when she is quiet. she might learn. I don't know.
Stella really only barks when people come to the house or when the kids next door are in our yard. Sometimes she will bark when a dog walks by.
Have you tried clicker training? It will take some time and also a lot of repetition.
I don't' think the shock collar is a good idea, a dog barks b/c its natural and they are alerting you to something. I know it's annoying, and especially hard if brody is sleeping or something, and they wake him up. A behavorist can help as well.
I saw a show on animal planet once about a dog that was trained not to bark, and an intruder broke into the home and it didn't alert the family. Not to scare you by any means, but it can happen.
Cooper (Keith's dog, who is staying with me) is the opposite of Harley. He barks, but only when it's warranted. He'll bark if a car pulls into the driveway, someone knocks on the door, or even if he hears a door-bell ring on TV (I don't have one, haha!)
Even when Harley barks at everything, Cooper just watches out the window at whatever she's barking at...someone walking down the sidewalk, someone wokring on the house across the street, or even a quirrel. He's such a good boy
I don't like the idea of collar training, but I'll have to do some research on clicker training....
Are there bark collars that vibrate instead of shock? My parents have a shock collar that has a vibrate setting, but it isn't a barking collar. They use a remote to trigger it.
I read once that you can teach your dog to "sing." Which is really bark on command. The idea is that they only bark when you tell them too, and they get a treat. This may be too late though, b/c you'd have to get him to not bark in the first place, then teach him to do it when you want him.
I also read that you can just talk in a soothing, non threatening voice. Like all high pitched like: "Oh, did you see that car go by Harley? It was just a car." I guess the idea is that they will assocaite the car with being calm or something. I dunno. I read these back when we got Ty in some dog training books.
Maybe give Copper treats when the doorbell rings, and not Harley. Maybe Harley will watch and learn??
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Because I have chihuahuas a shock correction collar was never an option for me (although I've played with them, and I'm getting shocked worse now from static/dry air then I did from that). But I did get Zeus a citronella collar. My sister used one for her toy poodle and it worked wonders on him. He hardly barks at all anymore (even when not wearing the collar) when he used to bark like crazy all the time. Zeus is another story. Sometimes he's great. Sometimes I think he likes the citronella and will keep barking like crazy.The difference tends to be if he's barking at nothing or at another dog.
They also have the audible (to dog) correction, which they say turns their attention away from what they're barking at. Never tried that before. I hear it's good if you have a neighbor dog that barks a lot too.