OT: How to get my dog to stop barking...

[mommy_someday]

We have two dogs, a yellow lab (Stella) and a shepard/mini collie mix (Cleo). Stella is very on-edge all of the time and barks at the slightest noise. I swear, a leaf could fall out of the tree in our yard and she would go berzerk. Her bark is really loud and alarming - she sounds vicious, like she's going to tear someone limb from limb. And it sounds even worse because we have hardwood floors and her barks echo. She's really actually a sweet girl, but this barking is driving me crazy and I'm afraid that my little guy will never be able to sleep during the day when he gets here if she keeps this up. I've tried a bark collar that emitted a high-pitched noise when she'd bark and that worked for a little while, but she got to the point where she ignored it, so I took it off. Anyone ever had this same problem? How do I teach my dog that it's okay to look out the window and growl, but that barking is a major no-no? I am home all the time now, so consistancy won't be a problem. I just need to know WHAT to do!

TIA!

[Momof3Labs]

Have you talked to a trainer or to your vet? There are things that you can do to help calm her down (like this plug-in pheromone thingy that does actually work for some dogs), though with a Lab, the thing that seems to work best for me is a couple of hours of exercise most days - wears them out enough to be too tired to bark all day long.

If it is any consolation, I found that Colin wasn't phased by our dogs' barking - even now, he'll usually sleep through it.

[dr mom]

We don't have a barker, so haven't had to deal with this problem. Our canine catastrophes all stem from separation anxiety.

I found a website with suggestions you might try:

http://www.doggiedoor.com/barking.shtml

Also I know some people recommend the collar that sprays a tiny bit of citronella mist when the dog barks as a negative stimulus, but again, haven't tried it personally.

Maybe after 9 months in utero listening to the dog bark, your little one will just tune it out as background noise?

[Tondi G]

I know someone who used the citronella spray collar and said it worked. You can also try getting a water spray bottle and when she barks near you... give the command QUIET and spray her quickly. I also know of a trainer who used Binaca mouth spray.... if the dog barked she said NO Barking, Quiet... if the dog continued then she would say quiet and grab the dog and spray the binaca in their mouth!

Lots of options... you can see what works for your dog... every dog is different and will respond to different things. Good Luck.... I have a weimaraner that loves to sit in the front window and bark... god forbid someone knocks at the door!!!!! :) Oh and like the PP said... your little one has been hearing her barks for quite some time...chances are they will sleep though it later!

~Tondi
Mommy to Mason 7/8/01
and lil man #2 edd 5/5/05

[searchdog]

One thing you can try is to take an empty soda can and put pennies or pop corn kernels in it and then put tape on the top so they can't come out. Every time the dog barks you can shake the can as soon as the dog is quiet be sure to praise you dog for being quiet and start using a command such as "quiet" so you can tell the dog quiet, good quiet. If you do this enough times your dog will hopefully learn what the command quiet is. Just FYI you don't have to show the dog the can, they just need to hear it, often times people shove the can in the dogs face this is not what you are supposed to do, you just need the noise.

If you don't have the patients for this you can get a bark collar that shocks the dog when it barks, I know it sounds horrible but it really is not bad it is no different than using an underground containment system like Invisible Fence, which uses a shock to tell the dog when it is close to the boundary. I am sure others won't agree with the bark collar idea but sometimes that is the best thing because it is 100% consistent. Dog barks = shock, unlike a human who thinks they are consistent but rarely follows through 100% of the time. ( I do not recommend the citronella collar, or a beeping collar) I have used a bark collar personally and felt the shock personally so that I knew what my dog was feeling.

Also I have two GSD and DD sleeps through all of there barking, running, and playing, but then again I changed nothing when she was born. The phone doesn't bother her, nor the vacuum, tv or stereo. We just went on with life as normal and it has worked out great, she doesn't mind the different noises. (and yes she has good hearing)

[egoldber]

My dog is a barker too. Honestly, I am just too lazy to do anything about it. I know that I won't be 100% consistent, so I don't bother.

When DD was small (say less than a year) the dog's barking did not bother her sleep at all. As she got older, I found that the barking did disturb her occasionally during sleep. But not often enough that I felt compelled to do anything about it.

Honestly, the barking freaks her out more when she's awake than when she's asleep (not so much now, but when she was say 18 months to 2 1/2). During the holiday season we had the constant cycle of "doorbell rings for UPS man, dog barks, baby cries". :( But she's pretty much over it now.

HTH,

[Momof3Labs]

Where's zenbliss? Zen had a dog who knew how to get around the citronella collar - even get it to spray another dog when she barked! A smart little cookie, she was, lol!