Barking

[PEM850]

We have a collie/greyhound 8 year old dog. He has been to numerous behavior classes through the years. He is a very good dogs, but the problem is he barks at everything or nothing. If a leaf blows or the ups truck goes by. We have tried everything to calm him down and nothing works. He scares people walking by because his fur stands up and he really looks mean, but really isn't. He also does not get along with other dogs.
Any body have any ideas

pem850

[lv4dogs]

This is a toughie, especially if you have been to numerous behavorists & they dog has been doing this for 8 years.
Has he been doing this for 8 years?
If not how long?
How long have you had him for?
Is he neutered?
Didn't any of the behavorists help?
Were they reputable trainers?
Have you spoke to your vet?

It sounds like you need to seek help from yet another behavorist. And enroll him into a reputable obedience class.

[PEM850]

Originally posted by lv4dogs
This is a toughie, especially if you have been to numerous behavorists & they dog has been doing this for 8 years.
Has he been doing this for 8 years?
If not how long?
How long have you had him for?
Is he neutered?
Didn't any of the behavorists help?
Were they reputable trainers?
Have you spoke to your vet?

It sounds like you need to seek help from yet another behavorist. And enroll him into a reputable obedience class.

no he has not always been a barker. he is neutered and we adopted him when he was 4 months old. The vet did give us some pills to calm him but it never helped. That is why we get so frustrated.

[[email protected]]

My name is Hugo and I am a retired behavior specialist. I can help
but I should have more information . Is your dog confined to a yard or put on a tether in the yard or in front of the house .
It has taken him a long time to learn this bad habit and it will take time and patience to break him of it. Try something that
works for me , it may seam cruel but it is a valid way of making
a point that your dog will understand . When he barks wrap
some masking tape around his mussel and leave it there for
Two or three hours, make sure that you do not interfear with
his breathing . You may have to do this several times it will not
cure the problem overnight. Eventually all you will have to do
when he barks is show him the tape. If this dose not work his
problem may be deeper rooted and I will require more history
but I am sure that we can find a answer to your problem .
Good luck . Hugo

[mruffruff]

Taping a dog's muzzle is not an appropriate way to control barking. It may have been an option many years ago, but it is an outdated one.

An 8 year old dog is considered a senior. It's possible that his hearing is erratic; sometimes he can hear things louder than usual, and other times not so well. So now he barks at everything.

Or he could just be getting more insecure. Has he been getting the same amount of attention as he's used to? If any changes have been made in the household, he might feel like he's losing his status.

The only other solution would be a no-bark collar. Some have a bark-activated tape that you put your own voice on. When the dog barks, YOU are correcting him. Others have a citronella spray that sprays in front of the dog's nose when he barks. Dogs dislike the smell.

The collars are rather pricey, but worth it. Once the inappropriate barking is under control, the collar can be removed. It doesn't take long for them to get the message.

DrsFosterSmith.com has them. They also have the ones that deliver a mild shock for a lot less money. I used them on my dogs without any problem---the shock level can be adjusted---and now I don't have to use them very often. It took just a few times for them to understand that they weren't to bark when the collar was on. When they get carried away, I put the collar on without the battery and they quiet.

Please keep us informed. Many of us have this problem and we need to know what works for you.

Mary

[[email protected]]

To mruffruff ; The shock collar works great in the right hands
but it may cause nervous stress if not done properly and I have
had at least a dozen successes with tape in this last year so it works and
is non-evasive. However every one must judge for themselves
what works for one may not be the answer for someone else
It is not as out dated as you might think. Take care .Hugo

[carrie]

I can garuntee that this dog has too much time on his own outside.
The dog believes it is in charge of security and yet it knows that it does not understand all the rules of human society.
To stop the barking you simply have to be a leader to the dog.
Do not let the dog out alone, in the yard, garden or anywhere.
Insist on good doggy manners - nothing happens unless you have given a command and the dog has done what you asked-

[carrie]

I have just read the other replies - I urge you NOT to tape your dogs muzzle. The only thing this will teach your dog is to be afraid of tape and your hands!! This procedure is only effective when stopping a distressed and/ or injured dog from biting. It is not a behaviour changing technique and never has been.

The reply to this, I know, will be that the person advocating it has had massive success. Please, think for a minute - are the people on this site trying to find ways to work as a pack, as a partner, to enjoy dog ownership or do we want to encourage fear tactics, fear obediance and my way is the only way of training? In my view, employing this "training" method will give you results with some dogs - it will not fill you with a sense of pride, will not motivate your dog and will , hopefully, get you and your local policeman/woman on very unfriendly terms!

[[email protected]]

Dear Carrie ; I apologise if I have offended you with my comments
about useing tape and I agree that there are better ways but I
care for these animals and I do not beleive that shock treatment
is the humane way to solve this problem granted good obedience
training is the better way but I find that most people have not the patience or time to endure what it would take for the desired
results . I value your opinion and with respect thanks for your
comment. I have worked with many police animals and allways
left them in beter health than I recieved them . with regards.
Hugo

[MariaM]

PEM850: I think this might be your fault, but its DEFINATELY not intentional. Before I go on, I have to say my opiniong. NEVER tape your dog's mouth shut. I would highly recommend NOT putting a shock color on. I've heard there are collars that just make a noise and its high pitched and gets louder as the barking goes on. I wouldn't recommend these either. They are more humane, but there is an even more humane way yet.
Your dog most likely thinks it is in charge of your pack, it needs to protect you from the unknown.
You NEED to make sure dog know that YOU are the alpha. I can give you some advice, but I HIGHLY recommend you buy the book: The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell. Once your dog knows that you are the leader, some problems will probably be overcome that you did not even know were problems. (running up to you when you come home etc.)
First you NEED to make sure that you are the leader. There are many ways to do this. I'm not really sure which way would work, as I do not know your whole situation. I have just received The Dog Listener on Thursday and am on page 135 or so. It explains the world from your dogs point of view, and from wolves. Here is a good example. In wolf packs, once they hunt a bear for instance, the Alpha pair will eat first. When and only when they are done to the other wolves get to eat. How you could transform this is putting a cracker near your dogs food while you are preparing it. Make sure it is up higher. Pretend to fish around and then eat your cracker. You are showing that you get first choice from the meal.
Again, I can't say it enough, buy that book or get it from the library, I'm sure it could help you ALOT!

[Varga]

Sorry, I don’t have any advice to give.. but I was just curious about something MariaM said.

Once your dog knows that you are the leader, some problems will probably be overcome that you did not even know were problems. (running up to you when you come home etc.)

Is it a sign of any problems when dogs run up to you, when you come home?

Because my two dogs do that every time, when I get back from school. But I’ve never thought that there was anything wrong with that.. Could you explain please?

That book sounds interesting by the way. I’ll try and see if I can find a copy

-Varga

[MariaM]

Well, its not always a problem, but it COULD be a problem. If you have groceries in your arms, for instance. Or if maybe somebody came over and didn't like dogs and as soon as they got in the door the dogs were bouncing all over them.

A lot of dogs think they are the leader. The Alpha. So lets just say a dog has "separation anxiety". You go to a behaviourist and he/she will say blah blah blah they are separated from their owners and stuff. But the dog is not thinking "where the heck are my owners?", if they think they are the leader, they'll be thinking "where the heck are my kids?!" when you come home they'll be so excited to see you.

I guess its not always a problem, depends on the situation you know? But that was just an example.

[aly]

Originally posted by [email protected]
Try something that
works for me , it may seam cruel but it is a valid way of making
a point that your dog will understand . When he barks wrap
some masking tape around his mussel and leave it there for
Two or three hours, make sure that you do not interfear with
his breathing . You may have to do this several times

I ... my mouth is hanging open and I have no words. That is one of the most disturbing things I have ever read on this site. That is abuse in my book. I can't even sugar coat it.

PLEASE do not do that, PLEASE.

I can come back with constructive advice later, but right now I'm just so speechless.

[MariaM]

I ... my mouth is hanging open and I have no words. That is one of the most disturbing things I have ever read on this site. That is abuse in my book. I can't even sugar coat it.

Agree 100%

[Varga]

Okay, thanks for explaining MariaM

I saw this show on TV once, where they helped some people who had a noisy dog.

They took an empty soda bottle and filled it with tiny rocks so it made a lot of noise when you shook it. Then when the dog started barking they rattled the bottle and even threw it so it landed right beside the dog.. This took his mind of the barking and then they praised him for being quiet…

It worked on TV… But you never know if they show the whole story.. So I can’t really say if it works.. But perhaps someone else has heard/tried this?

-Varga