I'm not dismissing that squirt bottles won't be right for everyone. They are an option though when other methods don't work.

Shaker cans:
There are certain dogs that are a lot calmer than others. Many of those would make it to be a therapy dog, police dog, etc. King was one of those dogs. He was terrified of loud noises, but we worked with him. By the time we got him into an obedience class (just for socialization and something to do together) he wasn't even phased by the shaker can. A dog near him was having a barking fit and the can was thrown near it. All the other dogs stood stock still too. King then turned his head to see what all the other dogs were doing. It was sooo funny. I wasn't the only one in the room that noticed. One of the other dog owners brought up the point of what if you have a dog like King? (And that's why the trainer explained that there are different training techniques and why our class gets a different trainer each week.) He's not the only one either. I've seen others like that. Either trained or naturally that laid back. (few and far in between, but they do exist.)

Quote Originally Posted by Giselle
Honestly, I've yet to find a dog that does not react at least slightly to the can of pennies hurled in their direction. The reason I don't like squirt bottles is because I love grooming and my dogs occasionally need spraying/misting with water and hairspray. I mistakenly used spray bottles with my Peke when he was a puppy. He is now terrified of being misted with water or sprayed with hairspray. Water bottles are no longer a part of my training "regimen"!