You should NOT feel intimidated by anyone willing to help you do the best for your dogs. While I do not think you need to go to another set of obedience classes for getting your dogs to stop barking, if that is what you want then a good trainer will work with you, not against what your dogs already know. I speak here from experience because I attend classes on a regular basis and have even filled in occassionally in teaching. Even with the same instruction, every person seems to pick up a different flavor of doing the commands. Good trainers recognize this and work with the dogs owner.

With that being said....(thanks for letting me vent) a snowball would have a better chance in hell before I would pay someone $850.00 to help me get a dog to stop barking. Way to pricey and I think you could find someone more reasonable.

Anyway I have a book on training methods and I'll take a shot at relaying what it says about barking.

First there are many different kinds of barking. Barking is often tricky for humans to interpret becasue dogs bark in many situations and emotional states, including fear, distress, desire, and joy. There is spontaneous barking (the dog barks spontaneously when stressed or stimulated).

Next there is Learned barking. Whether they intend to or not, owners often encourage barking. If you reward your dog's vocal response to a "speak" command and then the dog barks repetitively to get the tasty reward even when not commanded, it was learned. Similarly, if your dog's insistent "let me in" bark prompts you to open the door, the dog will learn that barking loudly and long enough will get results. Sometimes, "innocent bystanders" reinforce barking. If your dog barks at the letter carrier who then leaves after dropping off the maik, the dog probably figures it has done a good job of scaring off and intruder.

Another form of barking is the Home-Alone barking. Some dogs bark just because there is nothing else to do. Separation Anxiety can also trigger excessive barking. In this case Barking relieves their stress.

Finally there are the bothersome barkers. Dogs who bark just to hear themselves and for no apparent reason.

In order to curtail problem barking, it is helpful to determine why your dog is barking. Like most dog behavior, barking is typically a symptom of an unsatified need, so determining the cause from a laundry list of possibilities becomes an owner's first major challenge.

Barking is simply a dog's means of communication to it's owner. It may be an attempt to stake out territory, or warn owners of intruders. Since dogs are social animals it could be a symptom of loneliness and an attempt to get attention. A lack of exercise and interaction with humans or other dogs may produce barking, as will boredom when left alone indoors for extended periods of time.

The solution is to teach controlled barking through reward training.

Reward training is especially useful at defusing such situations as a knock on the door, greeting strangers, etc. According to statistics reward training has at least an 85% success rate.

Basically train your dog to speak on cue. This gives you a measure of control over the barking, which is, after all a normal dog behavior. If you put a behavior problem on cue, it becomes an obedience response. It gives you the control over when, and to what extent, your dog barks.

Not only do you teach the speak command but you also need to teach the Shush command. Always treat the desired behavior never reward the unwanted. Never punish the dog for barking. The opposite of reward is not punishment - it's no reward. Be consistent. Have someone over that can help you with the behavior in the house. Gradually working to outside. It takes time to unlearn a behavior so be patient and you should have success before you know it.

Best of Luck!!!!

[ September 02, 2001: Message edited by: Dixieland Dancer ]