I have a Welsh Corgi mix that barks at everything! When we first got her at 4 months she was very quiet, now she won't stop. It is getting to the point that my husband has told me give her away or take her to the pound. Does any body have any suggestions how to stop it? I have tried numerous things; one more won't hurt. She is very sweet and fun. I hate to give her away.
By alicia from Johnson city, TN
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You could get a bark collar. When used properly they will spray a bit of citronella into their face with every bark.
Another choice is a shock collar. You will have the remote, and when you push the button, they get a mild little zap. So if you say "quiet" and she barks, you zap her exactly that second that she barks.
A spray bottle. Again, if you say no and she barks, she gets a spray of water in the face.
Do those sound cruel? Sure beats having to re-home your dog, and with the exception of the bark collar she will soon learn to stop when you say so if used properly.
Having a shock collar has made it so I can have them off leash with me instead of tying them up all the time, and once they were trained we only get it out once in a blue moon to remind them if needed. Made a big difference for the better in our life.
I saw a while ago a tiny little thing called a bark off. It sends these sound waves out to some how get the dog to stop barking with one simple press.
First of all, you do not have a dog problem, you have a people problem. A dog will bark to warn you about something or if he is bored. A dog must walk every day for a least one hour. If you are not walking him, he is telling you he is bored. No dog wants to be a prisoner in their own home. There is a big world to see and smell. Do not use a dog's name when you discipline him, you only use a dog's name when you want him to come to you. You will confuse your dog thinking everytime you call him he is being disciplined.
I have two dogs and we walk every day for one hour. They only bark to warn me about something and then they stop. When I want them to stop barking, I have several empty medicine bottles half filled with rocks around the house and I just shake the bottle and they stop. Do not yell at your dog cause that only causes more excitement.
Remember dogs are not human so we have to learn how they receive information from us.
Hope this helps.
I've found the best method is positive training. When my dog started barking, I'd grab a whole handful of small treats. I'd tell him quiet and put my finger to my mouth and say, "sush". Then when he was quiet, I'd say, "good" and feed him one treat after another, repeating, "good", "quiet", "sush".
I have a dear friend who lives in Colorado whose dog, Tiki, would bark, bark, bark at everything and anything no matter what she tried. A couple of weeks ago she decided to try a bark collar (I am sorry but I didn't think to ask her what kind but will do so in the next couple of days and let you know) and within just a few short days Tiki was learning. In just two weeks, with or without the collar on, Tiki only gives one bark! :-)
Just as with children your husband needs to participate in the training and not undermine your efforts! If he doesn't co-operate I suggest you re-home hubby instead of your fur baby ;-)
When she barks I quickly praise her "good girl"and then tell her quiet, quite short and firm and give her a treat, she can't bark and eat at the same.
Good luck.
There are lots of training articles on leerburg.com.
The free podcasts are great too, leerburg.com/
I also have been to the Washington County/Johnson City Animal Shelter, and they are great and they really do take care of their animals while they are there. Hope you will find a way to keep your baby, if not, be comforted that it will probably find a home through the animal shelter. I would start crate training. Throw treats ina wire crate that will become its bedroom. Throw delicious treats in there right by the door, and then start throwing them in further. Never shut the door on the dog while it is getting a treat.
When the dog is comfortable with stepping in the crate, then close the door for a few seconds, praising, and then give a treat when it comes out.
Repeat this often. Always throw treats into the crate and always praise and reward and be happy about the crate. Put blankets and have a special toy that is just for when the dog is in the crate.
Sometimes when the dog gets nervous, it will bark. Maybe a few naptimes a day are in order.
Never use the crate as punishment. In the dogs mind, he should associate the crate with yummy things and fun toys.
Robyn
Some breeds of dogs are chronic barkers. A lot of dogs will bark & bark if their owners leave them outside and ignore them for extended lengths of time. Or, if there is a lot of activity from noisy kids or if they have separation anxiety & miss their master. Pay more attention to the dog - if it's outside and starts to bark call it back into the house. Also pay attention to them, talk to them like a person not a mental retard and you might be surprised as to what happens. My last four dogs never gave me a problem with barking.
I finally had an opportunity to talk to my friend in Colorado and the type of collar she got for her Tiki is a shock collar. She was worried about purchasing it but the people who worked at the pet store said they had even tried it on themselves to make sure it wasn't painful. My friend tested it too. :-)
How it works is that it has two little prongs at the front of the collar and when it senses a bark it sends a very, very mild shock that is only enough to startle.
You need to read the instructions for how to place the collar and how to properly use it. It is only meant for times your fur baby is most likely to bark, not full time. Also, my friend said she had to tighten the collar just a teeny tiny tad more than suggested for it to work. I hope you find a way to train your fur baby and please let us know what worked for you, okay?
Thanks for all the feedback, I will try all of them. We live on a farm so she gets plenty of running time. I tried the beens in a bottle thing. She chewed the bottle the first time I left it on the table. lol Thanks all...alicia
My adult chihuahua was a chronic barker when she came to live with me. First off, I treated her like a dog. The moment she started barking I'd give a sharp "sh" and stamp my foot which got her attention. By my being consistant she stopped the barking within a few days. She also became more confident and was soon a very nice little dog to have around. While working on her barking I'd sometimes drop a wee piece of treat if she stopped immediately with the "sh" only.
Thought of something. Did you start picking her up when she was barking to get her to stop? If so you were rewarding and reinforcing her barking. You need to let her know that you are displeased with her barking.
WoW! The device from http://www.antibarkingdevice.com really works.
I was shocked when my neighbors dog stopped barking as soon as I used it. I can say it worked within one hour.
Thanks Gilbert for the advice. I was going crazy with my neighbors dogs. THANK YOU!!
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