Can a dog be trained not to bark?

I'm laughing too ^%$%^& hard at the boyfriend in the collar that I can't think of anything intelligent to say.
My DH would have done it too. I can say, "Honey, taste this, does it taste bad you??? And he tastes it. I am so trying the shock collar, and I don't even have a dog!!! :D:D:D:D:D
elliemom
 
Stop that Ellie! You're making ME laugh! My coworkers can't figure out what's so damn funny about a spreadsheet........:D

OK Christine, I'm reading this article & I can't figure out what kind of barking Penny is doing. I think it's the alarm barking, but she doesn't bark at the TV when I turn it on, it seems there are certain triggers on the screen that cause her to bark, I'm not sure what, all I can figure out is movement. So how do I play the barking game? And why is my Penny being so difficult? :p
 
The website that Christine provided is great!!!! Thanks, Christine! And ITA on the treating.

I have used the Citronella collar that she recommends and I really liked it. Whenever the dog barks the container on the collar releases a brief spray of citronella scented water. It doesn't hurt the dog like a shock collar but it gets their attention and startles them. And as an added bonus, it smells pretty good at least to humans :D
 
I would guess it would be alarm barking, too. Dogs can see the tv and if she sees a dog or something that she considers scary, she is probably barking in alarm. Try to find a video at which she will reliably bark and start the training from there...

And Penny is being difficult because she's a dog. They're like kids in a lot of ways and were put on this earth to test our patience and provide lots of love.
 
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I know I know, I get lots more love from her than I do problems. That's why I'm willing to put up w/all the noise.

The Barkbusters guy told me puggles were extremely difficult dogs (not mean difficult, just super energetic) & more & more of them are turning up in shelters. Crazy, b/c their dispositions are so sweet & affectionate, I cannot imagine...........and so so sad, b/c all they want to do is give love.

Thanks everyone for your help--wish me luck!
 

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i do enjoy hearing about all of the doggie issues....i miss having a dog so much so i get to live vicariously through all of y'all's dogs.....thanks!!
 
Skimi and Laura Max
2 hours later and I'm still laughing. I can just see my hubby sitting there taking a shock to see how it feels. I can even hear myself say " Here put this on", I'm gonna shock you to see if it's too much for the DOG!!!:D:D:D
Please help, I have makeup on for the first day in weeks and now it's running down my face. I just can't stop laughing!!!!
ellie
 
Ellie, I told you to STOP THAT! LMAO! I cannot help you. I now have visions of my ex hubby wearing the collar--that GD thing might just have saved my marriage! :D:p:eek::)

Carola--I found the citronella collar! They had it at our pet store right around the corner. None of the zappers or noisemakers, just the sprayer. OMG I hope I don't laugh too hard at the poor thing when I see her expression...........I'll let you guys know how that works out. :D
 
ok ellie....now i am laughing again....if you could have seen him jump out of the chair, it was awesome....i, of course, had it turned up much higher for him, as i was sure he could take it...:p the collar still wouldn't have saved my marriage as he would have just gotten p@#$#ssed off and pouted for days, but my BF is a great sport.....

lauramax, you should try to get a picture of her with that look of "what just happened".....with the citronella, she wont have to worry about mosquito bights on her nose either....
 
I'll try Gayla. That dog is way too quick for me. :p Good point about the mosquitoes, maybe I'll try............NO! I'm not even gonna go there! :D
 
Laura, besides collars that emit high pitch sounds, they also make stand alone units. For outside it looks like a bird house. It has different levels and emits a high pitch when the dog barks. a friend tried it with her shelties and it worked wonders. I tried it with my aussie and it too has helped reduce her barking. Down side is you have to be careful where you place it because you don't want other noises setting it off and confusing your dog. It does not work for all dogs. Some of the larger breeds seem irritated by it and actually barked at it more when it goes off. I got my outdoor one at Walmart. Walmart on line has an indoor one. Since I don't know anyone who has used the indoor one, I don't know how well it works, but here's a link

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5969450

Good luck with her. Now if I can just find any remedies for digging, LOL.

Jean
 
Hi Laura;

Your puggle is so cute! I just love that picture.

She probably really doesn't really know that she's doing something wrong. You described a classic dog behavior sequence: she barked occasionally at the TV and you thought it was cute. Even if you didn't consciously reward her, she probably picked up that you kinda liked it.

So...she figures that if a little bit of barking was cute, LOTS of barking would be even cuter. But now she's getting the dreaded can of coins! She's a little confused - she knows that you are not happy, but she knows that the behavior used to be OK.

I have two ridiculously stubborn dogs, and I've inadvertently "trained" them to do things like that before. I thought it was sooooo cute that Greta would come over and poke me with her little foot when she wanted some of my dinner. Now she goes around poking everyone, demanding food, even people sitting on park benches with sandwiches! I still think it's cute! But it is also very rude.

And barking! Don't even get me started. Sometimes I think nothing can out-bark a schnauzer!

If I make it very clear that no matter what I thought before, it's not OK now, and am clear and consistent in discouraging the bad behavior and rewarding the new, good behavior, they usually get it within a couple of days. Try "setting her up" by turning on the TV, getting her to bark, then giving her a firm "no" (or "quiet"). If/when she stops for a few seconds, give her a treat and praise her (but don't turn off the TV right away). Go through a few rounds and then give her time to process it.

Does she like chewies or anything? If you get her to shut up while you're watching and reward her with a chewie bone or toy, she'll have to decide between chewing or barking (most dogs choose chewing).

It'll be a pain for a little while but if you're consistent and stick it out, you'll eventually win. Good luck! I totally sympathize.

Lisa
 
Laura-

I have a neurotic sheltie that freaks out everytime I turn on the blender or coffee grinder, so I feel your pain.

One suggestion is a squirt bottle or squirt gun..everytime your dog starts barking, squirt him in the face and say no. My sister did that w/ her do that jumped on people and worked great.

Lynn M.
 
I don't know but it would be interesting to find out. All I know is, in my neighborhood, all it takes is one guy walking down the street and it's like The After Dark Bark in the original 101 Dalmations cartoon. It's a chain reaction and it drags on for quite a while because EVERYONE here has dogs.
 
I don't like the idea of collars which are punative.
I wouldn't want to train the dog to be afraid of a collar.

You can buy a dog whistle to blow when he barks.

But you should definitely try the rewards thing first.

A firm voice and consistancy in training are really important, but so is rewarding the good behavior.

By the way, cute dog. That's a nice picture.
 
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