Barking, collar and fear

I whistle from inside to call mine back inside if they are barking. They used to get a treat everytime, now occassionally they get a treat, but they always get praise and my full attention. It has become habit now for them to come on a whistle. If I have to go outside to get them there is no talk, I just put a slip lead over the head of the worst culprit (usually Deska) and bring him inside myself. It rarely comes to this because if they whistle doesnt work, if I open the back sliding door quickly they know they are in trouble and will usually race inside.
 
There is no quick fix for getting them to stop barking..it takes consistancy and alot of patience.
You have to set them up to succeed... so learn what gets them to barking and then control their contact with whatever sets them off.
Sounds like yours is mostly just barking outside...do you know what he's barking at? Or is he just barking to hear himself bark? You are going to have to take him outside on a leash..every time he goes outside. I know this might be inconvienent..but thats what you are going to have to do. It might take quite a while of this..so get ready. You have to take them out on leash because obviously his recall isn't working...and you can't work on the recall and the stop barking at the same time...it just isn't gonna happen that way...so work on those things seperately...Then if he starts that uncontrolable barking, just calmly take him back inside.
All dogs are going to bark...I like mine to bark..but then when I say "thats enough!!" They better knock it off!! LOL

On the shock collar...I haven't used one for debarking but we used them for a invisible fence...those didn't shock very much and they had a warning beeper...mine only got shocked when we were in the training phase...and it only took one shock...Now...they knew when they had the collars on and when they didn't..they would go out of range if we forgot to put the collars on them...

On debarking..I personally wouldn't do it unless I was forced to. I know some debarked Shelties...some are more annoying then others...LOL some don't make hardly any sound at all..others are raspy. I think there is 2 different kinds of procedures..one is less invasive..so research that and see what one is best ..and finding a good vet is very important too...

Good luck

Julie
Clancy & Abby
 
Callie was debarked when I got her. She has ranges of volumes. Her alert bark is not loud at all- her hurry up with that food bark is pretty loud. so if she were barking outside, most of my neighbors wouldn't even notice it. her other barks sound like 'hup hup'- kinda cute actually :wink2:
 
When my parents got their first sheltie, 45 years ago, the breeder told us that shelties needed to be taught to not bark from early puppyhood.
His instructions were to gently hold the pups snout, look directly into its eyes and say NO Barking in a quiet firm voice everytime the pup barked.
Both of their shelties raised this way were not barkers.
My rescue sheltie was about 18 months when I brought her home. The first time she barked she got the same treatment, and she also never became a problem barker.
The important thing is to not let them learn to bark in the first place.
 
Barking

My first Sheltie was a barker. I bought the shock collar and after he yelped once I promptly returned it and brought him a toy instead. I put up with the barking for the wonderful 16 years that I had him. He was a love and I miss him a lot!
 
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