excessive barking ultra sonic bark collar

[bibluegirl]

Everything sets him off LOL! All could be quiet inside and he will laying on the couch or the floor and then all of a sudden he will jump up and start barking at the window I'll get up to block him and get him to stop but most of the time there is nothing out there. Sometimes he will see people or other dogs and he will do a grumble first and then I can get his attention.

I joke and say his switch is broke because he will just flip out and start barking and half the time I don't know what hes barking about.

Hes better when were are in the yard if I notice someone walking by I can get his attention before he spots them and feed him treats till they pass. If I don't notice them before he does he will charge the fence barking I then have to go get him but I can't get him to focus on treats or anything I've tryied body blocking and he tries to get past me. I finally just pick him up and remove him put him in the sun room for a min to calm down when he's calm I'll let him back out but then it starts all over.

I thought of letting him drag a training lead in the yard so I can interupt quicker.

He doesn't bark when we are out on walks when I take him to work and when we go to class.

He is not poorly bred either all my shelties came from show breeder he's not from a byb or puppy mill. He's stimulated and exercised so I know its not from bordem.

 

[HolisticFurMom]

Everything sets him off LOL! All could be quiet inside and he will laying on the couch or the floor and then all of a sudden he will jump up and start barking at the window I'll get up to block him and get him to stop but most of the time there is nothing out there. Sometimes he will see people or other dogs and he will do a grumble first and then I can get his attention.

I joke and say his switch is broke because he will just flip out and start barking and half the time I don't know what hes barking about.

Hes better when were are in the yard if I notice someone walking by I can get his attention before he spots them and feed him treats till they pass. If I don't notice them before he does he will charge the fence barking I then have to go get him but I can't get him to focus on treats or anything I've tryied body blocking and he tries to get past me. I finally just pick him up and remove him put him in the sun room for a min to calm down when he's calm I'll let him back out but then it starts all over.

I thought of letting him drag a training lead in the yard so I can interupt quicker.

He doesn't bark when we are out on walks when I take him to work and when we go to class.

He is not poorly bred either all my shelties came from show breeder he's not from a byb or puppy mill. He's stimulated and exercised so I know its not from bordem.

Well if it's not from boredom then it has to be genes. Also, when you say he barks in the windows and there's nothing there; well there may not be anything there that you see or hear, but that doesn't mean nothing is there. The first step in correcting a behavior is truly learning your dog and learning what sets them off so it sounds like you need to try to watch and learn more what truly sets him off as it's not just "nothing." I've learned the best way to teach a dog NOT to bark is actually to teach him how to bark on command and THEN teach him not to bark. Poor pup probably has NO idea what he's doing wrong as jumping up and blocking the window isn't really conveying the message too tell. Read the links posted as I thought they were fabulous. Learn your dog, what triggers him... like out in the yard you know it can be things out by the fence, that's a good place to start. he needs to only be out on the leash going potty and right back in until he learns how to control himself and stay calm when triggers approach...which is your job to teach. Until then his exercise should continue to be walks as he's okay on walks. Remove him from free access to the yard. Every time you allow him to get stressed and triggered it makes it that much harder to correct so you have to stop letting it happen right away. Shut the windows/blinds, teach him to bark/not bark on command, teach him ways to deal with things that set him off. Some days are more on edge than others and more OCD, you can say it's not breeding, but I truly believe it is in most cases but regardless of that, it has to be fixed because de-barking doesn't solve issues like this. Your dog is living with a lot of anxiety and doesn't enjoy being on edge anymore than you enjoy him doing it.

 

[bibluegirl]

I understand that something is triggering it but most times i cant figure out wht. I think he is noise sensitive which in class if they are say doing agility he will shut down say if the teeter slams or dogs get barky.

I agree debarking doesnt fix the issue. I keep the shades and blinds closed which is why im guessing noises trigger it.

I will at those links tonight. Thanks.

 

[BarbV]

I guess what I'm more looking for is something that I can use in combination with training. Something where I can intrupt the behavior then reward him when he stops barking.

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Hey, when you read up on these products, they absolutely recommend that you combine this with positive reinforcement.

I should have mentioned this in my previous post. Dog barks, collar and/or remote trainer enacts, dog stops barking.....immediate treat and praise.

The key to these products is to get the dog to stop the bark SO THAT YOU CAN REWARD the stop bark behaviour.

Some of the products claim to have both positive and negative. Though I'm not sure how the "positive" works exactly. I've been meaning to research it.

 

[BarbV]

Do you know what sets your dog off the most?
Is it possible to start far away from that trigger, far so that you can reward BEFORE the barking starts?

Here is the idea for a dog that goes crazy when he sees other dogs, you reward before the dog gets set off, see how close you get... go further back if you need to...
Funny this was meant to be more about a statement about the Myth that positive trainers don't train red zone cases etc... But it also shows nicely the idea behind how to train in that type of scenario. The REWARD placement becomes the interruption of the behaviour, so you don't reward the barking, but you get the treat in BEFORE the dog barks...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WjIoLNN1N4g

I also found this article helpful, Ian Dunbar is the godfather of all that is positive and sensible in dog training...
http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/excessive-barking

Maybe a few good ideas in here too: http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/excessive-barking-why-some-dogs-bark-and-how-to-fix-it I honestly used this 'puppy push up' method, to get Toffee to snap out of it, get his focus back to me and to interrupt his demand barking for example... barking for attention, treats or out of frustration... Dr Sophia Yin mentions in here the collars also and why she doesn't recommend them
Also try to work on impulse control to get the dog to focus more on you and make better choices in her behaviour, I know it may seem unrelated but it works SO well to give a dog a choice and reward the correct ones, a dog will always look for you for affirmation that they did it correctly and that you will reward them for the right choices! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipT5k1gaXhc

I hope there is something useful in there... oh also, I have used the frozen kong filled with peanutbutter when people come over, for example... keeps his frustration threshold super low... once he goes to his safe spot, he gets the kong... even get the visitor to give it to him... keeps him busy AND associate good things in his mind when visitors come over, he gets some yummy stuff! His barking is based on insecurity, so the worst thing I did was to shush him, holler and/or made a big deal out of it... and yeah I made it worse because I corrected him with sound!!
Until I got involved with helpful instructors and I learned to be better... I am not judging anybody who has been through this and found other methods, but these were the best for me and my dog. I hope this can help you also

All these tips will take time and commitment, but one step at a time, if you give yourself a couple of months you WILL see a change of that I have no doubt.

Again, the problem here is that it presupposes that you are right beside your dog when the barking starts. How do you control it when you are out of the house or the dogs are in the backyard and a squirrel runs by?

 

[BarbV]

I understand that something is triggering it but most times i cant figure out wht. I think he is noise sensitive which in class if they are say doing agility he will shut down say if the teeter slams or dogs get barky.

I agree debarking doesnt fix the issue. I keep the shades and blinds closed which is why im guessing noises trigger it.

I will at those links tonight. Thanks.

My Indy is super-sensitive as well. I swear sometimes he has ESP! My bedroom has a big picture window that looks out onto parkland (where people walk their dog leash-free). Indy will be sleeping on the bed, and then instantly go into alert mode and start barking. I look out the window and there is noone walking by. Then about 1 minute later, someone actually does walk by. There is no way he could see them because the view is blocked on each side by fences and hedges. I swear he SENSES them coming!

And then, of course, bark, bark, bark. Like you, I need something to interrupt the behaviour and get his attention back on me, so that I can then give him positive reinforcement when he stops.

One other product that works as well (but again, assumes that you have this strapped to your body and you are with him all the time is the Pet Corrector. It's a spray that emits a hissing sound. It does actually stop them dead in their tracks. When dog is doing something undesirable, hide the bottle behind you and press the nozzle. (no, you do not spray in their face or even in front of them).

btw - for the record, the only reason why I don't use any of these remote devices for Indy is because I have two dogs. Bacca does not bark generally. So if I start using a product that he can also "experience" I might inadvertently shy him away from a normal activitity (e.g. he's drinking from his water bowl while Indy is barking)

That would be my biggest caution!

 

[Jess041]

Just my two cents about the Pet Corrector- I bought this after reading about it on the forum when Missy was a lil bitty thing and was barking constantly. It didn't work for us. In fact, every time I used it, she would just bark back at it! Not to say it won't work in your situation...

Missy liked to bark for attention when she was little, so I think the Pet Corrector just antagonized her. If it's a reactive dog, it might work to get their attention when they're barking at something (or nothing) outside.

 

[take4roll10]

Again, the problem here is that it presupposes that you are right beside your dog when the barking starts. How do you control it when you are out of the house or the dogs are in the backyard and a squirrel runs by?

Why can't your dog bark a little at squirrel. Isn't that what dogs do? lol There isn't anyway to control the barking if you are not with your dogs. I'm pretty sure all the sonic sound and citrus spray devices come with a warning that they should only be used under direct supervision. Just think of how awful it would be if the device is outside with your quiet dog and another dog near by is barking and sets it off.

If your dog is notorious for barking outside and your neighbors complain then don't let them outside unsupervised. That is what I did with my dog. If your dog barks when looking out the window, then block its access to the window. I had this problem with my dog. I installed something over the window, so my dog can't look out, but sunlight still gets in. When the obnoxious skateboarders are outside, I turn up the TV and close the window, so Bailey can't hear them. If you can't be with your dog or avoid their triggers, there are creative ways around it.

 

[BarbV]

Why can't your dog bark a little at squirrel. Isn't that what dogs do? lol There isn't anyway to control the barking if you are not with your dogs. I'm pretty sure all the sonic sound and citrus spray devices come with a warning that they should only be used under direct supervision. Just think of how awful it would be if the device is outside with your quiet dog and another dog near by is barking and sets it off.

If your dog is notorious for barking outside and your neighbors complain then don't let them outside unsupervised. That is what I did with my dog. If your dog barks when looking out the window, then block its access to the window. I had this problem with my dog. I installed something over the window, so my dog can't look out, but sunlight still gets in. When the obnoxious skateboarders are outside, I turn up the TV and close the window, so Bailey can't hear them. If you can't be with your dog or avoid their triggers, there are creative ways around it.

LOL! re: squirrels! I'm sure that Indy thinks he doing the community a great service!

Citrus sprays....no for Shelties for sure. The only way they work for a long haired dog is if you put a bandana underneath the collar otherwise it just sprays into their ruff....and then you just have a lemon smelling dog!

 

[Caro]

Everything sets him off LOL! All could be quiet inside and he will laying on the couch or the floor and then all of a sudden he will jump up and start barking at the window I'll get up to block him and get him to stop but most of the time there is nothing out there. Sometimes he will see people or other dogs and he will do a grumble first and then I can get his attention.

I joke and say his switch is broke because he will just flip out and start barking and half the time I don't know what hes barking about.

Sounds just like my barker who spends most of his days inside to limit the barking (where I live there is no barking allowed). I've also enclosed part of the yard so he can't get to the fence line to bark, altho it means Tully can't sit in her favourite spot in the sun.