Dog Help (too much barking) (1 Viewer)

[John Chow]

I've got a friend who lives in an apartment and her dogs are barking too much while she's away. Anyone have any suggestions on what to try? I think she's going to try using a muzzle first, but don't know how much that will help.

 

[Matt Stryker]

I know many here will probably not agree, but due to my dog barking I was almost evicted out of my old apartment. I purchased an anti-bark collar, followed the instructions, and about 4 weeks later, my dog no longer barked unnecessarily. We have not had to use the collar again, and he still controls his barking just fine. The biggest problem with these devices is that most people do not participate in training their dog with the collar, instead just strap it on and leave it on permanently. Also, dogs need to bark to warn you, to tell you needs, etc, so eliminating barking altogether would be a bad thing.

Obediance training could only help. Are the dogs barking at nothing at all (barking for attention or just to bark) or barking at noises/sights out the window?

 

[Glenn Overholt]

I'm not a dog owner, but if the dog can't bark, he/she will probably whine or cry. You should rent 'The Truth About Cats and Dogs' for more info.

Glenn

 

[Mark Hayenga]

I successfully used the anti-bark collar with my dog. Whatever they do, DON'T muzzle the dog. They have to pant to cool themselves...

 

[John Chow]

Hm..interesting, didn't know there was such a thing as an anti-bark collar. Any specific recommendations on brands etc.? How does it work? electric shock or something?

My understanding is the dog normally barks at noises, i.e. neighbors doorbell rings, that kinda thing. When the owner is at home, she just tells them to quiet down, and they do, but I think maybe when she leaves for work, then they may continue barking. Unsure at this point. I only know the neighbor called animal control, who came by to see the animals, and threatened to take them to inspect them for mental diseases This is in Taiwan btw.

 

[Matt Stryker]

I got mine at Wal-Mart, not sure of the brand. Mine uses electric shocks, and it had different levels. For instance, the dog could bark once with no shocks, 3 times within 2 min and he got just a tingle, and then it would go up from there. There was some safety mechanism where if the dog was barking continously even through the first couple shocks the device would shut off; There were also training covers to cover the contacts, if you just wanted to have your dog wearing it without the electrical stimulus.

 

[Rain]

Muzzles are not bark deterents. Using a muzzle in this manner is cruel, plain and simple.

There are many varieties of anti-bark collars available, the electric shock version being the cruelist. Regardless of what anyone claims, they are brutal. A anti-bark collar of this type was tried by someone at one of our stores--on himself. At the middle setting, it dropped him like a sack of potatoes.

For anyone who advocates the use of these collars, may I offer the suggestion that you try it on yourself.

There are also anti-bark collars which emit high pitched sounds or blast a bit of citronella (a benign substance which most dogs find unpleasant) into the dog's face. These options are much more humane.

However, the problem in this case is very likely separation anxiety. The dog would probably benefit from an herbal calming agent (such as Home Alone, which is made by a company called Veterinarian's Best) and some training.

 

[John Chow]

Yeah, the muzzle thing didn't seem to make that much sense to me. She's definitely not willing to go with the electric shock collars. The citronella ones seem like the best option, but they aren't cheap, and she would need to buy two i think. Actually, the ones that I've seen seem to work based on a microphone that detects when the dog barks to activate the spray. If this is the case, if you have two dogs next to each other, and one barks, do both get sprayed? That seems like it would confuse the dog if got sprayed even when not barking. I'll also suggest training, although not sure if it's as easy to find over here.

 

[Walt N]

The citronella collars are effective, more so than the shock collars in my experience, but either can be triggered by the dog next to it barking if they're close enough. If that happens, much better that it be the citronella type. I did try the shock collar on my arm and it's certainly nothing I'd ever put on one of my dogs again. Wish I'd done that before I completely freaked out my lab with it. No wonder they're illegal in most of Europe...$50 down the drain.

I found my citronella collar brand new on Ebay for about 1/2 what they go for at Petsmart, I think I paid around 75-80. Highly recommended. I just bought one and alternated with both dogs. Much improvement, highly recommended for nuisance "I like to hear my head rattle" barking problems when the human is gone and other factors have been addressed.

 

[DaveDickey]

My dog's barking problem was cured in an interesting way: I went overseas for three months and left my dog with my brother, who has a male Basenji (For those unfamiliar with Basenji's, they are a barkless breed from Africa. They wine a bit and howl when happy, but no deep, conventional barking). My brother's dog is always silent, even when greeting other dogs. By the time I returned home, the Basenji, who was the dominant of the two, trained my dog for me! My pooch rarely barks anymore. Dave

 

[Rain]

From what I know of the breed, Basenji's often assume dominance over other dogs. They're a highly intelligent breed and they usually know it.