what do you do with a big barking dog?

[misdee]

because other dogs owners are starting to view my dog as evil or soemthing i swear.

Tom is a 7month old labrodoodle. he is walked 1-2 times a day, for around 30mins each time.

but he is vocal. he barks at anything and everything. even me we are at our wits end with his barking, but can cope iyswim. i dofeel sorry for my neighbours though, but he is generally quiet in the mornings, evenings and aty night. i try to keep him quiet in the day.

but the main problem is when he see's other dogs. he barks and bark and barks. no agressive snarling, no hackles raised, but LOUD!
he has never gone for another dog, but dances around them, w3ith his happy loud bark. which for a puppy is a mature bark iyswim.

i just dont know what to do.

dh is looking at puppy classes for after xmas, but is there anything i can do im the meantime?

I've a small dog with a big bark (dachshund, best value decibels per kilo of dog going ). We find a water spray useful (and praise when he shuts up of course).

Don't know if that would work on a labradoodle as presumably he likes water, but its easy enough to try.

yes he loves water. he is a total nut!

I have a sensor spray collar that is triggered by my lurcher's barking. I have to say it is brilliant and he wears it when we are out as he went through a stage of barking when we were out and also when we get ready to go for a walk as he just stands and barks and barks and no matter how much ignoring, walking away etc was done it made no difference and he also wears it whilst at agility as he will bark at the other dogs when they are doing the course!

Now 4 weeks on i put it on but do not switch it on and it still works! it sprays citronella, it IS NOT an electric shock collar.

I will see if i can find a link for you.

oh, i was looking at those ones. they sell them in pets at home.

like this one

Get them from ebay as they are much cheaper, the one i have sells for £65.00+ in shops i brought mine from an ebay/shop and it cost me £38.00 and they buy it back if it doesn't work.

I will go and seek out the company.

Oh god no, don't use a collar on him please. A water spray might work, if nothung else does but can you not try clicker training first?

Wait until a quiet moment in the barking give the command quiet, click, treat. Labs are very intelligent dogs he'll soon figure it out.

It might be best to start at home without the added excitement of new dogs. Does anything less exciting make him bark, like a toy or something?

why not the collar DMC?

EVERYTHING makes him baRK. EVEN HIS own shadow,.

I think they are cruel as the owner has no control over when the collar triggers. Small barks are permissable. It's part of how the dog communicates. Plus the spray is aimed directly at the face, which cannot be nice for the dog. And the reason it's citronella is because dogs do not like it all. Water would be much less harsh.

I always prefer to use positive methods where possible with my dogs. You see results much quicker. I only use a spray bottle on The Devil Dog to regain his attention once he enters 'the zone'. Cat-dog is training brilliantly using just positive training. She is honestly the perfect puppy.

I understand your reasons adn i would agree if it was a shock collar, not the sensor ones, my dog has too do a full on bark before it is triggered. I don't think the spray is cruel at all. My other dog woul dbe far more traumatises if i was to spray him with water. The collar i have doesn't squirt into the face either, it is all about the correct position.

Like i have said i have tried everything else and i have stood waiting for lurcher to be quiet for 45 minutes with my back turned, even tried oding other things and he just gets beyond himself and very distressed and ups the barking, that can't be nice for the dog.

I belive in positive training and wouldn't do anything to harm my dogs, unlike others i know who happily put shock collars or some even pinch collars to stop pulling etc. Now that is creul IMHO.

We used a collar on our dog for a while - it did help, TBH can't remember why we stopped using it...think it was a bit unreliable, turned itself off. It sprayed under the neck, not the face; a low bark didn't trigger it (we'd hear this sort of rumbling), and by default you use them with water, the citronella is only for if plain water is ineffective.

So I think they're not as bad as DMC thinks, though I do agree that the other way is better.

Oh I don't think tey are horrorific and are far from being as bad as smacking noses, shock collars, choke chains ect.

They have their place as a training aid, if all else has failed, I just don't think they should be the first thing you reach for.

Misdee, get a toy that excites him into barking wave the toy about or whatever until he barks, Once he is barking stand clamly until he is quiet, issue command, click and treat with the toy/food.

If this doesn't work, try noise. My two dogs are into play fighting each other very noisily and roughly, which is fine sometimes, but they do it all the bloody time. I could stand waving toys about and hollering commands until I was blue in the face, but they can niether see nor hear me, they are far too focused on each other. A short sharp rap on a door/table instantly brings them out of their stupor though, so I issue a 'calm' command, click and treat. Which lately is requiring me to walk about all day with bags of raw mine hung to my belt just incase they start

You could try a plastic bottle filled with gravel as a distraction if you need it to be portable.

You could try a plastic bottle filled with gravel

Or a drinks can with the hole taped over, I've seen that used. (rapping on door not a good idea if one of the things which triggers barking fit is people knocking on the door! )

Squirt of water from a water bottle worked for us

No my dog does not bark when someone knocks on the door, which is v annoying when I am lcoked out because DH has left his key in the door and the only thing who knows I am outside in a blizzard is THe Devil Dog who just stands in the front window wagging his tail and panting at me. Cat-dog just stayed on the rug in fron of the fire and didn't bat an eyelid at the hand that feeds her being left out in the cold

The problem with spray collars, rattle bottles and water bottles is that they are not without potential negative effects. The same potential negative effects as you night get if you used an electric shock collar. Whether the negative effects are as serious as those of an electric shock collar would be depends on how much the dog dislikes the method you are using. But, unless it disliked it, it wouldn't work. For example, if you use a spray collar and the dog really hates it. It might just associate it with the barking and stop barking. Or, it might be focusing on another dog, or a child when it gets sprayed and decide that the dog or child is causing the spray and that is really doesn't like dogs/children because they mean bad things happen.

The other potential problem with using these methods is that they might stop the dog barking, but they won't solve the reason for the barking.

I would always much prefer to teach the 'quiet' command, try and solve the reason the dog is barking or distract the dog.

trouble is with my dog is it just pure excitment that he barks, absolutely no other reason apart from the fact he can not control himself in the excitment dept!

I completely agree with what you are saying Midori but i have tried everything else and nothing works apart from the spray collar, nit that he has it on that often, not even every day probably twice a week at most.

noise distraction doesnt work. they love rattly bottles/cans anything. think that comes with living with a toddler.

he doesnt need to focus on anything to bark. he just barks. i think he just likes the sound of his own voice tbh. its not a stressed bark, or a scared one, its just noise iyswim.

The spray collars will work for a bit as will the water spray. BUT when you take off the bark collar the dog will bark again, or generally most dogs get used to them bark the collar sprays and they just ignore it and bark again so a wasted 60quid and a dog that still barks! Same with the water bottle I am afraid.

The only way that will work is to teach the dog the new behaviour - it takes time but it will last for ever once the dog has learnt the command. I always use the command "enough" as it can be spoken quietly yet firmly you do not want to be yelling quiet or shut up at them as the dogs just get confused messages!

Really interesting what you say about excitement morethanyoubargainfor I am a great fan of teaching excitement control from a really early age. Great use of crates - when your puppy is small - when you open the crate door the dog has to wait inside the crate until you say it can get out. Now after being in the crate all night they are really really excited to get out so by teaching them a wait when they are desperate to see you is the beginning of excitement control. If the puppy charges out you quickly and carefully shut the door so they can not get out - all puppies get the idea in about 2 days!

Then once the dog is in an excited situation again just click and treat. Gradually the dog realises that when he is excited he has to look at you for the next command.

So in a highly excitable situation eg seeing another dog your dog begins to get excited and the first thing they will do is turn to you - then you can reward with treat or a game.

Misdee I think though you have two issues to deal with the barking and also the dog meet dog behaviour.

I would work on the barking in a different situation to meetin another dog to start with.

Re meeting dogs can you get Tom to concentrate just on you watch me command, leave it command may work. When Tom does the command then let him meet the dog - do not tell him off for barking at this stage. Just get him to realise that you tell him when he can meet other dogs. Then you can sometimes ask him to leave it and just walk by - he should be beginning to look for you for what he can do when he sees a dog.

I just love your dogs names Tom and Ralph they sound just fab!

Meant to say ignore the other owners I have also got the evil worst handler in the world looks given to me at the moment as I have a foster rescue collie who is very aggressive towards other dogs. Lunging, barking growling and going crazy on the lead. - he is work in progress.

thank you. might be tinme to get that liver cake made.

frosty doodles

the noisey one

minimu that is exactly what i did for my other lad and he doesn't have the 'overexcitment' issue but i had him from 7 weeks and he is now 3. The loopy lurcher on the other hand is just over 2 and i have had him for 12 months. He had a horrid start before he cam eto us and just wasn't in the right place to teach too much or crate (h would have injured himself trying to escape etc). He didn't even know his name when he arrived with us, he is a perfect dog in every way apart from the excited barking whilst waiting to go for a walk or at agility! It is all just too much for him .

Interestinly he doesn't bark when it is his turn to do agility but when he watches the others do it, he is a side line heckler!!

He truly doesn't bark any other time. he is such a great dog that just likes to test all the rules to the limit .