Landlord complains about loud barking May we get help now?
Loud barking is a new problem. need suggestions!
4 Answers
Landlord suggested bark coller.
First, you need to find out the reason your dog is barking. Is he left alone, anxious and scared? Is he in pain or sick?
Never use a bark collar on a dog who is stressed out, scared or anxious.
A lot of dogs who have been left alone will bark because they're freaking out.
Topical for us because we are struggling with our neighbour's dog and as Lenka mentions...they say it's because it got spooked 2 days ago by a husky. But they have never moved to do anything about their barking dog. Even when trying to have a conversation with them it barks over us. Even when in the park it barks over us. Even when on a lead, it barks over us. They have failed to discipline it and now the job will be harder.
You have to try different things to dissuade it. And as soon as it is quiet for 3s, 5s,10s,20s then reward its silence with whatever works, treat/toy/favourite food/scratches/praise. Now how to dissuade a dog from doing something is the challenge because people get weird about negative feedback. In can backfire with aggressive dogs as they will rise to the fight. The other reason is that it can harm the relationship - in this case it's best to have someone else temporarily train the dog. It is not kind to the dog to let it go on jeopardising its safety and your own life, relationships and comfort because you are failing to correct your animal. You can't love your animal if you resent it for 12+ years. Behaviour first; bond second.
But it is by definition the only way to stop a dog doing something that it does of its own accord and this is precisely what dogs are used to experiencing in a pack, they don't give each other treats to curb behavior, they bark, bite, and barge. And if you've even witnessed a pack discipline a packmember then you'll know that they don't retaliate against the corrector, they all gang up on the offender until they've had their fill; it's not a pretty sight.
Key is to be quick on the mark; as soon as the behaviour starts (peeing, growling, chasing, barking, running away) you have to catch it. Or sometimes you can read your dog well enough to dissuade it before it does the offense (sniffing, ears pricked, tension, tail up, crouching, opening mouth, eyeline) at which point you can lead the dog away and reward its distraction.
Next thing is how to shift the dog's attention. Try: Clapping/whistling/shouting taking physical control of the dog (the scruff or the lead) Tapping its nose or using a water spray bottle to startle it
About collars: they help with timing and disassociating the punishment from the trainer; like I said above, it's like getting someone else to train the dog leaving you free to just snuggle and reward it! They are a genuine tactic used by bona fide dog trainers after the above things don't work ^. The progression is thus: vibe collar > Siren collar > citronella spray collar > shock collar(!!!!)
90% of dogs will be cured by the vibe collar. Humanely and quickly. We have only ever used a shock collar on dogs to stop them from running out of bounds with the 'virtual ...
I have battery-operated devices that are small, brown boxes about 2" x 2" x 3", small enough to carry easily, that will emit an ultrasonic tone when triggered by barking (or other loud noise). I set one on the bedside table when I have a jumpy dog that startles and barks at every little noise. The sound distracts her from continuing to bark when no one else is concerned about the noise she heard, just like a bark collar. Devices often work for nuisance barking, but won't prohibit or hinder alerting. Also, some dogs can be oversensitive to ultrasonic sound, so you'll want to monitor how your dog reacts.