how do i get my dumb dog to shut up?

Question

i have astupid beagle and i play with her and feed her twice a day-half a cup of kibbles each meal. she is a small breed so dont tell me im not feeding her enough. she thinks i can play with her all day and it gets anoying especially when she starts to whine and bark and even howl... <- this is like challenging me to chase after her, or catch her, or play with her. i just hate it. any ways to just get through to her? i mean i DO play with her... but taking her out on walks hasnt become part of my daily routine. maybe its the walks that are bugging her? but then she comes into my house and runs around for like an hour and then thats like excersise right? so ok... how to shut her up besides getting her spayed or neutered or watever?

sry if this is a dumb question.

and dont say hit her cus that is definitely a solution but she wiill end up hating me.

any tricks to tame her or... make her shut up? a soft hit on the back? or wat? help pls. thx.

is having the vocal chords really something u can do? but then isnt that a bit too much?

something a bit easier?

mmmmmm i will consider walking the dog and the bark collar sounds good.. =]

Answer 1

Here are a cupple of articles from my website that can help you.
If you have more questions fee free to send them to: [e-mail]

How to Stop your Dog From Barking
To stop a dog from barking you must first understand why they bark. Dogs bark to signal to the rest of their pack, (meaning any humans or animals in your household), that they believe there is a potential threat to the safety of the pack. This can be barking at sounds outside that they can not see, strangers walking past your home or yard, visitors coming into your home and even cars driving by outside. One of the main problems with constant barkers is the fact that they believe that they are the “pack leaders”, therefore responsible for the safety of the pack. Not understanding this fact can lead to frustration on your part because to you it seems like your dog may be barking at every little thing for no reason. Barking signals the pack to be on alert. If you are acknowledging this by yelling at your dog or smacking your dog, it will confuse the dog. It sends the signal that you are mad at them for doing the job they feel they were elected to do. To stop a dog from barking, you must establish to them that you are the pack leader. This takes the responsibility away from your dog and places it on you. Giving you a more calm and relaxed dog. Your dog will still bark when it feels there may be a threat, but all you will have to do is use a signal phrase to stop your dog from barking. This can be anything from, “quiet”, “enough” or even “thank you”. Your dog will come to understand that once he/she has risen the alarm and you say your signal phrase, that you are handling the situation and the dog can relax, thus stopping the barking. I first ask you to read the article: “How to Tell if Your Dog Has a Superiority Complex, and What to Do About It” at http://www.thepetproject.zoomshare.com Follow the steps of Amichein Bonding laid out in this article. This is the first step you must take to effectively stop your dog from barking. The next step is to establish your signal phrase. Use a word that is easy for the dog to understand. One word that is not associated with any other training your dog has had. Example: If you used the word “stop” in previous training to stop your dog when walking, don’t use it again here. When your dog starts to bark, say your dogs name, to get their attention so they know you are referring to them, and use your signal phrase. Example: “Fido, quiet”, or “Fido, enough”. If your dog stops barking, praise them and give a food reward. I use food rewards to first introduce new training, however I have come across some dogs that will bark just to get the food reward. So after your dog has gotten the hang of things, you need to drop the food reward to every other time, then to once in a while. Praise will be just as good to the dog as a food reward. If your dog ignores your command and continues to bark, quietly and calmly walk over to your dog. Place one hand gently over your dogs muzzle to close his/her mouth while saying your signal phrase calmly. You must be very calm. If you are agitated or loud your dog will sense that you are upset and believe that there is a real danger to the pack, thus confirming its alarm signal. Once the dog has stopped barking, reward and praise. If, however your dog still believes that he/she is the pack leader, your attempts to stop the barking may do no good. The idea that a subordinate is telling the leader to stop what it is doing, only increases dominate behavior. This can lead to, jumping up on you to appear bigger and to look you in the eye, ( a very dominate thing to do), as well as food protectiveness, pulling on the lead and aggressive behavior. It is very important to establish leadership to your dog. This opens the door to easy training. This will take time and patience, but it will pay off. Your dog will come to understand that it is thanked for the alarm, and the cavalry is here to take over, signaling that his/her work is done. Soon all you will have to say is your signal phrase and your dog will stop barking. Leaving you to a calm and quiet home. By: Sarah Hill – Owner Paws-itive K9 Consulting & Top Knot Professional Grooming - Ajax

How to Tell if Your Dog Has a Superiority Complex and What to do About it
Most bad behavior in dogs happens because of a very simple reason. Your dog has a superiority complex. You can take the dog out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of the dog. Dog’s instincts are basically identical to the instincts of wild dogs and wolves. The only difference is that dogs view humans as part of their 'pack' and wolves and wild dogs do not. The 'leader of the pack' is responsible for the safety and well being of all the pack members. The leader of the pack has certain rights and privileges that come from being the pack leader, such as; the pack leader decides when to show affection or ask for affection, eats before all others in the pack, leads the 'hunt' or walk, and decides what is dangerous to the pack. eg. other dogs. Signs that your dog may feel that he/she is the leader are; pawing at you, staring at you, leaning against you or jumping up on you, nipping and mouthing, barking at you, protective of food or toys, barking at visitors out windows or at fences and when someone comes into your home and pulling on the lead when you are walking, hyperactivity and dominance with other dogs, people and objects, eg. 'humping' Amichein Bonding: These simple steps will get the message across to you dogs that they are not the leader you are, and therefore they do not have to worry about the responsibilities of being the leader. eg. barking at people when they get close to the houes or yard. when you first enter the house from being away, you must show your authority. the leader has a personal bubble of space that can only be penitrated when the leader says so. you must ignore your dogs when you come home until they have settled down. do not look at them, do not acknowledge them and do not pet them. once they have calmed down you may call one of them to you, tell him/her to sit and after they comply you may give them all the love you desire to give. If, however, they start to jump around again you must start all over. They must understand that you will give them affection but only on your terms, no one elses. The second step is gesture eating. The leader always controls the food. The leader always eats before the rest of the pack. Once the leader has gotten his/her fill the rest of the pack is then allowed to eat. I am not a big fan of eating a whole meal infront of my dogs so there is something else you can do that will get the message across just as well. You should never free feed your dogs. This gets the message across that because they have full access to food at all times that they are the leaders. Take a cookie or a cracker and place it on your counter. Place your dogs food bowls beside your cookie and prepare the dogs meal. Before placing your dogs food down for them to eat, make sure that they are watching, and eat your cookie or cracker infront of them. You dont' want to make a big scene, but you do want them to see what you are doing. You want them to think you are eating right out of their food bowls. And when you are finished it looks as if you have taken your fill and the rest of the pack can now eat. Third step. The leader always has a personal space in the house that no one else is allowed into unless allowed by the leader. For me it is my living room. My dogs are not allowed in my living room unless I say it is ok and not before. At first this may be hard to do. The best thing to do is go and get a few baby gates and place them in the opening of the room that is 'off limits' to your dogs. After a while your dogs will get the picture and you will be able to take the gates down. After that it is a constant reminder to your dogs that you are not welcome unless the leader says so. My male, who is a pure bred border collie stud, constantly tests me. He will put one foot into the living room and check to see if I am watching, If I don't see him right away he will put another foot in and check me again. By this time I have caught him and all I need to say is 'out', and he will retreat. However, there are some days that he will test me further and that is when I only need to stand up off the couch and he will back away with a look of, 'I'm sorry, your the leader.' You should never give your dogs full run of the house. Not even when you are home. Fourth step. The leader is always the one to lead the pack on the 'hunt'. The hunt being anytime you and your dogs leave the 'den' house. If your dogs pull on the lead or walk infront of you at anytime, the walk is over and you return to the 'den'. The dogs must understand that the 'hunt' only takes place under your rules. This may take quite a few times, but it is very important to follow all steps. Your dogs will be looking for any sign of weakness from you for them to try and take over again. Practicing 'heal' in a controled environment eg. in the home or in your enclosed yard, on a lead at all times, is a good way to train them for the hunt. All these steps take time and effort, but they will work. I have tested these theory's time and time and time again, not only with my dogs but with numorous clients of mine. This is a way of life with your dogs, not just a quick fix. Once you go back to your old ways your dogs will return to their old ways. By: Sarah Hill - Owner Top Knot Professional Grooming & Paws-itive K9 Consulting

Answer 2

she is not stupid, but beagles are high maintenance when it comes to exercise and boredom, almost as bad as jack russell terriers. they are also major pack animals and need company and companions. she is begging you for attention. One way is to walk her more, play with her more, do whatever you can, as she needs it. our current dog a dalmation/bull terrier, loves to walk but we are at work most of the time, so the boy next door walks her once a day every day for $5 a week. He wants the exercise as does the dog, and it is great for us as well). another way is to get another dog that is similar - perhaps another small beagle - so that they can play with each other as much as they want. You will still have to play sometimes, and take them for walks as they deserve that. but the good part is, they will wear each other out enough that the barking will be lessened. Oh part of the barking is to tell you she loves ya. you have a dog who will be very loyal, it is just annoying to you (and others) with the noise. That is why I would not have a beagle, they are too darn noisy! you are also lucky she has not torn up things or dug up the yard, as they are known to do that. they are great for hunting as they are like energizer bunnies. and - do NOT hit her - as she is doing nothing wrong! she is being herself, true to her breed, and can not help it.

ps - do NOT cut her vocal coards. that is cruel. the water squirter will not work if she sees you doing it as then she will associate it with you, and that is not cool either..
also, there is one trick we used for a couple black labs that were digging and doing other behavior that we did not want. take a soda can, put about 20 pennies in it, duct tape it shut. when she is doing something you are trying to break her of, toss the can close to her (don't hit her with it) when she is not looking at it (that is the secret) and she will stop the behavior and run to you for protection. tell her good dog, pet her all over, don't worry about the behavior. she will associate the behavior with the cans and it will either lessen or go away entirely. you may need only a few times or a bit more. it took my springer once only and she quit the behavior. (this is also recommended by the local german shepard club)
whatever you do - be CONSISTENT!!!!!!! otherwise no matter what you do, she will be confused and it could make the situation worse. Good luck!

Answer 3

It sounds like she's not getting enough exercise. If she's young she will want to run and play all day and never get tired. Maybe try walking her some or finding someone else with a doggie that needs a playmate - that way she can wear herself out by playing with the other dog.

Another thing is if she's just barking a lot use a shock collar. My dog barks at EVERYTHING and when I can't take it anymore I put on his bark collar. It shocks him when it detects the vibration of his bark. He only had to get shocked a couple times to realize that if he has that collar on he should lay down and be quiet. I know a lot of people think its mean but it doesn't actually shock him - the battery is dead but he hasn't figured it out yet!

Answer 4

A beagle is a hunting dog and if you do not take the dog out and let it run and go after rabbits or what not your dog will bark all the time. It is the dogs nature to bark... I live out in the country and everyone hunts where I live and I hear beagles all the time around my home. They do not shut up... Most people who have these dogs live at least a half mile from these dogs due to their barking... it is in their nature.

If you have a full blooded beagle you need to feed that dog more than a cup a food a day.. They are very high energy dogs... they need food.

I think you need to find someone who runs beagles and give the dog to them. They are definitely not stupid dogs. When one is trained right and is a good hunting dog they can bring $1500 to $3000. They can also win all kinds of categories as far as hunting goes.

Your dog wants to do what it is born to do and that is running and hunting.

Also you need to feed your dog... If you are feeding it dry dog food fill the dish up and let the dog decide how much food it needs. Believe me they do quit eating when they are full.

Answer 5

beagles are a rare breed, indeed, and have their own special ways. so your unspayed pup is a wild one? spaying can help, and age does matter as well. woo-wooing comes naturally to our tri-colored friends, so does wandering out of the yard at every new scent, barking at every animal in the neighborhood, and getting into the garbage, like one of mine JUST did. if you're committed to keeping your puppers, it will take a little of that, commitment. spaying is highly recommended, consistency is next. call your local pet training facility for advice, they're usually willing to do an over the phone run through. we have now, and have had beagles in the past, they're not the easiest breed to domesticate...they have very strong instincts that need to be controlled. they're not the best around young children, either. good luck with your pet, and if you decide she's too much to handle, contact a local beagle rescue facility or web site, there are a lot of beagle lovers out there that would be willing to give her a go.

Answer 6

their are allot of things that can help it is not a thing that is going to go away over night , You are right hitting a dog is not the answer .
here are a few things to try .

i would try the mildest and cheapest approach 1st get a spray bottel with water and every time she barks spray her she don't know where it is coming from and will not resent you .

if this does not work try spraying her insted with a product called bitter apple as directly into the mouth as possible with out having to hold her and pry her mouth open .

if she is resistent to the bitter apple their is a product called direct stop http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441806351&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302032898&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023689&bmUID=1152578589524&itemNo=0&Ntt=direct+stop&In=All&previousText=direct+stop&N=2 it is 9.99 and you can get it at your local petsmart or online. it is essentailly a can of citronella .even the most resistent dogs will respond to this .

the above listed is a way to deter her from barking when you are around all I would give the command NO BARK really sternly and if she does not stop then spray allways give her the option to stop barking before spraying no matter how tempting it may be .

The only way to get her not to bark when you are not around is to get a bark collar.

Please Keep me up to date on her progress and how these solutions worked if they dont work for your dog their are a few other options but i would try these first . [e-mail]

Answer 7

I totally understand what you're going through. Getting dogs to shut up can take a long time. What you first want to do is get it to drink warm water. That warms the vocal cords which sends a message to the canineal neurons that the vocal cords are weak which will make the dog not want to bark anymore.
If warm water doesnt work, than im very sorry. Hope i could help.

Answer 8

Whenever she barks, howls, or whatever, have a small spray bottle of water nearby, and squirt her on the nose. She will not like it, and she will learn to stop if you are consistent. It is not mean, just annoying to her. I did this with my dog when he would bark, and after about a week of squirting, he stopped. This is much better than hitting her, because, #1 it's not mean, and #2 it is indirect. The spray bottle is getting her, not you( We both know it's you, but not directly, so the dog won't resent you for it). Like I said though, you have to be consistent if you want it to work. Good Luck. Also, try a new book by John Grogan....... Marley and Me. I just finished it, and it's great. It describes my dog perfectly, and looks just like him too.

Answer 9

The dog is not dumb. It is in it's nature to bark. She wants attention and is like a child trying to get it. Walking is great for this type of dog.

A beagle is a barking and howling dog. Next time do your homework before getting a pet.

Answer 10

When she whines and barks for you to play with her, don't play with her then because that will be rewarding her bad behavior. You could try a bark collar. Maybe when she barks you should tell her no, then put her in her kennel and let her out once she stops. Tell your beagle that she's a good dog when she is not barking sometimes to try and help reinforce good behavior. Good luck.

Answer 11

First of all your dog is not "stupid" or "dumb". She's probably bored and has a lot of excess energy to work off. If you really think she's stupid and dumb and you "hate" the work involved and her behavior, it's best to find her a new home and buy a stuffed animal.

Beagles need lots of exercise. Give her a job to do. Hide her favorite toy or a treat, and make her hunt for it. After all, they are hunting dogs.

Surgically altering her vocal cords (debarking) is inhumane and stupid. Any vet that would perform this should lose their license and never be allowed to practice anywhere, ever.

Duct tape is not an option, either.