My dog likes water so spraying him in the face with water to get him to stop barking doesn't work.?

Question

Is there something I can add to the squirt bottle that he won't like but is safe to spray in the face?

Answer 1

If the spraying doesn't work, why continue with it? Did you like getting sprayed in the face by your parents when you did something they didn't like?

Spray yourself in the eyes with lemon water and see what happens. The dog will stop barking, yeah, because he's in pain. Duh! Why ask for a chemical compound that could possibly blind him from uninformed people making random guesses? (Sometimes the answers in this forum make me wonder why there aren't hordes of maimed animals out there.)

Try the pennies in a can routine. Sometimes with hardheaded dogs it is necessary to get their attention first, THEN proceed with "tone of voice" or "clicker" training. Don't screech "Stop it!" or yell at the top of your lungs, this just encourages them to make more noise to drown you out. Once you shake the can and he stares at you, say "No," in a firm calm tone. If he goes back to barking, shake the can and say "No" again.

Do you reward him when he DOES listen to you and stop barking? So many owners forget to do this. Give the dog an incentive. If it's a smart dog, he'll learn very quickly to behave.

But I do have one final question that everyone else (so far) hasn't asked. WHY is this dog barking? To alert you to problem people? To let you know about things going bump in the night? Or just a squirrel in the tree? Is it necessary to spray him for doing dog things??? Please don't resort to lemon water or other substances to spray in this dog's face?

Try the can of pennies (or nails), tone of voice or a clicker, and a reward. Good luck to you

Answer 2

NO-its difficult for you to stop him from barking for you are attempting to stop a behaviour of the dog that he has been programmed to do throuh the ages and by his (and our) Creator Spraying him in the face is not even a good idea for can injure him-a direct hit in the eye(although it may be accidntal)can be very injurious and hurtful to the dog and nothing is taught except the dog will not trust you,be wary of you.Ask yourself is it really important that the dog not bark for to train a dog to bark only when you want him to unless you totally intimidate where the dog is afraid to bark.A dog does not have the ability to reason.remember why you do not want him to barkso the next time the occsion comes up he will follow his instinct and bark.. If you are there try clapping your hands together or any sharp sudden noise for it will startle(not hurt or frighten) and he'll stop temporarily and that is when you approach pat on the head and say good boy-and if he starts say loudly No-this will get him to stop when you are there but to expect the dog to learn when and when not to bark is a bit unrealistic. You may turn to the Animal Planet,watch the dog whisperer and find out how to contact him and ask his advice. When you attempt to train a animal to go against his nature or not do what instinct tells him to do you only end up frustrated and have little success.

Answer 3

My dog LOVES any adversity to her actions. If I sprayed her in the face with water, she'd still keep barking at me thinking it was a game.

Why is your dog barking? Mailman? Barking at you? Barking out the window? My dog really only barks if someone rings the door bell or if she's trying to play. Squirting water in the dog's face just could be construed as a game. If the dog is barking, trying to get your attention, ignore it. Barking out the window? Maybe don't let your dog peek out the window.

Another poster recommended a can of coins. The trick with that is to NOT let your dog see YOU with the can of coins. The idea is that this ungodly noise came from SOMEWHERE when the dog barked. If your dog knows its just you, so what? I have heard of problems coming about by using that method though. There are no bark collars but I have no experience with them.

Maybe try clicker training or some other method to divert the dog's attention away from barking?

Answer 4

I had a dog that loved to eat paper, so when I tried swatting him on the nose with a news paper he'd always try to grab it and eat it. Since I know how bad the ink is in newspaper, he trained me pretty fast that it wasn't the discipline tool of choice. He is an AWESOME dog now, so we worked it out ;^)

Combine the lemon or vinegar with the right tone. You don't have to spray every time.

Also, the current thought on getting your dog's barking under control is to train them TO bark first with a command. Then once they have that down, you train them not to bark by using command and a reward trick when they stop barking/take a break or breath.

Once they learn the command word to stop barking, they will know exactly what you want when you tell them to be quiet. Sometimes yelling at your dog when they are barking doesn't send the right message. They may think you are joing in with them as most dogs do when they hear other dogs bark...

Good luck.

Answer 5

STOP WITH THIS IDIOTIC WATER BOTTLE!!

That is the latest silly fad. Any dog who does responds to it only learns to look out for the bottle and can ignore you the rest of the time.

Do this:

When they bark, go and pick them up or if larger, kneel down and get you arm over them. Put your other hand over hand around their muzzle and, in a clam reassuring voice, tell them "Okay, thank you, now hush." If they try to keep barking, tell them "NO" in a hash stern voice and squeeze their muzzle. If they still keep trying, squeeze the side of the muzzle - the skin- into the side of their mouth against their teeth and repeat NO. (Use a deep voice - don't let your voice go up, make it go down.) You don't quit until they do. The minute they quit, lots and lots of praise in happy voice with hugs and pets and tummy rubs.

Do this EVERY SINGLE TIME they bark when you want them to stop. Keep doing it until they associate "Okay, thank you" with the concept they are to stop barking. (After all, you would want them to bark if someone was trying to break in the house, yes?)

Also, take them to some obedience classes no matter what their age if they are over 6 months. You get a nicer pet, they are more comfortable with the world and less fearful and inclined to bark at everything and they get the habit of obeying.

Answer 6

Ha ha, that's so cute he likes the water. I know it's probably frustrating to you. I wouldn't add anything because it could be irritating to his eyes or nasal membranes. However, have you ever tried putting a few pennies in an empty soda can. Shake it loudly at him when he barks or does an undesirable behavior. They usually don't like the loud sound and will soon get the point, just like the spray in the face. Good luck to you.

Answer 7

There's a thing called "Gentle Spray" which is a bark collar that has citronella in it. It just sprays a mist in front of the dogs nose, and they hate the smell or something.

If anything, just invest in dog training. Also find out what makes the dog bark.

Answer 8

Try using the isolation method. If he starts barking do not make eye contact just pick him up and say quiet in a calm voice and put him outside. close any glass door snad let him carry on until he realises there's no point anymore as noone is paying him any attention to do it. When he's stayed quiet for approx 10 mins go down to him and tell him he's a good boy

Answer 9

NOTHING likes getting sprayed in the face with water

Answer 10

Spray it on you and he will stop barking