How do you stop a dog from barking humanely?

Question

Ok, I know that my dog can be annoying!! I understand this, I live with him every day, and most times he is in the house with me.

Well, last Friday, as most of you know, my sister in law died of cancer. I have been doing everything I could to help my brother and be there with him. Mon and Tues. nights were spent in Livonia at the funeral home, where I should be. Now, am I supposed to take my dog to a shelter? Or, like most folks, including the one down the street who's dog barks ALL THE TIME, leave him outside while I am gone? Now, I don't know about other people, but, I TRY to help out my neighbors, which I don't get to do most times, but lord knows, I would if I could. I think I mowed a lawn once for one of them when I knew that they were out of town. TODAY, my niece had her 13th birthday party at her moms house. Mind you it was this particular niece that lost her step mom, so, I didn't get home till 11 pm, and yes, dogs probably bothered some, but it is Sat. night, I don't know... anyway, when I got home, SURE ENOUGH, there was a police man sitting in front of the house. GO FIGURE!!

Does anyone have any suggestions? I have tried a bark collar, didn't work. I can't leave him out to show him that barking won't get him anywhere, cause then I'll get a ticket...

My dream? This stresses me out, more than my neighbors, I can bet on that. I'd love to put my house on the market, and move. Oh yea, by the way, I'd love to sell the house to someone they should REALLY be calling the police on, like the people the old owners rented to. You know the kind, the ones with all the bad habits, and lots of rowdy company all the time?

Other than my doggie, there is no other noise from around here. Its just me and my daughter, and we never have company...just my love for music.

I am so sick of the anxiety caused by all this, if I am not home by 9, I get butterfly's in my stomach, and get all nervous. This is no way to live. BUT it isn't the dogs fault, and I love him so there is no way in the world I could get rid of him.

And by the way, what ever happened to actually talking to people when/if you had a problem with them? Heck, people may actually find out that I am not the inconsiderate jerk that they like to pretend I am!! And wow, they may find out that I could possibly help them out in a pinch, but as it stands now, they have forever burned that bridge with me!!!

Answer 1

Ok you sound stressed, try not to stress so much about your neighbours. I know it is hard I had the same problem my mum and I inherited a little yappy dog when her bf died, this dog would not shut up and they neighbours complained we already had one dog and we couldnt cope so we had to give it away to a good home.

There is a method of training the dog not to bark so much, you need to train your dog on how to speak, so stand in front of your dog, have some treats ready have your hand out and do the action to speak (hard to explain but imagine you have a puppet hand) then say speak, speak until your dog barks then give them a treat for barking. Do it again and this time when they bark you say Quiet! when they stop barking give them a treat. This should enable you to control your dogs barking so when you say quiet the dog will know to stop barking.

(If you are lucky you might be able to find a tape of this on Youtube)

You also need to make sure your dog is'nt bored so get some toys hide some treats in the yard, that way your dog has something to do while you are gone.

Answer 2

Just like with any other problem behavior with dogs, you have to be able to catch your dog in the act if you want to effectively correct them. Everytime you cannot be home with your dog and he gets away with barking uncontrolably, it reinforces this behavior. It's kind of a "If no one says it's wrong it must be right!" type of mentality. Because of this, the best way to stop your dog from barking is to make sure that he doesn't have access to the things he likes to bark at when you're not available to correct him. This could mean crating him inside, not letting him go outside unattended, or finding someone else to be with him so that THEY can correct him (humanely, of course).

Have you tried finding a reliable doggie daycare in your area? Many PetSmarts actually offer this service for a reasonable price, and they are open til about 9pm for evenings when you need to be away.

It's understandable that you wouldn't be able to do this everyday, particularly with the expenses, but it's a very nice alternative for those times when you know you're going to be out of the house all day. A good boarding facility would be another option for an overnight stay if you're going to be away from your home later hours.

I agree that shock collars should be a last resort as they are
not considered positive reinforcement, but they are viable alternatives if you have absolutely no other options.

There is a product called the "Stationary Bark Control" by PetSafe that sits in your home (your dog does not wear it) and emits a loud, ultrasonic sound to interrupt your dog when he barks. It is fairly inexpensive and has worked for several of my students as an alternative to a shock collar.

Hope this helps some, and I'm sorry for your family's loss.

Answer 3

So I had this problem with my neighbors. Their dog would bark non-stop all day when they wern't home. The reason most people don't try to talk to their neighbors about this is because people usually don't care. I put a VERY nice note on their door telling them the problem, telling them I groom dogs for a living even and would help in anyway I could to solve the problem. They called and told me there wasn't a problem.
I purchased a "Barker Breaker" It is activated by barking and it triggers a ultra sonic and audible tone that dogs HATE, it also has a remote.
You could also invest in a nice sized crate to keep her in and look into "petsitters" that can come let her out potty if you won't be home in time.
Is there a kid in the neighbor hood that would like to make a couple of bucks to walk your pet?
Just a few suggestions.

Answer 4

I agree with Imrielle and only have a bit to add here.
You do have to catch him in the act, which will be hard.
Be careful about g giving him so many treats for his right responses, though.
Pets can easily get overweight: with many treats and little exercise.
Have a choker collar on your dog and your leash in hand.
WHen he starts barking, give him a quick tug and release o with the leash.
say,"no."
ANd, I would give him a command of lying down.
Most dogs are more submissive when they are down and less likely to bark.
So, he barks,
you correct him and make him lie down.
Then, you give him verbal praise, tactile praise and maybe a treat for the first few times.
You wean him from the treats and just rely on the verbal/tactile praise.
Then, if someone does come to the door, or if you know that he wants to bark, but thinks about it and lies down, give him lots of praise.
You need to find out, though:
Does he bark all the time when you are not there?
Does he just bark when people go by your house?
If he only barks when people go by your house, then, maybe crating him and moving him to another room would help.
Don't allow him to roam free in your house.\
Many dog sitters come to the home, now. They should not "teach" your dog, that is your job,
but they will take it out and give it attention.
Yes, a child is a good idea, as long as you can trust them with your dog.
And, of course, as long as your dog is not too aggressive or hyper.
Boarding or finding a family farm are good options for long periods of stay.
You can't give him a reward when you get home, the correction' correction/reward must be quick and immediately follow the action.

I have a guide dog and yur dogs must be on their best behavior.
So, we have been taught these things, just in case our dogs develop some of these behavior after leaving class.

Answer 5

There are a few real keys to dog training, whether you are trying to train your dog to come when called, sit, stop barking or any other behavior. Understanding their importance is critical to achieving rapid results that are long lasting and help develop the bond between you and your dog. Learn more http://OnlineDogTraining.enle.info/?8G3k

The first is simple; you must win your dogs mind. If you don’t achieve this first then you will be struggling the all the way. When I talk about winning your dogs mind what I really mean is that your dog looks to you for all the decisions. Before you do anything else watch one of the amazing video sites that show you the 5 Golden rules to establishing yourself as the pack leader. If you aren’t putting these in place then you are setting yourself up to fail. Just at the crucial point where you really want your dog to listen they will go and do their own thing. For sure your dog may play ball occasionally or even most of the time, you may even have a dog that is obedient 99% of the time, however if you want a dog who always listens to you and does as you ask then you need to win your dogs mind.

The second key to success is to motivate your dog. It is really important that you discover what it is that your dog enjoys both in terms of exercise and play but also in terms of a reward. If you can make the experience enjoyable then you will both achieve more and look forward to training.

Some dogs love to fetch, others love agility, and other dogs simply love obedience training, or swimming out into water and retrieve. At least to start with find out what your dogs love is and help them develop this, what I am saying is work with your dog. The other point to recognize is to make training enjoyable reward your dog.

Answer 6

maybe you should put your dog in the bathroom while you are gone. that way if he has an accident its easy to clean up. dont take him to a shelter and get rid of him. they kill animals if they aren't adopted and thats just horrible. or maybe you should really think about moving. like out to the country so your dog can bark all he/she wants. good luck.

Answer 7

Watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic. I know he has addressed this before.

Answer 8

if you are going to be gone you can take him to a kennel. the one I used to use charged $20 a night.

Answer 9

ask it. Then go take a yoga class, it's very relaxing.