HELP! Any advice please on how to silence my stubborn, loud, barking dog...lovingly? :)?

Question

My dog goes balistic whenever the postal person, or any person, or animal is outside our property. He has a built in bullhorn in his lungs, that will not seem to shut off. I love him dearly. (He's about seven.) He knows the down, sit, and come commands (with some hesitation, or treat bribeing;) but he seems to want to be in control of his barking. It frustrates me and my family. Sometimes I start to count to four and he momentarily pauses or lowers to a gurring-growl. Help please...What humane advice do you have please to save our ears, our sanity, and our dog's throat? Thank you. :)
PS We also have a two year old dog who is very well behaved, and the neighbor dog barks worse than our dog; and as a matter of fact, even get's our dog to join it in the barking if it sees something first. I think our neighbor dog is neglected and it's barking is ignored by it's owners. We can not control or stop it's barking. But our two year old does stop on command if he joins in. TY :)

Answer 1

We have a Cairn Terrier. To stop him from barking, we did two things:

1. We got a tin can and put a few pennies in it. When he started to bark, we would shake the can vigorously until he would stop barking. Not only did he stop barking (except at the thunder), but he quit all of his bad behavior.

2. To get him to stop barking at thunder, we crated him during a storm. It did not eliminate it (especially when it was loud), but got rid of almost all of the needless barking.

Answer 2

Well, I have one here that's a barker too and I've tried everything I can think of. Mine has a "thing" about squirrels and crows. Once he's outside for a little while, he does quiet down though.

There are special collars that can help but they give the dog a mild shock. I have never used one but my understanding is that they work well. In your case, I think you will have an especially hard time if the neighbor's dog is also a barker but at least your neighbor can't complain!

There is also an operation that can be performed to de-bark a dog. You would have to ask your vet about it and many vets refuse to do it as they (and I) consider cruel. However, if the only choice is to quiet the dog down or get rid of it, I would consider the operation. It doesn't sound as though you are in that situation though so your best bet may be an anti-bark collar if the dog is barking non stop for long periods of time.

Answer 3

Get a bark control unit (petedge.com) it emits high pitched sounds that are unpleasant to dogs but we cannot hear. It has different sensitivity levels you can adjust. They learn pretty fast not to, it is a humane way to take care of the problem. I do not reccomend shock collars, but citronella collars work well too. Available at the same web page.

Answer 4

Try citronella spray or bitter apple spray. Just spray it about a foot away from her for the citronella and with the bitter apple spry spray it in her mouth when she barks. Good luck

Answer 5

I know what you mean my dog is the same and a jack I always just take her away from the door or I squirt her with a vinegar and water solution or just water and she stops. I don't recomend the water and vinegar though... makes the dog smell.

- good luck

Answer 6

I enrolled my dog in obedience training and today was our first class. I have the same problem. She said to use bitter apple spray. spray it on your finger and everytime they bark,wipe it on their tongue and say no. It seemed to work with my pup, when she demonstrated it. You might consider using that.