Using a muzzle for my beagle’s night-time nuisance barking?

Question

My beagle is three months old, he sleeps in a crate in my son’s room and he barks ALL. NIGHT. LONG. I have him in training currently with Barkbusters and he has shown so much improvement in his problematic behaviors in only one session so far but I cannot get him to stop his night time barking. He does not respond to my verbal reprimand (Barkbusters teaches us to use the “Bahhh” command along with a training aid that is thrown at his feet – which by the way, does not frighten him like it’s supposed to he just wants to play with it) and he just keeps on keepin’ on. I am exhausted, my son sleeps on the couch and I don’t know what else to do. Yes, I knew that beagles are vocal when I got one so I don’t need to hear people tell me I should have known, I ALSO know that beagles can be trained to NOT bark, I am just not sure what to do in the meantime, especially when my little guy is so non-responsive. We work with him all the time in many areas, we just can’t seem to address this one in a manner in which my beagle boy understands. I don’t want to desensitize him to my reprimands either by doing that all night long. I have tried putting music on, giving him a KONG bone, stuffing a shirt of mine in there for him to smell, taking him outside to go potty, getting angry and still nothing. Can I use a muzzle on him from like 2 am until 6 am or is that awful? Please help I just want a little sleep!

Okay well I didn't know what a muzzle was for, all I know is that it shuts their mouths, I didn't know it was dangerous or anything that's why i was asking. I think it's pretty obvious that I'm trying anything I can to help situation and not trying to be cruel. Yes, maybe he is not getting enough exercise, he is too little to go outside without perhaps getting parvo so in another month he can go walking. We do leash work constantly, training him to walk obediently so he can be ready by the time he is able to go on walks. My bf and our 2 kids play with him all the time, plus we train with him quite a few times all day, and that seems to make him tired. Oh well, thanks, I guess I can also try letting him sleep with the crate door open and hope he doesn't pee all over the room. Thanks for your advice people.

Answer 1

Dogs bark because they are upset or bored or afraid. Putting a muzzle on your beagle will not make him less upset, less bored, or less afraid, and so it will not solve the problem when he isn't wearing it because he won't learn anything. It's also probable that he's experiencing separation anxiety being so young and away from his family, which happens with all puppies. It's good that you're crate-training him though, that should also help with housebreaking.

My beagle didn't start barking until she was 4 months, but we worked HARD from 2 months old as soon as we brought her home to stop the whining and baying because we lived in an apartment and had neighbors. We ignored her when she was loud, and then gave her the attention and praise that she was after when she was quiet.

She soon learned that howling was NOT going to get her a positive result, and it sounds like your "training" is only rewarding his barking by giving him something to play with whenever he does so. This is REINFORCING his negative behavior, not discouraging it; all he's learned is that whenever he's bored and wants the "training aid" (as you said, it's a toy), he just needs to bark and he will get it.

You can also try a spray collar around his neck, we did that also with ours. It has a small microphone that detects a bark and emits a spray of foul-tasting stuff in front of her nose. She hated that, so she got the message quickly. By the time she was 5 months old, she had figured out what we wanted and ever since then we've never had any problems with her barking, she doesn't do it at all now and she's almost a year old.

Answer 2

Muzzles For Barking Dogs

Answer 3

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Have you considered bringing the dog inside at night? Dogs will only repeatedly bark for the following reasons: 1. There is something to bark at (i.e. a noise or intruder) 2. They're bored 3. They're lonely The kind of barking that gets you in trouble with the neighbors is caused by #s 2 and 3. Boredom (#2) isn't as much a factor at night, since that's the time of the normal sleep cycle for dogs. Which leaves #3. If the dog is inside the house with his people, he won't be lonely. That simple. If you don't feel that you can leave him loose in the house at night, consider buying a kennel/crate and crate training him to sleep through the night. Leaving a muzzle on an unattended dog is a very bad idea. They can't drink, can't pant to keep themselves cool, and can't protect themselves if something bad comes into their yard. If you think this is your only option, I'm afraid that you dog may be better off in a home more willing to work with him. In my experience, bark collars and citronella collars only work for a short amount of time. Citronella collars are better than shock collars, but neither don't teach the dog not to bark -- the barking will start right back up once the citronella is gone or the battery is dead.

Answer 4

A dog should never be muzzled while unattended. Muzzles are a serious health risk. He could aspirate, suffocate, get caught in an awkward position and that is just a few hazards. Try crating him in your room with you or in a room with the door shut so you can't hear it as well.

add: Muzzles are a very useful training aid, when used properly. They are intended not only for biting but dogs who like to eat things they aren't supposed to on walks. Some muzzles do work on barking, those types have a higher risk of killing your dog if left on for long periods of time.

Answer 5

A muzzle isn't going to stop the barking and will only cause more problems in the long run.

Inside exercise and outside exercise (in the yard) is appropriate at this age. His last shots (including rabies) should be due at 16 weeks.

An hour or so before bedtime, he needs vigorous play to tire him out before a trip out to potty, then straight to bed. I'd also suggest covering his crate.

In a similar situation, I have lightly tapped the nose while telling them 'NO." in a firm voice (for very dominant pups) or grasping them by the scruff and growling (for very submissive pups). I've never had to do that more than 2 or 3 times before they got the idea, I wasn't going to put up with that type of behavior.

Answer 6

Well using a muzzle is not generally a good idea especially for a child's dog. It will many times make them aggressive. Have you tried a citronella collar - it sprays everytime they bark and is an unpleasant odor and sensation. The other thing you might try is putting his crate in a location (such as laundry room or garage) that isn't so close to everyone - he can learn to sleep in the room with your son later. He is pretty young but you could discuss with your vet whether it is okay to use Valerian (herbal calming agent) for a while. Good Luck!

Answer 7

Do NOT muzzle your PUPPY.

3 months old is far too young to be muzzled. Beagles are known to be noisy dogs, they work in packs and howl to each other.
You seem to have two options:
1. Distract him all night to keep him quiet
2. Wait until he is older, your barkbusters isnt working because he isnt scared (which is good)- puppies are curious and playful by nature. Try positive reinforcement. When he quiets to your verbal command praise him and give him tons of love and affection.

You might also want to play with him to the point of exhaustion right before bed so he sleeps a little bit longer himself.

Answer 8

Bark collar. Best money I have ever spent. I used it on my dog for about a week with the batteries on and from then on he knew that when the collar was on he was not supposed to bark. After that I just put the collar on without any power and he's fine. I mainly got it for when I was away because he would bark the whole time I was away so I wasn't able to reprimand him properly. What it is is a collar with a small unit on it that gives a small shock when it "senses" the voice box of the dog. It gives a series of jolts in 7 increasingly higher intensities within on minute. So if the dog barks or growls 7 times within one minute it will get the maximum jolt.. I tried the collar on myself before I even put it on the dog and believe me it is by no means cruel. Its at worst very annoying. Kind of like a joy buzzer prank toy. It also is not affected by outside noise, so you don't have to worry about a loud noise setting it off without the dog barking. We purchased it at a local PetSmart for about $60 and to me it was worth every penny.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Yea that's pretty mean and may create further problems down the road. It sounds like he is getting ALOT of attn when he barks which means he will keep doing so. I have a basset pup, which are equally vocal, and after 3 loooong nights of him crying in his crate, he got the point that barking & crying means we pay NO attn to him. He hasn't had a problem since.