My barking dog is driving us crazy! Bark collar advice?

[Maxie1101]

I have an almost 3 year old Golden Retriever, Sophie, and she is driving us crazy with her barking. If the neighbor's dog(s) go in their back yard, barkfest, if the neighbor's gardeners are working in their yard, barkfest, If someone walks by our house, barkfest, If someone comes to the door, cujo barkfest. She went into such a cujo barkfest when the pool guy came one day, I was afraid she would bite him.

She is extremely friendly on walks and never barks at anyone, but has become sooooo possessive of the house. We just moved into our own house a year ago. We are tired of the barking and now have a 4 month old puppy, so keeping Sophie in the house with the door closed does not work anymore...the puppy needs to keep up the good work of going out to potty by herself, and we don't want her picking up the barking behavior from Sophie either.

Another thing about Sophie, she is the most stubborn dog I have ever met. We even put her in professional training at a kennel for 5 weeks and the trainer basically told us that she was the most stubborn dog she has ever dealt with and good luck. We had used this trainer for two other dogs and she worked miracles on them.

So...has anyone tried a bark collar? I've researched all the training methods, bark collars, and talked to my vet (he also consults with my trainer). I think I would like to try the citronella bark collar. I've researched quite a few of them and think the Innotek Spray Collar would be the best.

Has anyone used these? What brand and did it work? Pros and cons of what you tried to stop barking? (Remember, she is a 75 lb. stubborn dog). Any input would be very much appreciated!! TIA!

[cspigner28]

We have 100 pound lab, that sounds EXACTLY like this, stubborn as a mule, pretty much the Marley and Me lab The only bark collar we tried was one we found on ebay, it made a high pitch noise when they barked, well, it lasted all of 5 mins, after about 5 mins, he was back at barking again, he all of a sudden gave up the barking after a month or 2, now he just barks at other dogs But we have a neighborhood FULL of barkers, so we had to get used to it too.

Good Luck!! Maybe I'll get some ideas from this thread too.

[Lurkergirl]

My dog does a bark fest too.Barks at neighbours,bike riders ,joggers,dogs .I don't mind sometimes when a stranger is at the door .I use a water spray bottle just a little squirt because she hates water.

[momof2inohio]

Both of my dogs do this too! They are so protective of the house and our kids. They usually dont bark at people or dogs they know pretty well such as the neighbors. Well, my doberman doesnt like one of our neighbors at all since she sprayed him with a hose the day after we brought him home from the shelter so he still holds a grudge lol. We have tried everything for the dogs. So we just dont leave them outside for long. We let them out to go to the bathroom and to play but as soon as they start barking they come inside.

[alyssa0119]

we have a doberman mix pup. she was a barker until my GENIOUS DD decided to put beads in an empty water bottle and shake it like a maracca. she didnt intend on it being a tool for the dog, but she did hush when DD was going at it with the "maracca". all i have to do now is pick it up and she (the dog) doesn't say a peep.

[krazykate]

A trick one of my friends used and it worked was fill a squirt gun with water & vinegar. Whenever her dog started barking, squirt them, and tell them No!. It worked for her. About 20 years ago we had an irish setter who would bark as soon as we put her out. My boss told me to get some tobassco sauce and drop it in her mouth and tell her NO. It worked the first time, but every time after that it was a wrestling match w/her. I think I ended up w/more on me. I gave up on that idea right away.

I now have a choc lab that would steal food/stuff off counters, tables, pantries. A vet told me to put an old fashion mouse trap out on the counter. After about a week, it cured her from stealing stuff. Yes, first night she must have snapped one, because it was on the floor the next morning. We even put one under the pantry door. She use to open it up (bifold) and eat instant potatoes, pasta, etc. I would come home from work and find stuff sprinkled all over the house from her pushing the bags around tryng to get the stuff out.

Kate

[cspigner28]

I use a water spray bottle just a little squirt because she hates water.

I completely forgot about this, we used it on our lab, and now that I think about it, and that's why he quit barking, he absolutely hated the water!! We took him to a pond once when he was a puppy trying to get him used to the water, and what does he do?? Run the other way!!

We even put one under the pantry door. She use to open it up (bifold) and eat instant potatoes, pasta, etc. I would come home from work and find stuff sprinkled all over the house from her pushing the bags around tryng to get the stuff out.

This made me laugh, luckily my lab is not smart enough to get anything open. He is a chewer though, and every night before we go to sleep, we have to look the entire house over, and make sure NOTHING is in his reach, otherwise, he would grab it and chew it up. I left the satellite remote laying on the couch one night when I was up late watching a movie that was on, and of course the next morning, I wake up to find the remote chewed to pieces in the floor!!

[Penelope06]

If you've ever watched "It's Me or the Dog" on Animal Planet, Victoria Stillwell does this thing where she gives one deep, authoritative "Thank You!" and 9 out of 10 times the dog will stop. I use this trick at work (an animal hospital) and you'd be amazed how often it works. Once you use the "Thank you!," if her attention turns to you, you can give her a treat. It lets the dogs know you're acknowledging their work guarding the house while still letting them "warn" strangers.

If that doesn't work, I would still consult a different trainer. Different dogs need different methods. My vet really doesn't like bark collars and prefers the training route.

[AuntieJan]

Before you put a shock collar on your dog, ask yourself: "Would I be willing to put this on myself?" Shock collars are not necessary, and they can actually hurt your dog.

When your dog went to a trainer for 5 weeks... did you go with her or just drop her off? Usually it is the human that needs to be trained, not the dog. This is true 90% of the time.

The diversionary methods such as the "Thank You" are effective, but must be performed properly or you can actually do more harm than good. A clicker is a great tool, or a bicycle horn blown BESIDE the dog, not AT her. Please don't squirt water on your poor dog! They very quickly learn to avoid the water bottle and bark anyway. Then you have a wet barking dog.

Prepare to work every day for at least two weeks on the technique, try 15-30 minute sessions a couple times a day. Ask friends to come over to help. Assign her a place to be when a guest arrives, have one person answer the door, another person practices the training method. Then alternate until every family member is skilled with the technique.

You have to understand WHY she is barking. What reward does she get from it? Attention, and control of the door. You have to be the one that takes control of the door. We have two Shelties that are known to be one of the more vocal breeds, and the diversion technique works well with them. Once they know they will not be allowed to crowd the door when visitors enter, and that sitting in their assigned place and being quiet earns them a treat or praise, they picked up on that very quickly.

You say your dog is stubborn, but I think she is intelligent and perhaps in need of more activities and exercise. Hopefully she's getting at least two nice walks with you every day, and I don't mean letting her out in the back yard alone... walks where she can explore and work off some of that energy.

You also say you now have added a puppy to the home. Well, Sophie is really still a puppy at three, she won't gain her full maturity for another year or so. Golden Retrievers are wonderful dogs but they do have a puppy-like energy.

I have been training humans to work with their dogs for about ten years, and I recommend any of the DVDs, websites or books by Cesar Milan, Karen Pryor, and Ian Dunbar.

The clicker training method can also be great for the younger puppy. Good luck and give Sophie a hug from me!

[olla86]

I have an almost 3 year old Golden Retriever, Sophie, and she is driving us crazy with her barking. If the neighbor's dog(s) go in their back yard, barkfest, if the neighbor's gardeners are working in their yard, barkfest, If someone walks by our house, barkfest, If someone comes to the door, cujo barkfest. She went into such a cujo barkfest when the pool guy came one day, I was afraid she would bite him.

She is extremely friendly on walks and never barks at anyone, but has become sooooo possessive of the house. We just moved into our own house a year ago. We are tired of the barking and now have a 4 month old puppy, so keeping Sophie in the house with the door closed does not work anymore...the puppy needs to keep up the good work of going out to potty by herself, and we don't want her picking up the barking behavior from Sophie either.

Another thing about Sophie, she is the most stubborn dog I have ever met. We even put her in professional training at a kennel for 5 weeks and the trainer basically told us that she was the most stubborn dog she has ever dealt with and good luck. We had used this trainer for two other dogs and she worked miracles on them.

So...has anyone tried a bark collar? I've researched all the training methods, bark collars, and talked to my vet (he also consults with my trainer). I think I would like to try the citronella bark collar. I've researched quite a few of them and think the Innotek Spray Collar would be the best.

Has anyone used these? What brand and did it work? Pros and cons of what you tried to stop barking? (Remember, she is a 75 lb. stubborn dog). Any input would be very much appreciated!! TIA!

We use such collar for walking and it is realy working! Try it!