Nuisance barking control.

[Cranfield]

My Sister in law has a 6 month old Yorkshire Terrier, that has started to bark excessively, mostly for no apparent reason.

It has access to a very large garden, gets lots of attention and walks, is fed the recommended diet etc.

 

Its had a routine Veterinary check up and is medically OK and she is now talking about going to a Animal Pyschologist (if she can find one).

She has also mentioned that she read somewhere you can get tablets to curb barking, she thinks they may be a herbal remedy, but can't find the newspaper article.

 

Has anyone tried tablets to stop/reduce a dogs barking ?

[plexer]

Get an air duster and spray that near it when it barks, reward it when it's being quiet.

 

Ben

[new to the flock]

Cranfield, a couple of questions;

 

1) does yur sisterinlaw live in town?

2) does she have post delivered to the door?

3)In the garden is the fence solid or see through?

4) Is the dog barking at shadows or birds and squirrels that it sees?

 

NTTF

[Cranfield]

She has tried the air spray method, but she claims it just made the dog bark more.

 

They live in the country, has a standard letter box fitted in the door, the garden has a mixture of solid wall and wooden fence panels around it.

No cats come into their garden and I have never seen squirrels there, but birds do visit and fly to and fro.

 

I have seen the dog bark for attention, bark at a noise in the neighbours garden and bark at a bird in the bird bath.

These could be claimed as "natural" actions.

However, I have also seen it running round the garden barking and haven't been able to see any reason why.

It also seems to bark long after the reason for barking has gone, its almost as though it likes the sound of its own voice.

 

I think the dog is thoroughly spoilt and a piece of 3x3 would probably solve the problem (over my SIL's head).

[new to the flock]

sorry Cranfield forgot to ask two .

 

When it is barking, is it displaying an aggressive posture and behaviour, or is it just happlily barking away.

 

and

 

When barking in the back garden at nothing are the neighbors out in their garden as well or is there garden empty?

 

 

 

I am just trying to get a handle on whether the barking is posessive/aggressive motivated or, whether she has created a spoiled little brat.

 

NTTF

[Cranfield]

I should mention that the dog has always seemed to exhibit this behaviour, nobody can remember when it started.

 

It runs at the birds in the bird bath and barks, but not really harshly barking, which I associate with agression.

 

Also, it never adopts an agressive stance, with front legs planted for example, when it barks.

In fact, it seems to need motion when it barks, either running, or spinning, (perhaps the yappy thing is clockwork )

 

The bark is more like a yap, in that its expressionless.

When most dogs bark, (taking into account the circumstances) you can almost hear them talking, but with this Yorky it doesn't seem to be saying anything.

 

It really tires itself out with its performances and will collapse and lay panting for ages.

 

She claims its "highly strung" and "sensitive", but is obliged to do something (hence the Animal Psychologist idea) as she is getting complaints from the neighbours.

[new to the flock]

Okay, what I am getting is spoiled little brat that is allowed to set its own rules. Your SIL has allowed this to develop from the time that the dog was a puppy, which is why no one can remember when it started. She now faces a "learned behaviour modification".

 

There are several ways for this to take place, however the training must be very consistant, which is why the dog has learned to bark at the spray bottle. Either the spray was not delivered everytime the dog barked or your SIL stopped spraying while the dog barked , reinforcing the dogs confidence in its barking. Basically teaching the dog that barking is good and expected.

 

There are collars that when worn by the dog activate, and give a correction. Differant collars deliver different corrections. There are electronic collars, delivering an electrical correction, and citrus collors that deliver a blast of citrus into the dogs face when activated.I personnally would not recommend the electronic collar in this instance. I would suggest the citrus collar here though. Reasons being , your SIL would never agree to using electricity on her little baby negating the program, and, terriers do not do well on e collar programs.

 

The tablets that your SIL is talking about are an herbal downer, so basically you are calming your dog with drugs. Now these can have a place in rehabilitating a dog that has anxiety condition, but not for spoiled little brats.

 

This is the collar that I suggest that she use;

http://petsafe-warehouse.com/bark_control_...trol_Collar.htm

 

If she decides to go this route, she should go around to her neighbours and explain that she is working on the dogs problem, and that it is going to take 3 to 4 weeks to correct This will pacify them, and give her time to go through the first step of any collar program. Which is to accustom the dog to the inactive collar for at least a week so puppy forgets that he is wearing it. This assures that the dog realizes that it is causing the correction when the collar is activated and does not allow puppy to associate the collar to the correction.

 

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND WILL NEGATE THE WHOLE TRAINING PROCESS IF SKIPPED.

 

 

I would also suggest that this dog be ran through an obediance program to help with gaining control, and to set perameters for the dogs behaviour that it can clearly understand.

 

 

The problem with dog behaviouralists is that the people going to them tend to ignore the ones that give the correct answer and pay attention to the ones that give the answer that they want to hear. Unfortunately this does not solve the dogs issues and often times makes it worse.

 

Hope this helps,

 

NTTF

[lurcherboy]

Okay, what I am getting is spoiled little brat that is allowed to set its own rules. Your SIL has allowed this to develop from the time that the dog was a puppy, which is why no one can remember when it started. She now faces a "learned behaviour modification".

 

There are several ways for this to take place, however the training must be very consistant, which is why the dog has learned to bark at the spray bottle. Either the spray was not delivered everytime the dog barked or your SIL stopped spraying while the dog barked , reinforcing the dogs confidence in its barking. Basically teaching the dog that barking is good and expected.

 

There are collars that when worn by the dog activate, and give a correction. Differant collars deliver different corrections. There are electronic collars, delivering an electrical correction, and citrus collors that deliver a blast of citrus into the dogs face when activated.I personnally would not recommend the electronic collar in this instance. I would suggest the citrus collar here though. Reasons being , your SIL would never agree to using electricity on her little baby negating the program, and, terriers do not do well on e collar programs.

 

The tablets that your SIL is talking about are an herbal downer, so basically you are calming your dog with drugs. Now these can have a place in rehabilitating a dog that has anxiety condition, but not for spoiled little brats.

 

This is the collar that I suggest that she use;

http://petsafe-warehouse.com/bark_control_...trol_Collar.htm

 

If she decides to go this route, she should go around to her neighbours and explain that she is working on the dogs problem, and that it is going to take 3 to 4 weeks to correct This will pacify them, and give her time to go through the first step of any collar program. Which is to accustom the dog to the inactive collar for at least a week so puppy forgets that he is wearing it. This assures that the dog realizes that it is causing the correction when the collar is activated and does not allow puppy to associate the collar to the correction.

 

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND WILL NEGATE THE WHOLE TRAINING PROCESS IF SKIPPED.

 

 

I would also suggest that this dog be ran through an obediance program to help with gaining control, and to set perameters for the dogs behaviour that it can clearly understand.

 

 

The problem with dog behaviouralists is that the people going to them tend to ignore the ones that give the correct answer and pay attention to the ones that give the answer that they want to hear. Unfortunately this does not solve the dogs issues and often times makes it worse.

 

Hope this helps,

 

NTTF

 

 

If that don't work Cranfield there is a fairly simple medical procedure that spoils the voice box resulting in a hoarse sort of bark that doesn't annoy.

 

 

 

 

LB

[Cranfield]

I will recommend to her the citrus collar method , together with NTTF's instructions.

The methodology and logic will appeal to her and the neighbours will play ball, I'm sure.

I wasn't sure what the tablets did, which is the reason for my first question.

 

I have already suggested obedience classes, as I felt it would just improve the animals general demeanour.

SIL is quite in favour of that suggestion, but would like the barking to reduce a bit first, as she thinks it will be embarrassing in a class full of people, not to be able to stop the dog barking.

It can become as wearing as a perpetually crying baby.

 

Having always had trained dogs, its frustrating to see a dog repeatedly ignoring instructions and not really being able to do anything about it.

 

Thanks for all the help and suggestions, I will let you know what happens.

[mossy835]

I will recommend to her the citrus collar method , together with NTTF's instructions.

The methodology and logic will appeal to her and the neighbours will play ball, I'm sure.

I wasn't sure what the tablets did, which is the reason for my first question.

 

I have already suggested obedience classes, as I felt it would just improve the animals general demeanour.

SIL is quite in favour of that suggestion, but would like the barking to reduce a bit first, as she thinks it will be embarrassing in a class full of people, not to be able to stop the dog barking.

It can become as wearing as a perpetually crying baby.

 

Having always had trained dogs, its frustrating to see a dog repeatedly ignoring instructions and not really being able to do anything about it.

 

Thanks for all the help and suggestions, I will let you know what happens.

 

 

cranfield you have a gun dont you

[darebear]

i've noted all that sound advice. makes perfect sense.

 

travis is the problem dog in our home. to be honest, i'll admit i've just been lazy. after about five times of shouting at him repeatedly out of the study window to no avail (this happens every bloody time), i go downstairs and lock him in his crate overnight. the barking stops. and im guessing he really doesnt mind being locked in his crate does he?

 

good result? nah. ok no barking, but we go through this procedure about 3 or 4 nights a week, and only occasionally during the day.

 

so his punishment is not unpleasant im guessing, so he knows he can get away with it. i need to get one of those citrus collars. ok, extra large size one coming up.