Excessive Dog Barking

Cas86

Hi All, I'm looking for some advice. A few months ago, we adopted a pup, pug/jrt mix. He has many problems such as an inability to be house trained, constant biting and in general he is extremely unruly. Obedience classes haven't worked great and apart from sit and stay commands he takes no direction from my husband or I. He has been neutered, which the vet assured us would help settle him down a bit (it hasnt) This is all fine as we have the time and patience to work through this with him and are aware pups are hard work in general. However this afternoon someone from our estate knocked in and complained of his excessive barking, it's driving her and our other neighbours crazy so she came around to tell me! I can't keep a dog in all day, he's kept in at night and during the holidays we've kept him in until lunch and went out the back with him when he needed to go to the bathroom just to prevent his barking but I can't do much else to keep the neighbours happy, he barks non stop in the house too so I can't keep him in all day! We love him and his barking drives us to distraction so I do have sympathy for our neighbours but what can we do? ignoring his barking hasn't worked, pet correction spray hasn't worked, has anyone any advice or suffered this problem with their own dogs? It's really stressful and the neighbours complaint is the final straw? Giving him up won't be an option as he's already been to several families and I'd never do it

Hibrasil

You could get a collar for his neck that triggers something every time he barks - not sure exactly what it does - but when the dog barks it triggers some kind of sensation that discourages discourages barking. The dog learns that barking causes it very quickly.

Don't know where you get one or how effective it is - but I remember seeing them advertised.

The advisable thing is that you do something to stop the barking before the complaints get out of hand - I say this because when push comes to shove - people do have what is called the right to the peaceful enjoyment of their property and the local authority can issue a notice for nuisance suppression.

Cherry Blossom

Hibrasil wrote: »

You could get a collar for his neck that triggers something every time he barks - not sure exactly what it does - but when the dog barks it triggers some kind of sensation that discourages discourages barking. The dog learns that barking causes it very quickly.

It's either an electric shock or a citronella spray, both are aversive and not recommended.

OP, in order to stop the barking, you need to know the cause of It. Do you know why the dog is barking?

Cas86

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

It's either an electric shock or a citronella spray, both are aversive and not recommended.

OP, in order to stop the barking, you need to know the cause of It. Do you know why the dog is barking?

I really don't know why he continuously barks, we initially thought it may be a separation anxiety as he had been passed around a lot before we got him and he does it most if he's not in the same room as us and the door is closed but it's when he's hungry, when his toy falls out of his mouth, when he's over excited, when he hears cars passing, when we're in conversation, when we'rereading, when he wakes up he yelps for no reason! He has different barks too, a yelp is when he's outside and wants in or our attention is not on him and it's unbearably high pitched the deeper bark is fine, it's when he's acting the guard dog, when people come to the door etc. The neighbour stressed it was the yelping she couldn't bear.

DBB

Op, please... Get some professional help on this one... And don't use anti-bark collars. If they work, which they do in some cases, there's a good chance they'll cause or contribute to other problems, because like any aversive training methods, they don't address the underlying cause of the problem. You will get some people saying they've worked for them with no ill-effects, but in my experience these are the exception... And it is truly debatable whether really were no ill-effects.
Obedience classes are not designed to help with the problems you've described. They're great for obedience, but simply not designed for housetraining, biting, or behavioural problems, which require more specialised, one-to-one intervention.
Neutering is not the behavioural panacea that some claim it to be... It can help to bring about more calmness in male dogs, but it was a mistake to tell you that it'd sort anything out really.
There are more ethical and effective ways of dealing with the barking. A one-to-one, in-house session with a good trainer or behaviourist will address all of the issues you've highlighted, so I'd strongly suggest you seek help from someone suitably qualified to help you. There are many charlatans and cowboys out there in this unregulated industry, so if you let us know roughly where you're based, hopefully someone can guide you to the right specialist.

Michelle_b

I was recommended this trick before. A water bottle with stones in it. Shake the bottle when dog barks and they learn that's a no. They don't like the noise. Just a suggestion. I do also second what other people say and get some advice on it. Good luck Op and hopefully he will settle down soon for you

Hibrasil

Sorry I suggested a remedy....i don't have dogs (suburbia is unfair to dogs and vice versa)......it was the only one that occurred to me as I glanced at the topic. Whatever you do do something..don't do nothing.

Cherry Blossom

Michelle_b wrote: »

I was recommended this trick before. A water bottle with stones in it. Shake the bottle when dog barks and they learn that's a no. They don't like the noise. Just a suggestion. I do also second what other people say and get some advice on it. Good luck Op and hopefully he will settle down soon for you

That's also aversive, and it doesn't work any differently to the corrector spray and that didn't work.

When my terrier was a pup she had a bottle with stones in it, it was a toy. She loved throwing it round the place making noise.

DBB

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

That's also aversive, and it doesn't work any differently to the corrector spray and that didn't work.

I've found that shaking bottles or cans with stones, clapping hands, any of these noise aversives, make a barky dog bark even more!
Again, I need to reiterate... Using aversives can work at a shallow level, but they often make problems worse or cause more problems.
The underlying issue(s) must be teased out and addressed to really get to the bottom of the problem.

.red.

We have one of the anti bark collars on a cocker and it does work, for him anyway. It wont stop him barking when there is a reason for it but it does stop him at night and when we're not at home.
It has 3 settings. Low, medium and high and i think 7 settings within the other 3. We have it set to low. When he barks it gives him a shock at level 1, if he barks again within 5 seconds it goes to level 2 and so on. After 5 seconds of no barking it resets back to 1 again.
Hes a happy dog who just seems to like being heard. Hed be sitting out the back wagging his tail barking non stop. It was driving us insane and id imagine the neighbours werent too happy either. We had to try something so gave it a go and it started working after 3/4 days and his barking stopped completly after about 10 days. Hell still give a bark when the car pulls into the drive, maybe a 2nd one but thats it. Hes cute out tho. When the battery is fading he knows it and the barking will pick up a.little till we replace it, usually about every 2/3months.
He still goes nuts when the postie calls tho or if a cat is on the fence. Its like his anger towards them warrants the shock.
It might not work for every dog and it can be a little cruel at the start but our fella is like a new dog since he got it a few years ago. We had a newborn in the house and it was affecting his sleep so we had to try something.
We got it from a company called petsafe in waterford. Google should find them if.you wanna try it. Not cheap tho at about €100.

Cas86

Thanks for all the advice guys. The collar isnt the way we'd like to get him out of this habit, although this is what our neighbour suggested, i'd worry it might cause him problems, particularly as he's quite a needy puppy. Our puppy loves stones in a bottle, this had been suggested to us before and it made him very excited. We where also suggested, squirting him in the face with a water gun every time he barked but he also loved this and start barking at the press where we were keeping the watergun, to play what he thought was a great game. The thing is, he is a very happy playful puppy, he bounces around the house and garden but it's all done with the high pitched yelping, causing a nuisance to our neighbours and also to us! If we could find a way to stop it being constant yelping outside, I'm sure our neighbours could deal with some barking! We're based in West Dublin if anyone knows a professional?

cocker5

.red. wrote: »

We have one of the anti bark collars on a cocker and it does work, for him anyway. It wont stop him barking when there is a reason for it but it does stop him at night and when we're not at home.
It has 3 settings. Low, medium and high and i think 7 settings within the other 3. We have it set to low. When he barks it gives him a shock at level 1, if he barks again within 5 seconds it goes to level 2 and so on. After 5 seconds of no barking it resets back to 1 again.
Hes a happy dog who just seems to like being heard. Hed be sitting out the back wagging his tail barking non stop. It was driving us insane and id imagine the neighbours werent too happy either. We had to try something so gave it a go and it started working after 3/4 days and his barking stopped completly after about 10 days. Hell still give a bark when the car pulls into the drive, maybe a 2nd one but thats it. Hes cute out tho. When the battery is fading he knows it and the barking will pick up a.little till we replace it, usually about every 2/3months.
He still goes nuts when the postie calls tho or if a cat is on the fence. Its like his anger towards them warrants the shock.
It might not work for every dog and it can be a little cruel at the start but our fella is like a new dog since he got it a few years ago. We had a newborn in the house and it was affecting his sleep so we had to try something.
We got it from a company called petsafe in waterford. Google should find them if.you wanna try it. Not cheap tho at about €100.

I have to say I have a cocker and am horrified you use a shock collar on your cocker for barking...

No dogs like to be heard and sit around all day barking..they bark for a reason.. It's very simple.

I'm sitting here looking at my cocker saddened to think yours sitting with a shock collar on ... Your not addressing the issue at all.

Your poor dog

DBB

Cas86 wrote: »

We're based in West Dublin if anyone knows a professional?

It does sound as if he's a very emotional, highly-charged little chap alright, but that's not an excuse to potentially harm him in the process of trying to fix him, and I'm glad to see your instincts are telling you the same thing
So, you're in the catchment area of the oft-recommended and very wonderful Emmaline of www.citizencanineireland.com... not only qualified and certified, but vastly experienced and a straight-talker too. And committed to positive, non-coercive training methods.
Well worth a call

The problem isnt the Freudian issues the dog has, its the noise.

If the collar addresses that youd be well advised to settle for that, or there's a good chance the problem will be taken out of your hands.

Milly33

the collars arent the worst things in the world.. Fine the shock ones but there is vibration too.. Dont worry OP they wont kill your dog.. My brother has a dog and he suffers severe anxiety when he leaves and does not stop barking until he is back. They put the collar on him in the mornings and when he starts off you can operate it by remote.. They just have it on vibration and it stops him barking...

DBB

Deleted User wrote: »

The problem isnt the Freudian issues the dog has, its the noise.

If the collar addresses that youd be well advised to settle for that, or there's a good chance the problem will be taken out of your hands.

What's Freud got to do with it? I'm pretty sure his research has little to do with dog behaviour... you're perhaps confusing him for Skinner? Or Pavlov?

In any case, with a good enough understanding of both Skinnerian and Pavlovian conditioning, one might understand the mechanics behind why anti-bark collars often don't work, and indeed why they all-too-often cause more problems than they solve. Instead, the teachings of both scientists should indicate why getting to the root of the problem is, in fact, the most effective as well as ethical.

DBB

Milly33 wrote: »

the collars arent the worst things in the world.. Fine the shock ones but there is vibration too.. Dont worry OP they wont kill your dog.. My brother has a dog and he suffers severe anxiety when he leaves and does not stop barking until he is back. They put the collar on him in the mornings and when he starts off you can operate it by remote.. They just have it on vibration and it stops him barking...

I know and have heard of a startling number of dogs who get really distressed even by a vibration collar. There are long discussion re same on behaviourist's discussion forums. They see a neat idea, but the reality is that too many dogs absolutely hate them.
Anything that's remote-controlled is that bit more risky, because the pinpoint timing punishment needs to be delivered for it to work is too much to expect from most owners. Punishing a dog at the wrong moment is, simply, abuse. To put one on a dog that is suffering from separation anxiety, and experessing that anxiety by barking, is very sad indeed. Serious bandage-over-wound territory there.
To justify using something in the name of training that "won't kill the dog" is, quite honestly, jaw-dropping.
In any case, the OP has inidicated that they don't want to go down that road. Fair enough when ethical, effective, similarly-priced alternatives are available.

Effective in who's opinion and within who's timeline? You're minimising the actual problem here imo.

oppenheimer1

DBB wrote: »

I know and have heard of a startling number of dogs who get really distressed even by a vibration collar. There are long discussion re same on behaviourist's discussion forums. They see a neat idea, but the reality is that too many dogs absolutely hate them.
Anything that's remote-controlled is that bit more risky, because the pinpoint timing punishment needs to be delivered for it to work is too much to expect from most owners. Punishing a dog at the wrong moment is, simply, abuse. To put one on a dog that is suffering from separation anxiety, and experessing that anxiety by barking, is very sad indeed. Serious bandage-over-wound territory there.
To justify using something in the name of training that "won't kill the dog" is, quite honestly, jaw-dropping.
In any case, the OP has inidicated that they don't want to go down that road. Fair enough when ethical, effective, similarly-priced alternatives are available.

You only ever seem to advise seeing a "behaviourist". It just appears to me just to be a money circus to be honest. €150+ for a consultation, in addition to ongoing treatments seems like a racket.

OP the collar should be your next attempt to quieten him.

DBB

Deleted User wrote: »

Effective in who's opinion and within who's timeline?

Effective in the opinion of those learned people who have studied, interpreted, and used Skinnerian and Pavlovian (not Freudian) conditioning in order to mould behaviour without causing harm. In other words, I'm going along with the opinions and best practice as dictated by professional organisations for qualified and certified animal behaviourists. I trust that's acceptable.
There aren't any realistic, effective, guaranteed quick fixes. Truth is, in every case of dog noise complaints that I've been involved with, once the neighbours are advised that something is being done about it, but it may take some time, they're okay with that. Even at that, you might be surprised at how quickly progress can be made by utilising straightforward Skinnerian conditioning appropriately, along with some clever environmental management.
In any case, as I said, the OP has said they're not prepared to use anti-bark collars, so in the context of this thread, arguing for their use is a moot point.

You're minimising the actual problem here imo.

No, I don't believe I am minimising the problem, and am quite unsure as to where you go that idea from. I'm simply arguing the case that quick-fix solutions that involve using pain, fear, startle, unpleasant sensations etc etc are not only a welfare concern, but in far too many situations, they just do not work in the long-term. So, the owner is back to Square 1... and back to Square 1 all-too-often with a dog with more issues due to the punitive nature of the collar.

Bells21

We have a JRT mix who barked excessively both inside and outside the house. We were unsure how to best help him and like the OP we didn't want to go down the collar route. We got a behaviourist to the house who assessed him and advised us on how to help him. It was suggested to us to do some clicker training with him(more to it than just using the clicker) but I have to say it's worked very well. I would definitely recommend getting a qualified person in to help ye with this.

borderlinemeath

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

You only ever seem to advise seeing a "behaviourist". It just appears to me just to be a money circus to be honest. €150+ for a consultation, in addition to ongoing treatments seems like a racket.

OP the collar should be your next attempt to quieten him.

You only ever seem concerned with the monetary outlay that a dog causes and not the well being of the animal or their human family.

When a dog is shocked by a collar it doesn't know why it's getting a shock and it can associate the pain with the nearest human or animal to them and will snap and bite if it thinks it's the cause of the pain. I reckon a behaviourists consultation is cheap if it prevents having to pay out to cover vets or hospital fees for bite wounds sustained because the dog turned aggressive due to the collar.

DBB

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

You only ever seem to advise seeing a "behaviourist". It just appears to me just to be a money circus to be honest. €150+ for a consultation, in addition to ongoing treatments seems like a racket.

You only ever seem to advise the use of equipment/gear/methods that are contrary to good welfare or effective learning. See? Works both ways, doesn't it!:)

If you look carefully, you might see that I have countless posts directly suggesting useful, helpful tips to owners where behaviourists aren't even mentioned because it's not necessary or appropriate for them to consult one.
In addition, I know only one qualified behaviourist who costs more than €125. Considering it takes 2-3 hours for a consult plus travel, with follow-up support, it seems like pretty good value to me when it's someone trained, qualified, and appropriately insured that you're dealing with You won't get anywhere near that value when it comes to having to engage the services of a human behavioural specialist who has at least an equal level of training, and in some cases nowhere near as much training, as qualified animal behaviourists.
But all that aside, let me explain why I recommend the OPs contact a trainer or behaviourist in the threads where I do...
1. In cases where the problem should not be diagnosed over the internet by people who don't have any training in diagnosis of behavioural problems. I think it's better and safer for the owner of a dog with serious, possibly dangerous, or distressing behavioural issues, to seek the advice and help of someone *in real life*, who can assess the situation *in person* and who has been appropriately trained to help with such problems. Seems a no-brainer to me, given that there'd be uproar of anyone attempted to diagnose or treat a human behavioural disorder online!

2. I'd consider it inadvisable that anyone here should put themselves in the firing line of litigation by diagnosing or advising X treatment remotely and without adequate qualification, when that diagnosis or treatment stands a very real chance of being misguided, possibly dangerous, ending up in the owner being injured? After all, nobody here can have assessed what's actually going on in real life, whether they're qualified or not.

I'm not sure why you put "behaviourist" in inverted commas... have you some doubt that there are legitimately, highly trained behavioural specialists out there?

OP the collar should be your next attempt to quieten him

The OP has already indicated that they don't want to use a collar.

awanderer

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

You only ever seem to advise seeing a "behaviourist". It just appears to me just to be a money circus to be honest. €150+ for a consultation, in addition to ongoing treatments seems like a racket.

OP the collar should be your next attempt to quieten him.

I seem to have read 3 posts from you very recently: One suggested putting a dog to sleep, another buying a dog on Donedeal and the third using an antibark collar. All those solutions offered to OPs who, in their first post, had shown that they knew enough to know that those options were available but thought their dogs were worth trying other options first.

We all have areas of expertise where we can share our knowledge. I have the feeling that pet care is not yours but don't understand why you seem suddenly so intent on giving advise.

I grew up in a family where, for example, a dog that barked too much was shot as he disturbed my grand fathers sleep. I have since had the privilege to learn what a dog can offer when given a chance: No dog of mine will ever be submitted to any painful method as long as there is a possible alternative and that is the reason I trust this forum for advise: people who regularly post here have often done a lot of research, or even studied a long time because at some stage they realised what a huge place a pet can have in one's life.

.red.

cocker5 wrote: »

I have to say I have a cocker and am horrified you use a shock collar on your cocker for barking...

No dogs like to be heard and sit around all day barking..they bark for a reason.. It's very simple.

I'm sitting here looking at my cocker saddened to think yours sitting with a shock collar on ... Your not addressing the issue at all.

Your poor dog

Yep. The poor dog. Hes stretched out here in front of the fire on his pillow relaxing after his 3k walk today.
We had him checked out by the vet who couldnt find anything physically wrong with him.
I work shift so he used to get walked in the morning or evening depending on what i was working so it wasnt due to lack of excersise. His brother was with him 24/7 so it wasnt from being lonely. We tried the collar and it worked.
If i take it off him now he will know it by the morning and start off barking slowly and by wednesday morning he will be.barking his little head off again. Im up for work at 4am all week and not willing to listen to him bark all night again.
If his collar is on and working he doesnt bark. If its off or not working he does so for me and my family it does its job.

Cherry Blossom

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

OP the collar should be your next attempt to quieten him.

All the advice you have given regarding training and behaviour issues on this forum would have catastrophic effects on both my dogs. I know them both inside out. My terrier is too reactive for aversive methods to do anything but have a detrimental effect on her temperament. She is quite emotionally charged, which from the brief description given by the OP also seems to be the case here.

My other dog is super sensitive, so much so that the usual time outs recommended were too harsh a punishment for him. If you tried to use some of the aversive methods recommended here he would completely shut down and become a shivering wreck.

If I followed your advice I'd be in a real mess with two dogs needing extensive rehabilitation to try and undo the damage done.

cocker5

.red. wrote: »

Yep. The poor dog. Hes stretched out here in front of the fire on his pillow relaxing after his 3k walk today.
We had him checked out by the vet who couldnt find anything physically wrong with him.
I work shift so he used to get walked in the morning or evening depending on what i was working so it wasnt due to lack of excersise. His brother was with him 24/7 so it wasnt from being lonely. We tried the collar and it worked.
If i take it off him now he will know it by the morning and start off barking slowly and by wednesday morning he will be.barking his little head off again. Im up for work at 4am all week and not willing to listen to him bark all night again.
If his collar is on and working he doesnt bark. If its off or not working he does so for me and my family it does its job.

well there lies your problem for a start 3k walk isnt enough for a cocker, my guy who is nearly 11 years of age does over 6 k a day and that's just about enough for him to keep him happy and chillaxed...

your still not addressing the issues with your dog, he is barking for a reason, (usually boredom not enough exercise etc).. all your doing is punishing him for barking...

my cocker did bark when we first got him... amongst other things so i spent €150 on a trainer.. worked with the dog and us for a few months and volia he became a different dog.. no excessive barking... you on the other hand have taken the lazy and the cruel way out punishing your dog instead of getting to the root of the cause.

Latatian

Cas86 what exercise is he getting? How far, how often, for how long?

Jack Russels do tend to be very noisy dogs. Could you stick the food in a kong and freeze it? Possibly hide it too, in a room or in the garden, and get him to go find it? That could be a better option than sticking him out the back- I'm not saying it's a panacea, but it works well for our noisy terrier, might be worth a try to keep the dog quiet for an hour or two when you need a bit of peace.

Reward the dog for being quiet- so never throw the ball when the dog barks, ask it to sit before you let it have the food, things like that. Again, our noisy terrier is not *quiet* when we do these things but she is a lot less noisy. It helps with the constant barking of the kind you describe.

Milly33

Lots of differant ways to address the barking OP here, and lots of opinions. None are wrong just differant ways of addressing things.. Ye should take yerselfs off for a nice walk with the Pooch and then do a list of no. 1, 2 3 etc and do one option at a time to see what works best of luck with it

oppenheimer1

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

All the advice you have given regarding training and behaviour issues on this forum would have catastrophic effects on both my dogs. I know them both inside out. My terrier is too reactive for aversive methods to do anything but have a detrimental effect on her temperament. She is quite emotionally charged, which from the brief description given by the OP also seems to be the case here.

My other dog is super sensitive, so much so that the usual time outs recommended were too harsh a punishment for him. If you tried to use some of the aversive methods recommended here he would completely shut down and become a shivering wreck.

If I followed your advice I'd be in a real mess with two dogs needing extensive rehabilitation to try and undo the damage done.

Oh please. Have you ever had to live beside dogs that bark constantly? I have. My previous neighbours had a well exercised Labrador that would bark at everything. Our house lverlooked his dog run and we couldn't do anything but it would set him off: open curtains - barking, close curtains -barking, turn on lights - barking, leaves rustling in trees - barking. The neighbours then decided to get another dog and that simpleton started copying the older dog. It was incredibly annoying and I barely got one nights undisturbed sleep.

Behaviour therapy, if it even works will take time to get in place. I bet the OP's neighbours are at their wits end listening to it and want a solution. The collar is an immediate solution that takes the needs of others into account. It is wrong to put the dog ahead of everyone elses peaceful enjoyment of their home.

kylith

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

The collar is an immediate solution that takes the needs of others into account.

Unless, of course, it makes the problem worse.

borderlinemeath

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Oh please. Have you ever had to live beside dogs that bark constantly? I have. My previous neighbours had a well exercised Labrador that would bark at everything. Our house lverlooked his dog run and we couldn't do anything but it would set him off: open curtains - barking, close curtains -barking, turn on lights - barking, leaves rustling in trees - barking. The neighbours then decided to get another dog and that simpleton started copying the older dog. It was incredibly annoying and I barely got one nights undisturbed sleep.

Behaviour therapy, if it even works will take time to get in place. I bet the OP's neighbours are at their wits end listening to it and want a solution. The collar is an immediate solution that takes the needs of others into account. It is wrong to put the dog ahead of everyone elses peaceful enjoyment of their home.

I'd imagine he was frustrated or anxious in his run. No amount of exercise makes up for confining a dog to a run and depriving him of human company. No companion dog will ever make up for human company if the dog is suffering from separation anxiety.
The simpletons were your neighbours IMO.

DBB

kylith wrote: »

Unless, of course, it makes the problem worse.

I'm pretty sure that Oppenheimer1 doesn't really have a grasp of how effective a session with a good "behaviourist" can be, including how quickly a barking problem can be managed without turning to dodgy techniques or equipment.
There's nowt worse than an online armchair expert.

coathanger

Cannot recommend Emmaline highly enough, I adopted a new pup recently & had already other dogs with their own issues & Emmaline came to my house to view the dogs interacting & did some training with us & them. The changes have been great & they are so much easier to manage now.

Cas86

When it comes to dogs everyone has an opinion. We see it every day down in our local park, one man told me I'm not walking him enough that's why he's hyper, a woman told me she thinks I'm walking him too much and to mind his hind legs, I was told to let him socialise with children in the park when I know he bites, I was told to leave him off his lead when I know he's so easily distracted it'd be a nightmare if any child or someone afraid of dogs came in to his eye line! I suppose what might work for one dog mightn't work for another. We kept him in all day today, except for his walk and to run out to the toilet, it's not ideal but we don't want anymore complaints. Thanks for all the different advice we're gonna try a few things and see what works best!

pudzey101

i could get grilled for this but anyhow ......

i gave our german shepard ( who is nervous , always barking at other dogs) 1-2 "calmeze" tablets before walks, (They are intended to reduce anxiety and help calm & soothe nervous & hyperactive pets. )

i dropped the dosage after a few days , and now she doesnt require them anymore i would say myself there is a good 60-70% change in her behavior . will only bark at another dog now if provoked or barked at first

its worth a try , i taught nothing would work at all

DBB

Cas86 wrote: »

When it comes to dogs everyone has an opinion. We see it every day down in our local park, one man told me I'm not walking him enough that's why he's hyper, a woman told me she thinks I'm walking him too much and to mind his hind legs, I was told to let him socialise with children in the park when I know he bites, I was told to leave him off his lead when I know he's so easily distracted it'd be a nightmare if any child or someone afraid of dogs came in to his eye line! I suppose what might work for one dog mightn't work for another. We kept him in all day today, except for his walk and to run out to the toilet, it's not ideal but we don't want anymore complaints. Thanks for all the different advice we're gonna try a few things and see what works best!

To be honest OP, this is a major problem that many owners will tell you about... they try everything they're told by people they meet in the park, by a fella on d'telly, by someone on the internet... they all have opinions.
However, a good, qualified behaviourist is not giving you an opinion, as such. Well, they are, but it's an educated opinion, just like a doctor or a vet would give you... their opinion and methods are based on scientific, research-led principles, not anecdotal stuff, and that's why owners often regret not going straight for the jugular and getting professional help in, rather than trying piecemeal, random, poorly-advised, anecdotal stuff from non-professional sources. Excuse my language, but the crap I hear people coming out with would make your head spin sometimes.

DBB

pudzey101 wrote: »

i could get grilled for this but anyhow ......

i gave our german shepard ( who is nervous , always barking at other dogs) 1-2 "calmeze" tablets before walks, (They are intended to reduce anxiety and help calm & soothe nervous & hyperactive pets. )

Here comes your grilling...:mad:


Ah no, I'm only messing! :P
Calmeze is a brand name for L-tryptophan, a protein precursor of serotonin, which helps reduce anxiety. The idea is that the more of the tryptophan precursor you feed via the diet, the more serotonin the body can make, and indeed it is this that makes us feel sleepy after a meaty meal (and people tell you that protein makes dogs hyper? Rubbish! It's pretty much the exact opposite!)
It is great stuff for an anxious dog, and I'd consider it an important part of a general anxiety-reducing program for an anxious, fearful dog... it's available over the counter, it can do no harm if you get it wrong. You were lucky that you got quick results from using it on its own, usually owners have to pair it up with appropriate training and calming techniques... although maybe you were doing that too? But I do know a few people who have had instantaneous results with it, and I for one am glad you broguht it up
The OP can also think about other anxiety-reducing products... Zylkene is a milk-based protein, the one that helps babies relax, and is also available over the counter. I don't know if it's any better or worse than tryptophan-based products, but there is more evidence to support the tryptophan nutraceuticals. There's also the Thundershirt or body-wrap, Adaptil pheromone spray/collar/diffuser, Tellington Touch massage, as well as a protocol to follow when the barking starts, which can be worked out with a behaviourist... it's not really possible to go into that here as every dog is different, and little tweaks need to be made in every case

tk123

DBB wrote: »

Zylkene is a milk-based protein, the one that helps babies relax, and is also available over the counter. I don't know if it's any better or worse than tryptophan-based products, but there is more evidence to support the tryptophan nutraceuticals. There's also the Thundershirt or body-wrap, Adaptil pheromone spray/collar/diffuser, Tellington Touch massage, as well as a protocol to follow when the barking starts, which can be worked out with a behaviourist... it's not really possible to go into that here as every dog is different, and little tweaks need to be made in every case

I've had good results with anxiety wraps, Adaptil, TTouch but NOT Zylkene - any time I give it to Bailey he has a blowout and poops his pants - usually before he can make it outside(!) :eek: These ones from iherb are brilliant for him though - http://eu.iherb.com/Pet-Naturals-of-Vermont-Calming-For-Medium-and-Large-Dogs-Chicken-Liver-Flavored-Sugar-Free-21-Chews-2-37-oz-67-2-g/56103

OP what are you feeding him out of interest - in case it's something full of fillers/additives that's adding to the problem?

DBB

tk123 wrote: »

I've had good results with anxiety wraps, Adaptil, TTouch but NOT Zylkene - any time I give it to Bailey he has a blowout and poops his pants - usually before he can make it outside(!) :eek:

Jayney... I wonder is he completely dairy intolerant? Do you ever give him yogurt or cheese?

gercoral

as far you know is the dog relatively healthy?
my dog was old but before his time came to an end, he used to bark constantly at nothing. he would just stare into open space and bark bark bark. we didn't know at the time but he was a very sick dog. he had cancer that was only discovered towards the end of his days

tk123

DBB wrote: »

Jayney... I wonder is he completely dairy intolerant? Do you ever give him yogurt or cheese?

Cheese the odd time but get gets yogurt everyday. I actually have a babybel in my backpack in case of emergencies if he gets something out on a walk that I need to swap it back off him lol!

Cherry Blossom

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Oh please. Have you ever had to live beside dogs that bark constantly?

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=76133263&postcount=12



My house is next door to my granny's old house.

Cas86

gercoral wrote: »

as far you know is the dog relatively healthy?
my dog was old but before his time came to an end, he used to bark constantly at nothing. he would just stare into open space and bark bark bark. we didn't know at the time but he was a very sick dog. he had cancer that was only discovered towards the end of his days

Yes as far as I know he is healthy! He had a full check up in September when we first took him in and a second checkup at Christmas, following neutering! Sorry to hear about your dog :-(