barking dog

[xbcool]

I have a problem with my dog barking at night .
my neighbours mention it seems to be getting worse lately,I was wondering if anybody has experience with electronic collars that give a small charge each time the dog barks,
is it cruel to use this method ? and are there other ways to fix this problem.

I dont want to piiss the neighbours off as they have been family friends for years and have been very patient.

any help would be appreciated.

steve

[RG]

I have the same problem with my dog, but those collars are just plain cruel and should be illegal. Try an obedience school or someone like barkbusters if they still exist.

[Falcon Coupe]

Let it sleep inside at night.

[EF302]

Originally Posted by Falcon Coupe

Let it sleep inside at night.

your dog sounds lonely, let it in at night

[pertuan]

Shock collars are cruel. I hate them. Maybe you could try and find out what is causing the dog to bark. Mine started doing it a while back. I stayed outside with her and found out what made her go off her head. It was a possum in the trees.

Maybe you could try to find out as well and see if you can fix it.

[cArSiK]

Originally Posted by pertuan

Shock collars are cruel. I hate them. Maybe you could try and find out what is causing the dog to bark. Mine started doing it a while back. I stayed outside with her and found out what made her go off her head. It was a possum in the trees.

Maybe you could try to find out as well and see if you can fix it.

I agree. Chances are its barking at something in the yard. My Jack Russell barks at all sorts of things at after dark, but comes in to sleep at night.

[WILDTRAKPX2]

I have used the zap collar and it works very well. They are expensive to buy, but some vets hire them out. Even our local council hires them, so you should be able to track one instead of forking out big bucks. They work, you won't need to use it for very long and they are NOT cruel.

[Pinkbits]

Look on e-bay, you can purchase a collar that emits a high pitch sound complete with remote control, so when the dog barks you can hit the button. Apparantly the dog will learn to associate the barking with the high pitch sound and hopefully problem solved.

[poolkeeper]

Isnt there collars that spray something rather than a shock now?

[fiery]

Would using those sorts of collars stop the dog barking when you would want them to (i.e someone in or around the yard)?

I know my aunt and uncle used Barkbusters and were absolutely thrilled with the results... The dog now only barks when someone steps onto the property..
Not sure how expensive they are though..

[pertuan]

Originally Posted by REDXR8BLOKE

Look on e-bay, you can purchase a collar that emits a high pitch sound complete with remote control, so when the dog barks you can hit the button. Apparantly the dog will learn to associate the barking with the high pitch sound and hopefully problem solved.

Is that the best avenue to pursue though? To me, thats the equivalent of someone smacking you across the head every time you say something. It just doesnt seem right to me.

[opto]

Oh Nice doggy give him a steak..... with valium powder spice

[Pinkbits]

Originally Posted by pertuan

Is that the best avenue to pursue though? To me, thats the equivalent of someone smacking you across the head every time you say something. It just doesnt seem right to me.

I have'nt used one, but thought about it at one time as our older Rottweiler is always barking at the neighbours behind us, only due to the fact that he comes outside to smoke and that on a previous occasion when they had a bbq, one of their guests thought it was funny to tease the dog and the cockatoo. So when she barks now, we let her go.
The pup (11 mths old) well his goolies have not dropped yet, if you get my drift!

[sgt_doofey]

Tried taking your dog for a very long walk before going to bed? Wear them out and hopefully it'll sleep all night.

Did that a couple of times with my in-laws Jack Russell Terriers that would be up barking all hours of the night. Seemed to work with them.

[iCat]

Originally Posted by Shockwave XR8

I have used the zap collar and it works very well. They are expensive to buy, but some vets hire them out. Even our local council hires them, so you should be able to track one instead of forking out big bucks. They work, you won't need to use it for very long and they are NOT cruel.

prohibited imports for a very good reason. unfortunately some of our state laws allow them to be sold.

if this is only happening at night, check out why? is he lonely? is a neighbour doing something differently? new neighbours? possums are now very active ... your local vet will be able to give behavioural advice. sometimes they will offer a mild sedative to keep him calmer. but sometimes just bringing him inside will alleviate the problem. that's the easiest, quickest and cheapest solution.

[Silver Ghia]

I heard of a 'Citronella' collar that is available from the local council here, that works. It sprays a harmless substance each time they bark, that they dont like the smell of.

At night however, its best to keep him inside.

Does he bark during the day when you're not at home? I found in this situation leaving a radio on in the house that he can hear, helps a lot.

[gozza]

My mini foxy has a citronella spray collar

don't get one mate

Expensive to purchase and the refills are rediculous

It works untill the dog figures out when to bark and when not too....You can't have the thing on 24/7 apparently and even if you did...the refills would cost you a mortage


Besides you want your dog to bark at some things.....no point when they don't bark at intruders

I keep him occupied when im at home and hes not so bad really....Just when he gets a set on somthing ie..a possum in a tree....he won't relent

good luck.....id go the shock collar but id only after exhausting more conventional methods

[MO]

Forget your collars of either electric or citronella..they can have the effect of stopping your dog alerting you to intruders.

Now you have to remember this dogs are pack animals and are territorial.

If you want to have a good dog it must be included in the family..I.E. it must sleep and be inside at all times and allowed where possible to come and go into the yard at will.

However if as in my case you have gun dogs and live in a cane toad or snake prone area you restrict them to the house at night this also applys to other breeds.

The dog must also be kept in its place in the pecking order...it should be given its own special place to sleep in the house..it must also be shown all the love and affection it needs in order for it to know its place.

If this is not enough for some please pm me and I will gladly speak to you in person on the phone.

Just as an aside I have spent a few years in dog obedience and show work.

[4vxc]

just had mine desexed, never used to bark before but now :
every night she starts about 11pm and goes on for a couple of hours...not good.

[Racecraft]

I throw my hands up for Bark Busters... They trained my Staffy and he is gem of a dog.. He will growl quitely at regular noises (ie every week when the neighbour drags his wheelie bins up for example, The neighbours kids hit the fence with the cricket ball etc) but will still bark if the front gate opens or something extra-ordinary happens.. They trained him during the day, but came around for 3 nights in a row to address his evening behaviour.. They offered me a 'lifetime' warranty if his behaviour didnt change but I have never needed to call them again..

Yu don't mention the age of the dog, living arragements or any changes in his environment, these issues are something that a pro can address almost immediately

[XR6-VCT-2000]

Originally Posted by Falcon Coupe

Let it sleep inside at night.

Yer I agree , even if it's just in the laundry , it will be much happier and quiter inside ;) . How would you like to sleep outside in the freezing cold ! ..lol

Also larger outdoor dogs tend to bark alot of a night if they don't get walked for around half hour at least in the arvo each day ! , no large dog just likes being left in a backyard with no walkies ! .

cheers.

[xbcool]

Originally Posted by Racecraft

I throw my hands up for Bark Busters... They trained my Staffy and he is gem of a dog.. He will growl quitely at regular noises (ie every week when the neighbour drags his wheelie bins up for example, The neighbours kids hit the fence with the cricket ball etc) but will still bark if the front gate opens or something extra-ordinary happens.. They trained him during the day, but came around for 3 nights in a row to address his evening behaviour.. They offered me a 'lifetime' warranty if his behaviour didnt change but I have never needed to call them again..

Yu don't mention the age of the dog, living arragements or any changes in his environment, these issues are something that a pro can address almost immediately

hes a lab cross staffy about 2 1/2 years old ,desexed at 8weeks old(never had em wont miss em) unfortunately hes a fair size so wife wont let him in the house .
normally doesnt bark and play up just the last couple of months, a few people have mention maybe a possum in trees will( check it out).
I dont think hes lonely as the kids play with him plenty and hes walked most afternoons and he has heaps of toys in the yard (picking up to mow is a real pain in the ****).

might give the shock treatment a miss and try bark busters Ive never heard of them but it seems the best option.

thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

steve

[xbcool]

Originally Posted by opto

Oh Nice doggy give him a steak..... with valium powder spice

[Chris]

I had the same problem with my German shepherd, but i now leave the garage door open, and he now roams around the place like a soldier - he is still on a mission after midnight, but all i hear (i am a very light sleeper) are his silent footfalls as he patrols the place. He no longer barks.

My dog is like a member of our family, since we started treating him as such, the returns were excellent.

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by xbcool

might give the shock treatment a miss and try bark busters Ive never heard of them but it seems the best option.

thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

steve

Any dog obedience trainer will be able to help you Steve, look in the yellow pages.

My sister used bark busters with great results. We used an obedience trainer and were equally impressed.

Interestingly in both cases it was something we were/were not doing that caused problems.

A collar may stop the barking. A trainer will tell you the cause, and so much more about your dog.

[MON10A]

i have 3 cattle dogs and use hushers on them 2 young ones mainly.they are elastic let the drink but how they work is dogs get a sore jaw from trying to bark or howl.when they go off at nothing put it on for a few minutes and take it off hang it were they see it as a reminder doesnt take long.they will still bark when someone comes near the place but not go off at everything that moves. a 2yo cattle dog male my wife rescude took 4 days.around $35 good value and sleep

[max]

One of my dogs would bark all night outside so anyway now they both stay inside in laundry with good bedding etc at night. What she always barks at is CATS. Several of them roam from yard to yard, over fences etc. They are cats belonging to neighbours surrounding. If they were ever to complain about the daytime/evening barking I would suggest to them they keep their cats confined to their own yards like we do with our dogs.

[photn]

my jack russel cros fox terrier would bark at night and cry and all that when we used to have him out at night....we started to bring him in after the vet said bring him in at night and give him a little attention. he sleeps on my feet on my bed now. and sometimes i wake and he is right next to me.....hes a happy yet very spoilt dog! lol.

[XA Coupsta]

I just wanna say good on you for addressing the problem!

Barking dogs are I think the highest reported form of neighbourhood complaints.

So well done man for being considerate of others with your noisy dog.

Good luck with it.

[nugget378]

Have the same problem with my jack russell,we have possums and she goes off when they are around,she also has barking duels at night with another little dog in the house behind us,putting her bed in the laundry is the only way we could stop it,we couldnt modify her behaviour totally because of her strong hunting instinct..