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Barking
Apr 29, 2008 11:52:42 GMT -5
Post by subwoofer on Apr 29, 2008 11:52:42 GMT -5
I've had Brandy for almost a year now (she'll be 2 in Aug.) She wasn't much of a barker until a couple of months ago. I'm guessing she is now fully aware that this is her home, and feels the need to let anyone within earshot know it. It's not a huge deal as i live in a rural area, but i would welcome any tips on how to curb it when she's out late at night. Thanks.
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Barking
Apr 29, 2008 13:19:12 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Apr 29, 2008 13:19:12 GMT -5
Is she barking at anything specific or just barking to hear herself? There are a few methods I've been told and a couple I've found effective. One method I've tried but found it only worked the first couple of times was pennies in a pop can. You take an empty (preferbly clean) pop can and put about 5 or so pennies in it. When the dog barks you shake the can and tell her "NO barking" (or whatever command you want. I've heard of it working but it didn't help with my dog. He looked at it interested and then barked AT it Another is a squirt bottle. I've heard of putting vinegar (in small ammounts) in the water but from experience have found plain water works fine. And no, it doesn't make your dog afraid of water like some people think. It's the experience of being SQUIRTED with water that they don't like. I could see maybe if you were dumping the dog in a tub of water every time he barked that it might make him afraid of water lol Anyway, you get a squirt bottle (if you're reusing one make sure to clean it out REALLY good first... in fact it's best to just buy a new, unused one). When the dog barks you squirt the bottle at her and use your no barking command. I've found this method most effective. I was also once told if the dog is outside barking you can use a super soaker out your window Other methods are training tools such as bark collars or citrinola collars. Personally I'm not a big fan of either. One thing I taught Linkin was to use his "inside voice". We kind of stumble across this training by accident and because he has such a wide variety of vocal noises it was a lot easier to train him than I think it would be for my lab cross. (German Shepherds are known for their variety of vocal sounds ). I taught him to use a lower tone or simply whine (which he does really well... to the point of annoyance) when I tell him "use your inside voice" when he starts barking at something. I'm at work right now so it's hard to write up a lot about barking... if I can I'll add a few more things later
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Barking
Apr 29, 2008 15:30:56 GMT -5
Post by subwoofer on Apr 29, 2008 15:30:56 GMT -5
Thanks. I'll have to try the can idea. One of Brandy's favorite pastimes next to swimming would be chasing (and being sprayed with) the water from the garden hose.
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Barking
Apr 29, 2008 16:37:55 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Apr 29, 2008 16:37:55 GMT -5
Ah then I suppose the squirt bottle won't work! My one dog also chases water from the hose, but the other isn't a big fan so the squirt bottle worked for him.
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Barking
Apr 30, 2008 0:52:11 GMT -5
Post by nattiej1976 on Apr 30, 2008 0:52:11 GMT -5
Kato breaks some of the Akita rules, in the fact that he can be a bit of a barker. Tried a few alternatives and they did not really work for long, so we instead twisted it all the other way, everytime he barked we would be telling him to speak, then when he stopped would say "quiet" so on and so on, now he will "speak" when we ask him to and "quiet" when we ask him too, so now if he goes of on a barking tangent "quiet" is all we need to say for him to stop. (hope that makes sense)
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Barking
Apr 30, 2008 11:39:19 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on Apr 30, 2008 11:39:19 GMT -5
Kato breaks some of the Akita rules, in the fact that he can be a bit of a barker. Tried a few alternatives and they did not really work for long, so we instead twisted it all the other way, everytime he barked we would be telling him to speak, then when he stopped would say "quiet" so on and so on, now he will "speak" when we ask him to and "quiet" when we ask him too, so now if he goes of on a barking tangent "quiet" is all we need to say for him to stop. (hope that makes sense) Oh I've heard of this method before too. I've always wondered how long it takes to teach. I've found with my boys when they're focused on something they're barking at it's kind hard to break through and get them to focus elsewhere. I'd bet it was about the same as teaching Linkin to use his inside voice... I had a lot of time alone with him in a new place when I taught it to him so he'd bark at something and I'd wait for him to use a lower tone then tell him 'Use your inside voice, goood boy!" until he eventuall caught on. It took only a couple of weeks.
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Barking
May 1, 2008 16:02:50 GMT -5
Post by abker17 on May 1, 2008 16:02:50 GMT -5
Does she bark a lot when she's inside? If that's the nuisance and she's barking AT something just redirect her attention toward you, and make her sit away from whatever she's barking at. If she continues to bark then tell her "no" or whatever negative word you use to mark a bad behavior. For me, I use "no" but I also use an "aah" sound. Another clever little method I learned at agility class is "you can watch or you can bark." When the dog starts barking at something you cover his/her eyes until they're quiet. When the dog is quiet, you release your hand - if the dog starts to bark again, you cover his/her eyes again. Then the dog learns that he/she can either stand there and bark and not get to see what's going on, or he/she can be quiet and watch.
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Barking
May 1, 2008 20:13:30 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on May 1, 2008 20:13:30 GMT -5
Another clever little method I learned at agility class is "you can watch or you can bark." When the dog starts barking at something you cover his/her eyes until they're quiet. When the dog is quiet, you release your hand - if the dog starts to bark again, you cover his/her eyes again. Then the dog learns that he/she can either stand there and bark and not get to see what's going on, or he/she can be quiet and watch. That's really cute! I like this method I'd never heard of it before but I think I might try it on Coal. He KNOWS what quiet means but he has trouble controling himself when he sees someone walking down the road.
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Post by nattiej1976 on May 2, 2008 8:50:57 GMT -5
Kato breaks some of the Akita rules, in the fact that he can be a bit of a barker. Tried a few alternatives and they did not really work for long, so we instead twisted it all the other way, everytime he barked we would be telling him to speak, then when he stopped would say "quiet" so on and so on, now he will "speak" when we ask him to and "quiet" when we ask him too, so now if he goes of on a barking tangent "quiet" is all we need to say for him to stop. (hope that makes sense) Oh I've heard of this method before too. I've always wondered how long it takes to teach. I've found with my boys when they're focused on something they're barking at it's kind hard to break through and get them to focus elsewhere. I'd bet it was about the same as teaching Linkin to use his inside voice... I had a lot of time alone with him in a new place when I taught it to him so he'd bark at something and I'd wait for him to use a lower tone then tell him 'Use your inside voice, goood boy!" until he eventuall caught on. It took only a couple of weeks. it certainly wasnt a quick fix, it did take a bit of time, because, of course our timing for it all had to be right. But luckily he is a relatively cluey dog, so did come to the party within a week or two he seemed to have a general understanding.
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Barking
May 7, 2008 15:35:25 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on May 7, 2008 15:35:25 GMT -5
Subwoofer - have you tried any of the methods listed above? How are things going with the barking?
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Barking
May 9, 2008 13:02:01 GMT -5
Post by subwoofer on May 9, 2008 13:02:01 GMT -5
I tried the can idea a couple of times, and it has seemed to have helped. With a lot of dogs in the area as well as whatever wildlife comes close to the yard, not sure if it will ever be something that can be fully controlled. (Coyotes baying certainly doesn't help.) Since being spayed a week ago, she doesn't seem to get as out of control with the barking. Things went well with the surgery and i had 5 days off afterward to keep a close eye on her.
Thanks again all for the suggestions.
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Barking
May 10, 2008 20:21:37 GMT -5
Post by DogGoneGood on May 10, 2008 20:21:37 GMT -5
Awe, that's cool you could get time off work to spend with her after the spay. I couldn't get time off for Linkin's neuter I've found the best way to deal with other animals and your dog is simply obedience and teaching the "Leave it" command. It's not always a cure-all as most dogs find animals (especially wild ones) hard to resist but it does help a bit!
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