How can I teach my dog to stop barking without a bark collar?
I have a black lab who is about 3 years old, we live in town and anyone or any dog that walks by she barks at. How do I teach her not to bark unless its the right time to? I don’t want to put a bark collar on her because i think that is just mean. Idk I need help?
dawn
31 Dec, 2009
A couple suggestions!
Take an empty water bottle and put about 1/3 cup of popcorn seeds in it. Throw it in your dogs direction (not AT your dog) without her knowing while she is barking. Try this a few times and see if it works. It only works for some dogs.
If that doesn’t work, after your dog has barked once or twice, make a loud noise like "STOP" and once she stops for three seconds give your dog a treat. Then begin to increase the seconds after you say stop and before giving a treat! After a while she will get into the habit of only barking once or twice when someone walks by or comes to the door.
Avalon
31 Dec, 2009
Ask some friends who have dogs to come to a dog park or a field or something. Let your dog get up close and if he barks take him away. If he doesn’t then give him a treat and play with him. if he does take him away and say no. It worked for my dog.
tiny_lil_hottie
31 Dec, 2009
he barks because others are strange to him, walk him in the park where he will interact with others and get used to being around people outside your family. ask friends to stop by on occasion so he gets use to the idea of visitors and will realize that visitors are not a threat to him. this should help him to realize that barking when someone isn’t at the door is useless. also shutting windows and doors so he can’t see out will help deter the problem. i know i have the same problem with 2 of my dogs, but if they can’t see out, they don’t bark at kids walking down the street.
kaledea
31 Dec, 2009
Best thing to do is get friends to walk by with dogs and correct her when she’s barking at the window. Do not yell as a correction but touch at the neck or side enough to get the attention of the dog with a ‘shh’ sound or any sound that you can make that sounds commanding to you. I’m not saying to hit the dog, and do not harm her – just enough to get her attention, set her mind off balance to make her look away.
If she stands on something as she barks, teach her not to go up there at the same time by drawing her off gently after the correction. Repeat until she gets it. And remember to keep a calm and assertive attitude. If you don’t then it won’t affect anything, and she’ll notice it and not listen.
Again I’m not prescribing you hit her. Test it on yourself if you don’t feel comfortable, make a jaw like hand where your fingers are the teeth and push into your arm or wrist. It’s not a shove but just something to knock her brain out of focusing on the dog/person. If it doesn’t work the first try, try a little harder without shoving her to the side or hitting.
Good luck.
Glukia
31 Dec, 2009
Why do you mind so much if he barks at strangers? Your home is his territory and he tries to protect it and in his eyes this works, when he barks people go away (as he doesn’t know that people would go away anyway). When he barks you should say "bark" and it would be like obeying an order and when he stops you should say "stop" and give him a treat. This may seem odd to you now but this is what I have read in a magazine. By time he will get used to obey the orders and you may use the "stop" more often! On the other hand a solution would be someone that passes outside your house to give him a treat often so he will connect the appearance of a stranger with something good. The problem in this case would be that if he likes strangers then he wont be a good guardian dog. Just try all the ways until you find one that works for your dog
Best of luck!