April 15, 2011

When my 15-month-old Doberman hears the slightest sound, he keeps barking. Is there a way teach him how to distinguish between noises or perhaps could he grow out of this pattern?

Full Question:
Hello Cindy,



It has been a very long time since I last emailed. I ordered several of Ed's videos and searched his site on quieting a barking dog.



Simply put, my 15-month-old Doberman is very obedient thanks to your videos but for some reason if he hears the slightest sound outside, upstairs or even if my wife opens the basement door to talk to me for something he just keeps barking. I don't mind him nor will I correct him for barking at strangers walking by or hears noises outside but its the inside noises which occur quite often as you can imagine that finds me needing to quiet him. Now I have basically used the shh command with some treats that does stop it eventually but even then only for a little while until the very next small sound. Is there a way to quiet him quickly or to distinguish between noises or perhaps could he grow out of this pattern?



Appreciate any thoughts and suggestions,
Jason
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
I would not count on him growing out of this. If anything it may become more pronounced as he gets older. I have met many Dobermans who are like this (I raised them for many years) and there are a couple of options.



You can use a Tritronics Bark Limiter. Dogs quickly learn that when this collar is on, they need to be quiet. I haven’t had any issue with my dogs NOT barking once the collar is removed.



You could also go to a remote collar, so you could selectively shush him. The problem with this is that if you aren’t prepared to correct him at exactly the right moment, you may cause confusion. The benefit to this is that you can pick and choose when to quiet him. The bark collar will correct him for ANY barking, the ecollar lets you choose.



I personally use the Dogtra collars. I’d also recommend Electric collar Training for the Pet Owner.



I hope this helps.



Cindy

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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