Heidi has once again started to bark for 8 hours straight while she is outside, so I unfortunately can no longer leave her outdoors on nice days while I am gone. I have a dogtra no bark collar, we have had issues with it before.

I took it out of the storage bin, and moved some long connectors that I ordered when I swapped out the connectors on her e-collar. I put it on her yesterday at level 1, and viewed from indoors. She barked for 4 hours straight. I moved it up to level 2. She barked another 4 hours straight, so I brought her in for the night. Today I started her at level three, she will bark, squeal and then continue. It appears to be a squeal more from surprise than anything else. I couldn't stand to listen or watch after an hour as she seemed to have moved into a total frenzy.

She usually starts barking along a shared fence line, and will not do it when I am out there period, but I do need a fresh Idea because my neighbors are not going to put up with the barking much longer.

Should I continue to raise the level every half hour until she figures it out? Or is the squeal from surprise just an indicator that it is already too high. Frankly, if 2 doesn't do it, and 3 (out of 7 levels) drives her insane there seems to be an issue. I tested the collar out on my hand while using the dogtra tester and could barely discern the difference between the two levels.

I would take the dog inside, and I'd start alert-bark training (if that's your goal). I don't want to sound confrontational, but what I see is trying to use a tool to replace structured exercise and training.

" I couldn't stand to listen or watch after an hour as she seemed to have moved into a total frenzy.

She usually starts barking along a shared fence line, and will not do it when I am out there period, but I do need a fresh Idea because my neighbors are not going to put up with the barking much longer."

I'm afraid you are turning your dog into a target. I don't don't even want to go into the threads we have seen here about what neighbors who are up to here with having zero peace in their homes are sometimes capable of doing.

The dog is obviously not serving you in any way as an alert barker. IOW, there is no upside I can see.

"I unfortunately can no longer leave her outdoors on nice days while I am gone."

No, I agree that you can't. I don't leave my dogs outside unsupervised anyway, but in this situation, there is no way I would even consider it. (In fact, I should recuse myself. I feel strongly about leaving a dog alone outside for hours, and the barking makes increases my negative opinion exponentially.)

Jeffrey, please note that what I'm saying comes strictly from a position of being afraid for the dog.

She is fully OB trained, this is a singular issue. The moment I step outside the barking stops.

Is this not what the collar is designed to do? I am sorry, but telling me to go back to training is not a solution whatsoever. She will stop barking on verbal command wherever I may be. The issue is when I am indoors and she is out, hence why I pulled out the bark collar as issuing a command from indoors isn't going to do it. If there is a method then I am very open to it, and that would be the reason why I posted in the first place

The upside is that she loves being outside rather than in.

I do understand, and I have spoken with my neighbors, who luckily are barely above the legal drinking age ( its the old and irritable folk I worry about), and considering I have helped them with their new puppy issues they are more than understanding of the situation.

However, I do know when people are irritated, even when they are too nice to say otherwise.

Is this only along the fence?

What's on the other side? Another dog?




BTW, GOOD that you are maintaining communication with the neighbors. I know you won't forget that this means all neighbors .... not just the one on each side.



eta
When I mentioned taking the indoors and concentrating on training, I meant teaching alert barking.

I didn't mean training the dog to be silent when left alone for 4-8 hours in the yard.


Edited by Connie Sutherland (11/06/2011 07:14 PM)
Edit reason: eta

The neighbors behind and on the opposite side of my property are non existent as the homes have been foreclosed and empty since I moved here in august. The other fence line there is a puppy.

My original thought was she could hear and smell the puppy and naturally just started barking as she can't see through the fence. If i walk outside, their fence is chainlink and I can see whether or not a dog is present. Surprisingly, there is no barking when the puppy is present. Anytime there is high wind the barking is at its worst

Usually after Heidi has been outside for a few minutes she will become alert and begin running back and forth along that fence line, then begin barking and running the entire perimeter of the back yard while barking, and can do this for quite some time. Even after an exhausting day of training.

After moving from stim level 2 to 3, she will bark, squeal in surprise, and then bark through it, and continue to bark as she pleases. My concern is in raising the stim level. The squeal does appear to be surprise and not pain, and as I stated earlier I tested the collar at the different levels, and the change in stimulation is marginal and consistent.

Edit: as a side note, Heidi is extremely stubborn, always has been, and more than likely always will be.

I am really second guessing myself before moving up the stim level, as I don't want to injure or screw up the hard training we have done over the last year and a half.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Is this only along the fence?

What's on the other side? Another dog?




BTW, GOOD that you are maintaining communication with the neighbors. I know you won't forget that this means all neighbors .... not just the one on each side.



eta
When I mentioned taking the indoors and concentrating on training, I meant teaching alert barking.

I didn't mean training the dog to be silent when left alone for 4-8 hours in the yard.

We were about to begin protection training before this issue arose, at the moment all I have done in the barking department is taught her to bark and be quiet on command.

"there is no barking when the puppy is present."


Even if you go inside?



"My original thought was she could hear and smell the puppy and naturally just started barking as she can't see through the fence. If i walk outside, their fence is chainlink and I can see whether or not a dog is present. "


I don't understand. Is there a visual obstruction that's tall enough to block her view but not yours?

When I moved here, I instructed the real estate agent that I need a house with a 9 foot tall privacy fence. I don't want to worry about people jumping over, or Heidi Jumping out. Of course when I arrived every property has those dinky 4 Foot tall chain link fences. Because I was on such a short time schedule I had a company get a permit and build my fence on the inside of my perimeter line, where it backs flush against the old perimeter chain link fence. (I was unable to contact the owners of the foreclosed property or the executors of the land deeds so Instead of replacing the fence, I just built my own.)

When I originally went outside to see if Heidi was barking at the puppy, I go around from the front yard, Heidi cannot see that I am out there. I am can literally just walk over there and see the entirety of that neighbors backyard. If Heidi is barking, there is never a puppy.

When the puppy is present, she normally is just sniffing around the fence or doing something else. The barking truly appears to be fun for her.