Hello!

I'm open to any and all suggestions, here.

My Mal bitch is almost 2 years old, and I'm having some problems with her barking in her crate. It only happens when I'm gone, which is driving my roommates up a wall.

When I was having trouble with her barking several months ago, I evaluated everything from food to exercise, and ended up purchasing the TriTronics Bark Limiter. It worked exceptionally well, and I noticed that when it was on her, she would immediately lie down in her crate (as opposed to standing at the door of the kennel, or pacing around). She almost seemed relaxed, while wearing it.

About a month ago, I get a text from a roommate asking me if my dog was okay, because she was frantically barking. I was able to race home from work, but all I found was a dog that was very happy to see me. The collar indicated it had been stimulating/correcting her, so I turned it off/on and put it back on her.

So, that's where I'm at, now. According to the collar, it's delivering tons of corrections, but she's either barking through them or it's actually not working.

Should I shell out the cash for another collar, in case it's just a matter of the collar not working? Or, should I try something else? Any suggestions you have would be great. I just want to stop pissing my roommates off!

Does she bark at any other time? I'd stick it on my arm and get her to bark - you'll find out if it works.

I have never been a fan of those collars and it would be a major last resort. Sounds like they need way more exercise and stimulation (not from the collar) the tongue dragging mental and physical kind of stimulation.

I'm a fan of exercise and training so my dog is to tired to think about barking.

If the collar is working and zapping your dog obviously it isn't stopping the barking but kinda torturing your dog.

If your room mates are home just kicking it and maybe looking for something fun to do, see if you can get them to walk your dog, just a thought.

I have a GSD, a Malinois, and a Belgian Shepherd (Groen). They ALL bark.

I've been able to really curb the barking with:

1. Gainful employement - my dogs are very active and exercised daily

2. Positive reinforcement. If my dogs are quiet, I mark the behavior with "Good!" and reward with food in their crate/xpen etc.

3. Tri-tronics is a good collar, and I've used it, but only after teaching my dogs the command "Quiet," with marker training, and then layering the collar on to make sure the corrections are consistent.

With a mal, I don't think exercise alone will curb the barking - in fact, I really dislike the idea of exhausting a dog into good behavior. I really believe in a more holistic approach that includes teaching a dog an alternative/incompatible behavior.

Is there a reason you can't take your dog to work and alleviate the roomate situation all togther? I figure my dogs are going to be in a crate if I'm not home, anyway. So when I go to work, they come with me and stay crated in the car (weather permitting). I take them out and train and play during my lunch/breaks - My favorite parts of my working day! If the weather is such that they can't come along, at least the roomates have had some reprieve, and are more likely to tolerate a little noise (if you haven't made great strides in training already).

I have barking problems too. They do not bark for no reason, they see or hear something. Its getting them to stop once they begin, especially Cody. One thing can happen and he will be very barky all day long. I say "enough" and when he is quiet I reward him and he rest of the pups. But he still is very reactive and barky. He will still bark off and on. They have improved but I would like them to just be quiet after I say Enough, Am I asking too much? thanks sharon

You did say it only happens when your gone and shes happy to see you when you return, happy like normal calm or frantic uncontrolled? Just wondering if shes showing any other signs that would suggest separation anxiety?

I did mean tongue dragging tired not mental/physical fatigue or a emptied drained state.

A bark collar is not going to fix separation anxiety, I know it worked at first but it can add to the stress.

Logan stays in his kennel all night and without the bark collar he barks at everything. Exercise is a must as is mental stimulation. He will not play or chew on anything in his kennel (yet he eats his dinner, chicken legs). Because of that, stuffed kongs don't help, or toys. Bark collars best on boredom barking. Logan still barks if there is an animal in the yard, even cranked up high he barks.

With lots of regular exercise and training he rarely barks anymore...but I always put it on. I wish it wouldn't get him when he whines (when taking it off he whines happy to see me).

I think the same routine would help your dog too.

What are your roommates doing when she barks? I mean their reaction.

 Quote: Lisa Brazeau

With a mal, I don't think exercise alone will curb the barking - in fact, I really dislike the idea of exhausting a dog into good behavior. I really believe in a more holistic approach that includes teaching a dog an alternative/incompatible behavior.

It doesn't. It doesn't matter whether she's had no exercise, or whether we've spent 2 hours in the field, with the Chuk-It tennis ball launcher, followed by another 2 hours of obedience and agility work. She will still start barking if I leave.

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Is there a reason you can't take your dog to work and alleviate the roomate situation all togther?

No, I cannot take her. I work in law enforcement, and I just don't have the option to bring her along - even to leave her in my car. I am looking for a new line of work, perhaps one that will allow me more flexibility with her.

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You did say it only happens when your gone and shes happy to see you when you return, happy like normal calm or frantic uncontrolled? Just wondering if shes showing any other signs that would suggest separation anxiety?

Yes, it does only happen when I'm gone. I was hesitant to consider separation anxiety, as I feel like that term is heavily overused by pet owners. However, when I returned home last week I was able to listen to her barking, through the front door. It was a repetitive barking, very rhythmical, and she sounded absolutely frantic. Not your typical "bark at the world" sort of dogs (and I'm familiar with that, considering I deal with barking dog complaints all day long, in my line of work).

As far as her behaviour when I return home, I would have to say that she's a little over-the-top. She's also a bit of a Velcro dog - she is the most content when she is right near me, or actually touching me.

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What are your roommates doing when she barks? I mean their reaction.

I spoke with them again, about it. They said it's only recently that she's been vocalising (again, the collar had been stopping it). What's interesting is that occasionally she's quiet in the morning, when I leave for work, but not always. It seems to be the worst when I've come home, worked with her, and then left again.

One roommate simply ignores her. The other has stated that if he tells her QUIET! she will settle down immediately.

"I've been able to really curb the barking with:

1. Gainful employement - my dogs are very active and exercised daily

2. Positive reinforcement. If my dogs are quiet, I mark the behavior with "Good!" and reward with food in their crate/xpen etc."


I agree.


"What are your roommates doing when she barks? I mean their reaction."

Varied reactions. That's a problem, IMO.

It sounds like the same kind of expression of separation anxiety that Skipper has. He sets up a rythmic bark that has nothing to do with anything in the environment (except my absence). He will continue without stopping until I get home. We have had some success lately, but it requires patience.

1. Every dog needs to be properly exercised, and Skipper is. This does not affect his energy for this kind of barking. It is an emotional, panic state. It doesn't matter how much of a workout he has had once this state of mind grips him.

2. Corrections, per se, don't work, but giving very clear instructions and expectations is starting to take affect.

3. I can't leave Skipper in a crate, he would absolutely panic. He is a very good dog, so he is safe in the house, and I leave him uncrated when I am out. His instruction, though, is to stay on his bed. So, he is 'crated' on his bed, but there are no physical barriers to hold him.

4. I have been leaving and coming back a lot because I am working on our house renovation, so I have been able to graduate the time I am away in a very random way. At first he wouldn't let me out of sight in the house, then out the door while he stays inside. Yesterday was a big win, because we were gone for 3 hours and he was quiet when we got home.

5. Companion dog - Jethro. Having Jethro stay home with Skipper is essential. He couldn't handle the time without us if Jethro wasn't there. Sometimes Jethro is sleeping in the same room as he is, sometimes Jethro is crated nearby.

6. You mentioned velcro dog - I would interpret this as separation anxiety and an excellent place to start training for separation. I think it is safe to assume the functional reward for your dog's barking is to be reunited with you. Start with very small increments of distance, whatever it takes for your dog to remain calm and relaxed, and then return and give her tons of praise. She needs to associate your return with good things, then she won't mind the separation so much. She can learn to associate being calm and quiet with a dance party of love at any random moment. Make these frequent and short to begin with, drawing out the time and distance gradually.

7. Don't punish your dog for barking. She can't help it right now, she is purely freaked out. Ignore the barking, and never reward it. That's why working with small increments first is best, you don't have to wait for a lull in the bark pattern to interrupt it.

8. John Bradshaw writes very compassionately about dog's evolving to live in close proximity to humans, and then, now, in our industrial lives, they are expected to spend long hours alone. Dogs are social beings, they derive pleasure, health, and well-being from feeling connected to us. After I read this, I made efforts to take Skipper with me when I could. I found he was surprisingly adaptable and people were very kind and welcoming him - I took him to school on the bus and into the classroom when I was teaching. I think this time together helped Skipper feel more bonded to me, which, in turn, has made him more trusting of me, and that I am going to return.

9. I usually leave twice at this stage of the game, sometimes three times. Skipper knows what is expected of him, and when I return right away and find him creeping down the stairs, I give him the pointed finger and use my body to direct him back to his bed. I don't use any verbal commands because he is somewhat deaf, but he knows I mean business and I'm going to be back at any random time to check that he is following through.

BTW - I am a new dog handler and Skipper is an almost 12 year old fox terrier we adopted a year and a half ago.