Bark Collar.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hi Eric -

Id just put the dog in the garage - out of site out of mind - you may also want to sound proof it.

Let it bark to its hearts content. If it doesnt ever stop who cares - you cant hear it.

Bark Collar <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Karmen-
You seem to favor the bark collar! Did you have a positive experience that you can share?

Amen to the bark collar. Just make sure you get the kind that's set off by vibration, not by sounds. You want the dog to set it off, not something happening close by that the collar "thinks" is barking.

There are some made for really small dogs, I've used the small innotek on an italian greyhound.

They work if you use them right, most of the time. With a really hard dog, they sometimes figure out how many "free" barks they get before the collar goes off; how to make some sick sound that doesn't set the collar off; or just bark through the shock.

As a last ditch, there's debarking. Before the righteous descend on me, I'm not nuts about this, but it has it's place. I've seen psycho-nervous herding dogs that would not shut up unless the correction bordered on abusive <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> (and yes, I can give a damn hard correction, 'cause I don't nag, I correct). But, there are some cases where either the owner can't correct it, or the circumstances are dire (like the apartment neighbors are going to court). In those cases, a happy, hoarse, debarked dog is better than a dead one, or one on it's way to the pound.

I never recommend surgery as an easy-out. Never.

I work 7PM to 3AM. We got our Cairn Terrier a bark collar because of all the wonderfull Terrier barking that started up as soon as she heard the gate open up when I let my work dog in the back yard. My wife puts it on when she goes to bed and I take it off when I get in. Great investment.

Originally posted by Eric Thornton:
Karmen-
You seem to favor the bark collar! Did you have a positive experience that you can share? What if you had to travel and she's in a crate in the car right behind your head..uh not a fun trip.. Just putting her in the garage is not the answer. You want to stop the bad behavior..not ignore it. A bark collar corrects the bad behavior even when you are not present so you don't have to keep going back yelling at her, etc.. and getting more and more frustrated. Try the bark collar, I think you'll like the results.

I wonder, are you doing regular obedience work with this dog? At the very least, do you make her do long-ish down-stays (5 min to 1/2 hour), and reinforce them when she gets up?

I'm wondering if you need to establish all-around control with her? You get that, and the respect from her that goes with it, through regular demands for her obedience in situations where you can reliably reinforce her complience.

Sometimes the way to get your dog to come reliably off leash, is to make her do long sits and downs, and otherwise reinforce her respect for what you tell her to do.

She's a terrier, and they are such a notorious mix of smart, cute and tough.

If you're already going down that road, pardon me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Stephen-
You're not far off the mark, I have not been doing our obedience work regularly lately. I'm sure that's part of the reason for why she's been getting worse in the last week or two. But I'm getting things back on track, making sure she gets walked regularly, and practicing our obedience work. I've not worked her on the "long" down yet, she has just learned the down command recently, so I've been focusing on compliance to the command rather than the length of time she stays there. But I'll start working on that today.

Make it easier for her to succeed while she's learning by asking for the shorter times in the beginning. But really, there's no reason why, when you're sitting and watching TV, that she can't be on a down-stay by your feet. She can hold that at least from commercial to commercial.

After all, she'd probably be sacked out somewhere, in this case you are the one who decides where she stays.

I pretty much teach a couple kinds of down. "relax" means park your behind where I tell you, and stay, but they are free to roll on their side, lick, etc. That's what I'd be working with her for.

There are two other downs, one for fast out of motion, and another for AKC obedience competition, where they have to lie motionless like a "library lion". Those have special purposes. I really believe all dogs should learn down out of motion, since it can save their life, but the AKC one is too strict for house obedience.

I just mention that since I don't know where you're at with training.

Good luck. I have whippets, and they are a lot like terriers in greyhound clothes. They will wheedle, steal, and smile for what they want, but if that doesn't work they are determined as rocks to get what they want.