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Originally Posted by FirstYorkie Actually, I don't think that Zoie is so different. The coin-can works well for some people/dogs. It doesn't work well for alot of people/dogs.
The problem is this. Not always, but an awful lot of the time, dogs bark to alert others of something they sense isn't right (be it a noise or a child's toy in the wrong location). The fact that something is wrong raises their adrenaline level. Then we do something that startles them. What does that do to their adrenaline level? It certainly doesn't calm them down.
Some dogs will be cowered by it and will stop barking. For other dogs, it just revs them up more.
The coin-can will stop Joey from barking but I almost never use it. I'm not perfect so I must admit that if I get really frustrated, I bring it out. Generally speaking, though, I prefer not to use it because I know it scares him. I don't want our relationship to be based on fear.
Instead, I do 3 things. If something is going on outside that I think will disturb him, I make him sit and wait while I go outside first. I then tell him that the "coast is clear". Believe it or not, this works alot of the time. To know that someone bigger has checked it out seems to make him feel calmer. I have also taught him a "quiet" command which often works. I also use management - I keep the front drapes pulled so that he can't see people outside. If he insists on opening the drapes himself, I baby-gate him away from the front of the house.
These are my ideas. I gotta say, though, that barking is often a difficult problem and we have to do what we have to do. However, I do hate to see people use something they know their dog hates as their first line of defense. |
I think Buddy would rather be frightened than rehomed! After two years of complete stress and countless $ spent on trying to correct this problem coins
in a can was free and easy to use. Not only that, it "WORKED". Once the dog learns what it means there is no reason to use it just show it and the results are the same. NO BARKING!
