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Originally Posted by RascalLucy It sounds like maybe everyone has to find the thing their dog hates the most. . |
Actually, there ARE other options available.
Many dogs can be trained to respond to a "Quiet" command.
Alot of barking can be eliminated with management. For instance, pup sits on the back of the sofa and barks at things outside? Try closing the drapes. Try baby-gating dog away from that part of the house. Pup barks outside? Bring him in. Every time. He will soon learn that barking ends his fun.
Many dogs are "alert barkers" - they want to let you know that something is wrong. Often just going to see what they are barking at, saying something like "Oh. Stranger walking by, I see. Thank you" is enough.
Granted, not all barking can be eliminated so easily. For many (if not most) dogs, barking is self-reinforcing. A dog with a history of practicing this behavior is going to be harder to retrain. Some of you have tried everything you possibly could and still have a barker. My comments are
not directed at you.
But, it hurts me when people think that the
first thing they should try is something the dog will hate.
