Squirt Bottles

[centralnewyorki]

Does anyone else use a squirt bottle on their animals? We've had ours because of our cat, and it's come in handy a few times with Olivia, as well. However, I made the mistake of one day letting Olivia drink the water as it squirts out. She loves it and I let her do this occasionally because I think she looks cute! Now when I try to use it to discipline our cat Theo, Olivia is all over me to get a drink! Theo and Olivia (mainly Theo) ripped a hole in the bottom of our (brand new) living room chair. He was just up in it and I got the squirt bottle off the coffee table. I'm under the chair, trying to squirt Theo to get out, all the while fighting with the squirt bottle which is nearly empty so it has to be held straight up and down and I have Olivia right in my line of fire trying to get a drink!!

Not that it detours him from doing things, but Theo is scared of the water bottle if you face it toward him. Olivia looks forward to it!!

Anyone else using this method? Learn from me and DON'T use it for drinks if you do have one!

[chachi]

I do. I have a spray bottle and a squirt gun. Its been a lifesaver. My dogs really bark and its the only thing that works to get them to stop. I only have to spray them once and they stop barking.

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

I use one on my cat.

[chloeandj]

I use it. Tinkerbell likes it too because she is my little water dog, but it works because it gets her attention so that she stops whatever she is doing (like barking) then I tell her good girl. It really has worked on a number of things with all of my dogs.

[simonandhallie]

Simon is terrified of the bottle. All I have to do is show it to him to get him to stop anything. Hallie though LOVES it! She likes me to squirt her and she tries to get the water to drink it. She thinks of it as a game! I use a can with pennies in it to get her to stop barking and the water bottle for Simon.

I can just see little Olivia doing that! Silly girl.......

[rrosenberry]

I started using a squirt bottle, cause Bailey goes NUTS when someone goes by the house with a dog, he would loose it, and go from window to window,and bark even after they have been gone... so, I started to squirt him when he would start it.... and it worked,,, now all I have to do is pick up the bottle and he gets this squinty look ....like, Please dont squirt me.

[Deegan's mom]

I tried the squirt bottle for when he barks, and Deegan didn't like it at first, but then one day he decided that it was a game and began to like being sprayed.

So now I use a pop can with pennies in it - and he hates the sound. He stops barking right away!

[buffy512]

I realize this thread is old, But I def. have considered this as a corrective behavior management. For things that need to be resolved while in the house. I feel bad for doing it. I don't want my babies to hold grudges against me. Or gain fear.

My mother used it for all her dogs as training for her puppies.

Thanks for ANY help.!

[lovespandp]

I personally like correcting the behavior on a personal level than squirting them.

[Rhetts_mama]

Originally Posted by buffy512

I realize this thread is old, But I def. have considered this as a corrective behavior management. For things that need to be resolved while in the house. I feel bad for doing it. I don't want my babies to hold grudges against me. Or gain fear.

My mother used it for all her dogs as training for her puppies.

Thanks for ANY help.!

It didn't work for Rhett. He thinks it's a game and if he sees ANY spray bottle he begins jumping around and barking.

[Lovetodream88]

It was the only thing that worked for Callie when she was a puppy. She would nip at feet and would do it on the stairs so she could have really hut herself or someone else.

[Holly_Wood]

My little 4and half month old munchkin has start a REALLY annoying barking routine when she hears a noise outside, when someone comes into the apartment ... she's even started doing it when I come in .... if she's sleeping and hears a strange noise (sometimes its the ice maker making ice in the freezer or the hot water gas thermostat turning on or off) ... I seriously think its louder than our Labrador and its ear piercing ... we correct her straight away .. the word "enough" used to work ... now I have to make some contact with her to avert her attention ... I do the Ceaser Millan method of a quick jab in her flank and do the tttshhh!! noise and she stops and then have her attention and can then correct her with "enough" if she tries to get the last bark in (as these little stinkers seam to want to do)

I'm wondering if a squirt bottle may be more effective in getting her attention quicker ... I'm still recovering from a heart attack and sometime move pretty slow .... the pennies in a can sounds like a good tool for getting her attention quickly as well ... one of my friends has a Maltese and 2 dashounds and sometimes they all gang up with the barking thing .. she bought an air pressured bottle/can kind of thing from the pet store that's designed to release air very quickly and makes a loud pppssshhh... kind of noise ... this works for her and was thinking about getting one of them too

[coolcowsmoo]

".. she bought an air pressured bottle/can kind of thing from the pet store that's designed to release air very quickly and makes a loud pppssshhh... kind of noise ... this works for her and was thinking about getting one of them too[/QUOTE]

I bought the air pressured bottle/can and the first couple times I used it when Avery over barked it got his attention and he stopped. After that, he got used to the noise and now just looks at me when I do it with a look that says, "Yeah, Yeah, I've heard that before... now leave me alone will you? There are some very big dogs walking by and I need to let them know they should be very afraid of me!!!" :/

[yorkietalkjilly]

A squirt bottle is an aversive and they are called that because whatever the aversive, it is something the dog wants to avoid. Sometimes they want to avoid all things related to it, including further training. I personally do not like to introduce that type of issue into my relationship with my dog, let alone a dog I am training. I like to train a dog using only positive reinforcement and teach the dog how fun and rewarding it is to work together to learn how to control impulses, follow directions and respond to commands and that the end result of of our work together will be fun, reward and celebration - and a treat. What I love is when I see that the dog is understanding what I want him to do and that he very much wants to do it, to please me and to get his reward. There is such magic when a dog learns the art of working hard to please us and get that positive feedback from us. It becomes addicting for the dog as they love that celebratory feedback and the great treats. And to begin to squirt one while you are trying to communicate positively to train a dog and get all that positive interaction going between you seems counter-productive. If a dog isn't responding properly, I just up my game and pour on the enthusiasm and amp myself up to get the dog more involved and that will quickly get a dog re-invigorated, wanting to work. A simple "uh oh", finger snap or stepping in the front of the dog and walking toward it keeping steady eye-contact works much more effectively than a squirt in the face and the dog is not so shocked or taken-aback. And he sees you, not the aversive tool, as the one in control.

Some truly fearful, nervous or anxious dogs will just freeze up or shut down their interest in training if aversives are used in training them while others will lose trust in the trainer and amp up their nervous condition out of fear it could happen again. If you do use aversives, know your dog first and never use them on an anxious or fearful dog just to be on the safe side.

[Holly_Wood]

I have started using a small tin with a lid on it with a handful of loose change in it as some one her suggested .... my little munchkin has started backing at high pitch with out any type of suggestion/warning that she's going to do it ... I've had a heart attack recently and cant get up quickly enough to intervene with touch as no, that's enough or ttshhh noises is not enough to break her out of the barking episode .... since I used the jab a quick shake and she stops almost instantly ... I try to get her lots of praise when she is truly quiet and know she's not going to forget and start barking again ... its making things a little more pleasant for me and our neighbors... we live in an apartment and I know that shrill that comes out of that little body travels to neighbors all round ... I'm aware that this could be detrimental as you can see she doesn't like the noise but there where a few times today that all I had to do was pick the tin up and she'd stop ... I definitely need to work on my training methods but being almost bed ridden doesn't help my cause right now ...