BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Dogs Any Barkers?

Sorry, I'm not going to throw things at my dog and intentional hit her either. This is a dog who was horribly abused before she came to live with her and I don't think any kind of abuse (hitting her with things, shock collars, etc) is the way to cure her of her barking problem. So far, though, a squirt bottle of water has been fairly successful.

Kathi -

You might try retraining her to ring a bell or chimes when she wants to go out (put a bell on the door at nose level, the dog figures out that the bell ringing and door opening are tied together and starts ringing the bell when they want to go out.) This has reduced all sorts of toileting related stress (for animals and humans) in my house and I know other people who have had equally good luck.

I don't know how familiar you are with cockers, but particularly as they get older, they tend to get VERY particular about going out (and coming back in.) I had a dog who would literally try to wait DAYS to go out until it stopped raining. And Pico (my current cocker), is very demanding about coming in exactly when she is ready to.

I find that rewarding NOT barking is very effective. I use it on Pico with great success and now I'm using it on my neighbor's dogs (with their permission - seeing Pico is one of their big triggers and I'm the one who is there at that point.) My neighbor's dogs have had 4 or 5 sessions with me, where I stuff treats at them whenever they shut up. (Or in the rare cases where they see Pico and don't bark.) They are already barking less all the time, not just when they see Pico or me.

Julie

Good idea! I had jokingly talked about puting a bell up with a rope for both dogs to pull but I guess I was closer to being on target than I ever imagined. We will be moving soon so I don't know whether I'll try it now or wait until the move is done. When she comes to the back door to come in without barking I praise her to high heaven to let her know that that is the behavior I want. Guess I should start stuffing her with treats when she does it, too?

Once Pico got the bell figured out (about 2 weeks), I can hang a bell on any doorknob and she knows what to do. I'd start now. When we got a new cat, he saw Pico use the bell ONCE and immediately picked it up.

I find the treats help. They especially help with my neighbors dogs who are very food-oriented! But if your dog is very praise oriented (Pico certainly is), praise is fine. The great thing about the bell, is that it is self-rewarding.

BTW, I've used several different bells. I most like a goat bell I got at the feed store. It's sturdy, loud but not obnoxiously so, and a good size for the animals. They also sell dog bell ropes for this purpose, which are nice but relatively expensive - might be worth it to better match the decor if the door is in your living room or something though.

Julie

Thanks for all the help, Julie. Now I know where to get the bell and what to do with it. I'm sure we can figure out a way to run two ropes for the bell - one for inside and one for outside. I will keep you posted on the Great Bell Project. Thanks again! I like this idea so much better than shock collars or throwing things at animals!