Calling All Dog Whisperers. Need Big Time Help (long).

[LeeH]

From today's Arizona Republic.

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by aigel

I can't believe he's asking for a dog whisperer and only the dog shockers and dog de-barkers speak up!

I am no dog whisperer, but I would try it with training.

+1000

Here's a thought for you guys...take these sentences:

I feel your pain, one of my three barks like that. Solution is a bark collar... battery operated shocks when the dog barks. You can set the level, there are some that can be set to a beep and no shock once they've learned.
Ours has not learned to stop barking, but she has learned not to bark with the collar on.

Now replace bark with cry, and dog with baby:

I feel your pain, one of my three cries like that. Solution is a cry collar... battery operated shocks when the baby cries. You can set the level, there are some that can be set to a beep and no shock once they've learned.
Ours has not learned to stop crying, but she has learned not to cry with the collar on.

Doesn't that sound lovely? Use shock treatment on your babies. I'm sure your kids would turn out splendidly.

[elwood-914]

Shock collars worked for Rickybobby. He was found dodging cars. We assumed that he got lost by wandering, oh he was a wanderer, or maybe abandoned. He would just take off, 4 seperate times I shocked him and it worked wonders.

As far as barking ........I don't know.

[Rikao4]

shock a baby..no..
some kids .. oh yes!
and he did say he wasn't around during the puppy yr..
so this is more like timeout for a 5 yr old..
I met many kids who would benefit from a collar..
it doesn't zap them..it get's their attention.
example.. D post something silly..
Island zaps..in time D stops posting..or
he starts making sense..

Rika

[mca]

I certainly won't de-bark her.

Don't be fooled by her small size. She has a solid bark (not yappy) and is quite athletic - great swimmer, loves chasing tennis balls, etc. She isn't afraid of other dogs either.

The can with rocks inside is the same thing that Bark Busters tried. Except they use "training pillows" which are mesh bags containing chains. You toss the bags next to the dog in order to correct behavior. Doesn't work with Vita.

We have tried setting up scenarios - strangers walk in, Vita barks, we correct her. We would do this over and over and over. Eventually she would catch on and learn that this was some sort of game or test and stop reacting to strangers (or we would run out of strangers). Vita is very intelligent. Again, repetitive correction didn't work with her.

I will consider a shock collar but I hope that there is some other solution.

[mca]

Originally Posted by aigel

I can't believe he's asking for a dog whisperer and only the dog shockers and dog de-barkers speak up!

I am no dog whisperer, but I would try it with training. Don't take the dog to the office until it is better.

Here an attempt at a training sequence:

Outside of your home, up front:
Get the dog off the ground at chest level (Table)
Make the dog lay down, leash on with the "stay" command.
If the dog can't do stay for at least 5 minutes distracted, train stay before even starting this.
Stay close to the dog, holding the collar.
Let stranger / neighbor etc. come close.
Anticipate the barking.
Before it even starts, when you see the dog will go off any second give command "stay - quiet". Do so in a calm voice.
This is also where stranger stops if there is any barking or nervousness of the dog.
If the dog starts barking, calm it down with "stay - quiet".
Only when the dog stops barking and does look calm, let stranger come closer.
Repeat.

Work this in sessions, 2 times a day 10 minutes. The goal is that the dog equals "stay" with "quiet" and the stranger can walk up briskly with the dog remaining calm. Once you are there, transfer training to inside the house with the stranger coming in until you get it too.

Then back to the outside, dog to the ground, still on leash, you still very close to it. Repeat above. Any relapse - go back to very beginning.

Once it works on the ground, get further away from the dog. Enforce stay command. Quiet command. Still on leash.

Move inside. The goal is to get it where the dog does "stay" and will not bark with a stranger coming in.

Finally go off leash.

Then transfer to office. Starting out holding the dog w/ leash and work your way forward.

I think you can get it there if the dog has a strong "stay" command. It needs to know that "stay" also means "quiet". I do not think you want to just shock the hell out of the dog every time it barks. It will not make the connection. If you feel you want to use force, pinch the ear of the dog during the table exercise / floor exercise when you are holding it's collar. You wil pinch it when the dog is starting to want to bark and do not stop until the dog stops barking.

My two cents. You will see quickly if the above works. If you can't get it to work on the table outside with a stranger coming in to 30 feet even with a week worth of training, it is time to leave the dog home and call it "tough luck".

George

George,

I appreciate the suggestions. Very good stuff.

The big issue is that I can't leave Vita at home during the day unless I decide to drive home during lunch (which sucks). Remember, small dogs have to relieve themselves more often than large dogs.

"Only when the dog stops barking and does look calm, let stranger come closer.
Repeat." ... SHE NEVER STOPS. See my post above.

[Rikao4]

the ? is do they make them small enough..
if so and you use it right..
barking will cease within 48 hrs...
bark..NO.. bark.. zap..low bark.. zap..dog WTF..bark ..zap..okay I get it...

Rika

[LeeH]

Submitted without comment...

[LeeH]

Amazing how many videos there are on youtube of people wearing shock collars. Oddly enough many involve alcohol. Apparently yelling "Owe" is the same as barking as far as the collar is concerned, which makes things interesting.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

+1000

Here's a thought for you guys...take these sentences:



Now replace bark with cry, and dog with baby:



Doesn't that sound lovely? Use shock treatment on your babies. I'm sure your kids would turn out splendidly.

Dogs aren't babies. I'd say they're more like toddlers. Toddlers occasionally need spankings. I don't beat my dogs. Like I said, I tested the bark collar on myself. It's more of an attention getter than anything else. If you put it on the dog, and the dog keeps barking, then it must not bother the dog too much. It's not a shock like a stun gun, it's more like a joy buzzer, more startling.

Anyway, I'm not sure that I consider your analogy/comparison valid.

[WolfeMacleod]

There was a Chiuaha at my place for a time that would bark at anything. Wind. Cat. Shadow. Itself. Anybody, a floor squeak...you name it, the damn thing barked at anything. One of my cats was so scared of the dog, she never came out of the bedroom. Still won't, and now my two cats don't know each other any more.
Dog became very agressive towards my employee. Bit one of the kids on the face several times. You'da thunk mom woulda got rid of the dog after the first kid bite? No.
You'da thought that the kid would have learned not to put her face near the dog's face?

NO.

Wonder who the idiot is? Mom, dog, or kid?
I choose D.

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by masraum

Dogs aren't babies.

/snip/

Anyway, I'm not sure that I consider your analogy/comparison valid.

That's fine. IMO, it's the wrong approach to train a dog. Worse, it's the lazy way to teach a dog. I suggest you use positive reinforcement methods, only. I now relinquish the soapbox.

[mca]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

Worse, it's the lazy way to teach a dog.

Please know that I am anything but lazy with my dogs. They get ample training, excercise and love.

I am just at the end of my rope with her. We have seriously tried everything. Training takes time and patience - a dog won't change overnight. But after months of repitition (and thoughtful training exercises) we have seen zero improvement. It seems like she needs something more to really correct the issue deep inside of her.

Have you all seen the rehabilitation center on the Dog Whisperer? I really believe that this is what Vita needs - time to learn how to be a dog again. She needs to be thrown into a pack scenario where she can learn how to communicate, associate and get along with other dogs. Then, this will translate to the human side of things.

Too bad there is no rehab center here ... I truly think it would work.

[ken_xman]

I agree on the shock collar. We have a rescue dog from the island of St Croix and its basically a wild dog. That little f-er was getting worse and worse and would only listen to me . To compound the issue we are building a new house, someone needs to save the USA, and we are shacking in the guest portion of the inlaws house. The dog was getting agressive and posessive of my wife with anyone else. She, the dog, is about 45lbs, and I got the big dog collar 50+lbs that shocks harder if she ignores it. This is also a 5 year old dog with the collar on for about a month now. At first bark baark bark yep. Now its one bark with no additional agression with the door bell or strangers. Seem kinda cruel but we also tried everything else to no avail.

[mca]

Originally Posted by ken_xman

I agree on the shock collar. We have a rescue dog from the island of St Croix and its basically a wild dog. That little f-er was getting worse and worse and would only listen to me . To compound the issue we are building a new house, someone needs to save the USA, and we are shacking in the guest portion of the inlaws house. The dog was getting agressive and posessive of my wife with anyone else. She, the dog, is about 45lbs, and I got the big dog collar 50+lbs that shocks harder if she ignores it. This is also a 5 year old dog with the collar on for about a month now. At first bark baark bark yep. Now its one bark with no additional agression with the door bell or strangers. Seem kinda cruel but we also tried everything else to no avail.

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.

My wife and I are getting ready to build a house and we will be staying with her mother during construction. Good times!