I have a 4 yr old Pomerianian who was given to me about a year ago. She is a beautiful, smart little dog but she is an obsessive barker. I have tried yelling at her,flipping her on her nose, and smacking her butt. Nothing works, she seems to be getting worse. I have other dogs that bark if they hear something but when I tell them quit, they stop. If anybody has a solution to this I would like to hear it. Thanks Roxanne

-- Roxanne (Roxanne143@webtv.net), August 24, 2001

Answers

Hi Roxanne, There is a very good book, "How to Speak Dog", by Stanley Coren - that tells how to get through to your barker (among other things).

If you shout at the dog (as I used to do), the dog just thinks you are barking too!

Instead, Coren says to place your hand gently over your dog's muzzle (remember that she has to breath, so it doesn't have to be a firm hold), and say in a low, growly voice "quiet". Wolf pups are made to be quiet in dens, by adult wolves placing their muzzles over the pup's muzzle and growling softly. It makes sense, because if there was danger, they would have to have a way to make the pup be quiet without making it yip.

Our dogs now know what the word "quiet" means, and that we want them to shut up. This doesn't mean that they will always do that, but we are communicating, and our house full of 3 dogs is a quieter than it used to be :-)

Hope this helps, Laurie

-- Laurie (laurie@folkarts.com), August 24, 2001.

Holding her muzzle shut and telling her firmly 'Quiet' works with alot of dogs. You can also fill a spray bottle and spray her when she barks. If she is good doing a sit or down you could ask her to do that when she starts barking and sometimes they will stop it. As a last resort they do have muzzles out of a soft material, if she gets carried away I would tell her that is enough and put it on. Let her wear it until she calms down and then remove it. They usually get the idea fairly fast. Sometimes they will bark out of boredom so make sure she has toys to play with, etc.

-- Skip in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), August 24, 2001.

A friend had a neighbor's dog whose barking drove her nuts. She got this gizmo ~ maybe from Radio Shack? ~ and it solved the problem. She hung the gizmo on her fence, and when the dog barked, the gizmo emitted some kind of sound that the human couldn't hear but the dog could. Evidently the sound was unpleasant to the dog, 'cause it stopped barking!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), August 24, 2001.

Hi Roxanne, If after you try these many methods to teach the dog to stop barking; and they don't work; you Can have the dog debarked. Some dogs can not be taught to stop..... they do it because they are nervous etc. I had one such dog, he would bark uncontrollably when anyone other than family came. Not just when they first got there, but the whole time they were visiting. It was WAY worse when my husband had to be gone overnight. Then he barked or "boofed" continuously at nothing. My father-in-law is a vet and performed this surgery for us. It is a very common surgery especially in the city. Anyway, it doesn't require the dog be asleep. Afterwards he didn't even seem to be sore. We could still hear him when he barked, but it was QUIET. Something to consider or look into if all else fails. Since this may just be an ingrained habit, try other suggestions before resorting to surgery. It sounds like maybe she is scared or nervous and if she is reasured, and told "NO" hand on muzzle as suggested that it might work. Good Luck! I know how frustrating this problem can be. Trina

-- Trina in NE WA (dolittle@starband.net), August 24, 2001.

that's a real shame to hear it's popular to burn or cut out dogs vocal cords. Seems like a rotten thing to do to a dog, afterall dogs bark, it's the humans with the problem. Maybe those people should have a cat or something else for a pet.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), August 24, 2001.

I prefer Laurie's method and plan to use it on my 1 year old daschaund. Daschaunds are known to be very "vocal". I don't want him not to be able to bark at all, or muffle his bark in any way, rather I merely want him to stop barking when we feel enough is enough. Also, I talk to my dog when he seems to be barking excessively. I tell him, "It's o.k." and that usually quiets him down and eases him. Sometimes however, he has to "see for himself" that things are really "o.k.", so I sometimes have to "show" him there is nothing out there for him to bark at etc. It really boils down to how much involvement you want to have in being a part of the solution. I agree with Dave. I think there are more humane ways to deal with this than to partially do away with the dog's ability to vocalize. That sounds cruel to me. I think repitition in a calm manner will do the trick. Good Luck!

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), August 24, 2001.

Roxanne,

My toy terrier was a real serious barker. I tried everything but debarking for her, and what worked best for me was the spray bottle with a long reach spray for "quick quiet downs". Worked great but the dog will get neurotic about you reaching for anything that looks like a sprayer. Be prepared for them to shy accross the room in total silence. I also resorted to muzzling her with a well fitted cloth muzzle from wal-mart during peak bark times like when the neighbor kids ride past your place on the way home from school, mailman times, and nights. She'll be able to drink water and eat with a muzzle on, but I suggest you use it sparingly for humane reasons.

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), August 24, 2001.

Your dog likes to bark...so teach it to bark on command!

If a dog gives you its paw you teach it to shake, if your dog grabs its leash in its mouth you teach it to carry their own leash.

So teach your dog to bark on command. One of the techniques is to use a command then treat/reward/praise. Pretty soon she will bark only on command.

Check into "Clicker Training" techniques. You can 'condition' your dogs responses using positive reinforcement training.

Not every technique works for every dog, but rewarding good behavior and ignoring bad behaviors seems to work well.

You could reward/praise when there is a reason to bark and ignore when there is no reason. This takes time, patience and lots of treats.

Be sure to reward your other dogs when they stop barking and treats can be lots of praise if you prefer not to actually give food. But food treats are a great motivator.

(Beef liver that has been dehydrated is magic!)

-- westbrook (westbrook_farms@yahoo.com), August 24, 2001.

There are some good ideas here. Know that for some dogs it is an uncontrolable behavior and they don't even know they are doing it. It is just like breathing to them. By all means, try the suggestions above and give it your best shot. Don't be disapointed though if they don't work. Poms are noted for this but it's not limited to them. Think of Torets syndrome in people. Debarking is an option and in some dogs it will need repeating after time has gone by, for some just one surgery will do it. Next time you accept a dog or go get one, learn about that breed first. That's one of the benefits of the purebred, there are general tendencies that you can learn about before you fall in love. Good Luck. :)

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), August 24, 2001.

There are medications that can help if the barking truly is compulsive. Prozac, Clomicalm, etc. Talk to your vet.

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), August 26, 2001.

Prozac ... for your DOG? Oh my god, it really is a Prozac world ...

-- Sojourner (notime4@summer.spam), August 26, 2001.

why yes... prescribed by the doggie therapist. Don't act too shocked over it or they'll suggest you take it too ;)

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), August 26, 2001.

Just tried one that seems to work for me. I have four dogs that think that the world outside the fence is their's to protect as well,and I have a neighbor that writes little notes all the time about how much the dogs bark. (other neighbors disagree with her but how do I know when I'm at work). I got upset at my youngest barker the other day and just lowered my voice and scolded her "baaad, baad, dog. You baad,baad, dog." I have already taught "get in the house" so I added that to it. It worked. So I have been using it regularly and noticed today that when they started after the jogger on the other side of the fence (jogging with an unrestrained dog-another story and not my problem) when I came out and called them and added bad dog, she quit barking and the other's followed suit. It seems that they have been barking at each other's barking as well as what's on the other side of the fence. My neighbor has paid a trainer to come out and work with her Aussie, he has learned the 'no bark' command in a few short days! It can be done. I just found and am reading a great new book by an animal behavorist. The book is by Rodale Press and is called 'Ain't Misbehaving'. So far I think I like it and it sounds very common sense. Hope you can find an answer to this problem. Looking for the cause first might help. Chart when she barks and what is happening. This might give you a clue as to where to start correcting the behavior. Pommies are so cute. betty

-- betty modin (betty_m9@yahoo.com), August 26, 2001.