How can I get my chihuahua mix to stop barking at every little noise without using a shock collar. Answers at Dogster Answers.

Fri, Oct 12th 2012, 01:43 GMT

Toto is spot on. Please avoid aversives & quick fixes that only create more issues down the road & ruin the trust your dog has in you. To add to Toto, here is how I did it with my 2 gsds...dogs who are bred to alert to strangers..or plastic bags...that enter our space. Have a supply of absolutely yummy treats. Dog barks.. I praise & see what they are barking at. My cue is "enough"..then a treat is placed right in front of the dog's nose. Lure the dog's head away from what he is barking at. As soon as he stops..give the treat. Lather rinse, repeat. This does take time & consistency & yes..you will have to go right to the dog at first. Eventually the dog will stop on cue & come racing to get his treat. My cue to get them to bark is "watch em!" which I captured, rewarded, then added a verbal cue.

ANSWERED BY

Wiley
1 dog found this answer to be helpful.

Wed, Oct 10th 2012, 21:18 GMT

I totally disagree with the previous poster who suggested ANY antibark collar or spraying with water, which is also considered an adversive and does nothing to teach the dog not to bark, only punishes it when it does bark, much like any bark collar does. I have toy poodles, and NONE of my dogs are barkers since I taught them to bark, THEN acknowledged the barking and rewarded them when enough was enough and they stop. Yes, it takes longer to teach them how to bark and when to stop than punishing your dog for barking with a shock collar or spray bottle or can of stones, but the long term success rate is much higher and I don't need to always keep them collared OR keep my spray bottle at hand. Best of all, my dogs do not think of me as the mean bully who either shocks them or sprays them all the time. They think of me as the one who acknowledges something needing announcing and praises them for that acknowledgement.

ANSWERED BY

Toto, CD, RN, CGC
1 dog found this answer to be helpful.

Wed, Oct 10th 2012, 20:33 GMT

There are other types of collars that you can use: For example citronella spray, water spray, sound, zap.

ANSWERED BY Member 1107927