Dog Barking
 

So get this :: My parents have a dog (norwegian elkhound) that refuses to shut up. Its great with the intermediate family, loves us to death, but as soon as a stranger(neighbor for example) drops by to chat, it DOESNT shutup! They've tried almost everything (including the bark collars), it doesn't work. It barks and barks and barks, its so freaking loud, it drives me nuts when I visit. The moment someone rings hte doorbell it will bark for 5-10 straight minutes, even if someone like UPS just drives by it goes nuts. How do i shut it up?

I would give it away or cut the vocal cords but i don't think thats possible..

Googling returns:
How to Stop your dog from barkingf

The other question I would ask, has it been to obedience school? Is it trained otherwise? Maybe it's something to consider.

Yes they've taken him to 4 different trainers. None of that "stuff" seems to work.

It's kinda weird, but what about a doggie psychologist?

There's something clearly bothering the dog, he's trying to tell you what it is but you don't understand dog.

That's a great suggestion. It's my experience that dogs don't bark unless there is a reason to bark. Now it's your job to figure out why and help the little guy out :)

There is such thing as cutting the vocal chords. It is called DeBarking.

It could be a good idea in this case. It is not inhumane. Ask your vet about it.

You don't need surgery. Rather, your dog doesn't need surgery. Buy a barking collar. It will zap them every time they bark while wearing it. Call it mean, but dogs learn VERY quick what not to do while wearing the collar.

he tried it and it didnt work

Yeah, tried and failed, didn't care. Although the electric fence collar he is SCARED of. I was home one time and he accidently got too close and i heard a little "yap" and he ran back into the yard. I will ask the vet/owners about cost in the "debarking" operation

What's the history on the dog? Have they had it since it was a pup, or did they get it later on.

Debarking just seems cruel, especially if the dog goes outside.

A stronger hand is needed. As soon as someone tells him to hush he needs to do so or have his muzzle smacked hard. He'll learn.

They've had it since "new"/ Not sure how old he was when they got him. When we/they have company over its cool, he's muzzled and can't bark (AHAAH! I WIN!!) , but just for the casual neighbor dropping by its hard to run in, find the muzzle, put it on, etc.. I like what THGL is saying, but if I smacked him he'd probably kill me (even though he loves me to death), he's not cool with people hitting him. Although a few times I was outside washing my car and he has started going nuts so I sprayed him with the hose and he stfu.

Got my wide De-Nagged. Ooh, the silence, the peaceful silence.

Duct tape. Duct tape the muzzle, and the paws too. I'm not a doggy fan, in case that wasn't clear.

Spray bottle with white vinegar set on high stream. When he starts barking, spray him in the mouth/nose with it and tell him to hush. Not much of this and he may learn.

The problem will be that this is now a learned behavior. Since he has been doing this all along with no correction, it will be difficult to teach him this is wrong now.

If nothing anyone suggests work, debarking surgeries are definitely a choice. My neighbour had it done to her dog, and that dog became docile and sweet. However, dogs have feelings- try alternatives before resorting to surgery.

I think you need to figure out WHY the dog is barking and go from there, not just getting rid of the barking. Maybe because he doesn't respond to being hit he was abused as a puppy and maybe he doesn't like strangers.... That stuff needs to be figured out, don't be cruel and cut his vocal chords.

Would you do the same to your baby just because you can't figure out why they cry?

This may not be real cool, but give the dog a Benedryl. It mildly tranquilizes them. Done it to my neighbor's dogs a few times, when they wouldn't stop barking after literally doing so for over 2 hours starting at 1:30 in the morning.

Well it seems like you only have 2 options... you must debark it or kill it... I would kill it, but I hate lil yappy dogs so i am bias.

Barking is usually a territorial response, and it's possible to train them to stop. If they've taken him to trainers and it hasn't stopped, they need to find another trainer, one who will work with them in the home, where the problem is. Often, dogs bark because they feel like they have to protect their home and family and it doesn't look like anyone else is in charge. I don't know how your parents interact with the dog, which is why it's important to get a good behaviorist to watch how they interact. But chances are he just needs some very firm and consistent training - correction every time he barks, rewards when he shuts up.

Here is some basic advice, though:

When you’re home
If your dog is bossy or suspicious, he may bark ad nauseum when you have a visitor, when joggers go by, when the kids get off the school bus on the corner, or when the next door neighbor gets a UPS package or has the landscapers in the yard for three or four days – even when you are home.

A bossy dog is often easier to cure than a suspicious one because he may simply need to be reminded that he’s not in charge. It takes longer to get the message across if you have ceded your authority in any fashion, but it can be done by making the dog work for every treat and cuddle and love tap he gets. He should sit or lie down or do a trick on command before getting anything he wants.

Teaching a suspicious dog to bark on command so you can then teach him to stop on command works as well. Carol Lea Benjamin calls this the “serendipitous” method of dog training by which the owner names a behavior in order to control it. The trick here is to know what triggers the barking so you can get it started yourself , then, just before initiating the noise, saying the name of the command.

Here’s how it works. If Ranger barks when someone knocks at the door, repeat “speak, speak” just before you knock on a wall or other hard surface. Tell him he’s good and give him a treat. Repeat several times a day until he understands that “speak” means bark. This process focuses his attention on you and gets ready for the next step – teaching him to quit barking.

When you tell Ranger to speak and give him his reward for doing so, follow it with “Enough” or some other word that means “knock-it-off!” Once he gets the idea that he must stop barking after the treat, you can begin to use “enough!” when he barks at real interruptions. Be sure, however, to allow to alert you to the presence of whatever and praise him before you tell him he’s done enough.

Good luck!

How do you keep your dog from barking in the front seat of your car?

Put him in the back seat...


(joke from a joke book I had when I was a kid...)

We had a tropical bird (blue and gold macaw) that would "squack" constantly. We had his vocal chords cut.... the damn things grew back (or healed or whatever). We ended up having to have them cut then burned.

I hated that f-ing bird!

We have a neighbor who has a dog that used to bark incessantly, whether it was alone, bored, suspicious, pissed off or whatever. We barely hear a peep out of it now. The solution: multiple neighbors complaining to animal control about the nuisance barking. Apparently being threatened with substantive fines did the trick.

I have a similar problem, except it's my neighbor's dog. It's one of those yappy little wiener dogs. She'll start barking at like 6 am and won't shut up for literally 2 hours. Then she'll start up again. It's sooo annoying. I know that my neighbor tried a bark coller because it would yelp after barking. The thing is so dumb that it didn't realize what was causing the pain. I called animal services to complain after repeatidly talking to and working with my neighbor to make it stop, but instead of fining, in my city, after the first call, they confinscate the animal. So I don't want to call because I'd feel bad about them taking away her pet. Any sugestions?