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Ping: Tom the trainer ...
Doug Kanter wrote:
"JohnH" wrote in message ... On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 13:29:35 -0500, "RCE" wrote: "Don White" wrote in message ... Doug Kanter wrote: Do you ever use shock collars, like those I see in hunting catalogs? My sister bought one of those for her Corgi. That dumb dog was so stubborn, he'd bark anyway. Reminded me of that 'Simpsons' episode where the whole family was hooked up to electrodes at a research clinic and kept shocking each other. The store manager at the PetMart also told me that although Labs are super people friendly and affectionate, they aren't exactly the sharpest tack in the drawer, as dogs go. I like him though. He's just a big goofus. RCE My daughter used a shock collar on their new bulldog. They used it to keep it from jumping on visitors, and it worked well. I don't see how it could be useful to keep a dog from barking only at certain times and places. I would want the dog to bark if someone were walking in my yard, for example. The collar didn't help a bit when it came to the dog's chewing of furniture! I can't imagine how anyone even entertains the idea of having a dog, if there's a chance of it ruining nice furniture. Maybe it helps to own crappy furniture. Our 14 year old cat is always sharpening her claws on our living room furniture. We're constantly after her. I might have to find one of the boys old water pistols. That should make her think twice. |
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RCE wrote:
"JohnH" wrote in message ... On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:07:06 GMT, "Doug Kanter" wrote: I can't imagine how anyone even entertains the idea of having a dog, if there's a chance of it ruining nice furniture. Maybe it helps to own crappy furniture. Totally agree. The original furniture was old. They just bought some new stuff. It took the dog all of about two days to get a moment when it wasn't being watched to chew up a leg on the couch. I am sitting here at my desk - a nice desk. It's oval in shape and has a leather top with drawers and compartments all over the place for my stuff. Mrs.E found it in a very unusual furniture shop. Since Sam Adams joined the family 10 months ago the bottom of the desk has acquired lots of teeth marks and chew damage. I've repaired it once by sanding and staining, but the damage is done. But, the way I look at it, ... 20 years from now (if I am still around) I am going to look at the bottom of the damaged desk and will recall, with fond, happy memories, the unique creature that he is, Samuel Adams. The furniture can be repaired or replaced. The unique personality of a living creature, even a lowly dog, cannot. RCE Wonder if you could splash something on the legs that would deter the dog but not harm the wood finish? |
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JohnH wrote:
On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 15:21:20 -0500, "RCE" wrote: "JohnH" wrote in message . .. On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:07:06 GMT, "Doug Kanter" wrote: I can't imagine how anyone even entertains the idea of having a dog, if there's a chance of it ruining nice furniture. Maybe it helps to own crappy furniture. Totally agree. The original furniture was old. They just bought some new stuff. It took the dog all of about two days to get a moment when it wasn't being watched to chew up a leg on the couch. I am sitting here at my desk - a nice desk. It's oval in shape and has a leather top with drawers and compartments all over the place for my stuff. Mrs.E found it in a very unusual furniture shop. Since Sam Adams joined the family 10 months ago the bottom of the desk has acquired lots of teeth marks and chew damage. I've repaired it once by sanding and staining, but the damage is done. But, the way I look at it, ... 20 years from now (if I am still around) I am going to look at the bottom of the damaged desk and will recall, with fond, happy memories, the unique creature that he is, Samuel Adams. The furniture can be repaired or replaced. The unique personality of a living creature, even a lowly dog, cannot. RCE Understandable. I feel the same way about Buffy, my lab, who, BTW, is going to the vet this afternoon. The tumor is looking worse every day. I'm afraid the time is coming very soon to have her put to sleep. The bulldog has gone through the legs and several cushions of the family room furniture, chewed the corners off an oak coffee table, chewed the corners off all the low window sills in the kitchen and family room, and has now started on the new furniture. If it were an only dog that they'd had for a while, I could understand it better. They've got another dog, two cats, and two (soon to be three) kids under four years old. Perhaps the dog just needs the attention someone like you or I could provide. As it is, the dog spends most of its life in a cage. I don't like it, but it's their dog. -- 'Til next time, John H ****************************************** ***** Have a Spectacular Day! ***** ****************************************** Can they throw a 2 x 4 in the cage with it? preferably a wood that doesn't splinter. |
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Doug Kanter wrote:
"Reggie Smithers" wrote in message ... Doug Kanter wrote: "RCE" wrote in message ... "Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message ... The problem is that you have to connect the discipline with the activity - just like a two year old. He's used to getting a reward for coming in, but at the same time, it's not connected to the unwanted barking activity. In his mind, he barks, you holler, he gets to come in and chow down. It's much to complicated for him to understand at this point. Later on, he might make the connection, but not at this age. You have to be with him to get him to stop or use a mechanical device. Not to be difficult, but I've tried. I have spent an hour at a time with him out there several times. If I am with him, he doesn't bark because he's too busy trying to get me to play. (which he is mostly successful at). I went down to the PetMart or whatever it is this morning and found a spray collar. It was in a locked case so the store manager was called to open it. As he handed it to me he asked what kind of dog I had. I told him he was a 10 and a half month old, 94lb Lab. The guy laughed at me and took the spray collar package back. He said it wouldn't faze him at all. So, I asked what he recommended and he produced a collar that looks like it came from the dark caverns of the Inquisition. It's a shock type with two metal prongs and an adjustable shock level. Couldn't do it. Handed it back to him and said thanks, anyway. RCE I think it was Gary Larson (Far Side) who once did a cartoon about labs. 4 frames showing various dog moods. Happy, sad, bored, sad. In all four, the lab is sorta smiling with its tongue hanging out, and drooling. Great cartoon, but it was about the only dog dumber than a lab, an Irish Setter, the blond of the dog world. -- Reggie I think that's what my neighbor had. When the wind blew, the dog's skull made a sound like a conch shell. Yes, but the dog always had a smile on his face. -- Reggie ************************************************** ************* That's my story and I am sticking to it. ************************************************** ************* |
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"Don White" wrote in message ... Wonder if you could splash something on the legs that would deter the dog but not harm the wood finish? That's a thought. Horses sometimes develop a habit of putting their top teeth on a rail or feed bucket and pulling on it. It's called "cribbing" and, if done to an excess can causes them to swallow a lot of air leading to health problems. The horse people put Tabasco sauce on the edges of the rails and buckets to keep the horses from doing this. I wouldn't use Tabasco with a dog, but there is probably something safe sold for that purpose. RCE |
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On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 23:53:20 GMT, Don White wrote:
RCE wrote: "JohnH" wrote in message ... On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:07:06 GMT, "Doug Kanter" wrote: I can't imagine how anyone even entertains the idea of having a dog, if there's a chance of it ruining nice furniture. Maybe it helps to own crappy furniture. Totally agree. The original furniture was old. They just bought some new stuff. It took the dog all of about two days to get a moment when it wasn't being watched to chew up a leg on the couch. I am sitting here at my desk - a nice desk. It's oval in shape and has a leather top with drawers and compartments all over the place for my stuff. Mrs.E found it in a very unusual furniture shop. Since Sam Adams joined the family 10 months ago the bottom of the desk has acquired lots of teeth marks and chew damage. I've repaired it once by sanding and staining, but the damage is done. But, the way I look at it, ... 20 years from now (if I am still around) I am going to look at the bottom of the damaged desk and will recall, with fond, happy memories, the unique creature that he is, Samuel Adams. The furniture can be repaired or replaced. The unique personality of a living creature, even a lowly dog, cannot. RCE Wonder if you could splash something on the legs that would deter the dog but not harm the wood finish? Been there, done that. It takes about two days for the dog to start *liking* the crap - bitter apple, et al. -- 'Til next time, John H ****************************************** ***** Have a Spectacular Day! ***** ****************************************** |
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On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 23:56:53 GMT, Don White wrote:
JohnH wrote: On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 15:21:20 -0500, "RCE" wrote: "JohnH" wrote in message ... On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 19:07:06 GMT, "Doug Kanter" wrote: I can't imagine how anyone even entertains the idea of having a dog, if there's a chance of it ruining nice furniture. Maybe it helps to own crappy furniture. Totally agree. The original furniture was old. They just bought some new stuff. It took the dog all of about two days to get a moment when it wasn't being watched to chew up a leg on the couch. I am sitting here at my desk - a nice desk. It's oval in shape and has a leather top with drawers and compartments all over the place for my stuff. Mrs.E found it in a very unusual furniture shop. Since Sam Adams joined the family 10 months ago the bottom of the desk has acquired lots of teeth marks and chew damage. I've repaired it once by sanding and staining, but the damage is done. But, the way I look at it, ... 20 years from now (if I am still around) I am going to look at the bottom of the damaged desk and will recall, with fond, happy memories, the unique creature that he is, Samuel Adams. The furniture can be repaired or replaced. The unique personality of a living creature, even a lowly dog, cannot. RCE Understandable. I feel the same way about Buffy, my lab, who, BTW, is going to the vet this afternoon. The tumor is looking worse every day. I'm afraid the time is coming very soon to have her put to sleep. The bulldog has gone through the legs and several cushions of the family room furniture, chewed the corners off an oak coffee table, chewed the corners off all the low window sills in the kitchen and family room, and has now started on the new furniture. If it were an only dog that they'd had for a while, I could understand it better. They've got another dog, two cats, and two (soon to be three) kids under four years old. Perhaps the dog just needs the attention someone like you or I could provide. As it is, the dog spends most of its life in a cage. I don't like it, but it's their dog. -- 'Til next time, John H ****************************************** ***** Have a Spectacular Day! ***** ****************************************** Can they throw a 2 x 4 in the cage with it? preferably a wood that doesn't splinter. Not wood! They discovered, yesterday, that the dog loves rawhide, so they're using that. But, I know I've read somewhere that rawhide is not a good things for dogs to chew. Something about it not going well with their digestive system. -- 'Til next time, John H ****************************************** ***** Have a Spectacular Day! ***** ****************************************** |
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On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 15:04:49 -0500, RCE wrote:
If you don't understand, you never will, either. Here, the dogs are far more valuable than the furniture. Nothing wrong with not liking dogs, but you are missing out on a very special commitment of friendship. And the joy. My folks, both in their mid-eighties, have a dog. I've noticed their house is a far happier place with the dog, than without it. |
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"JohnH" wrote in message ... But, I know I've read somewhere that rawhide is not a good things for dogs to chew. Something about it not going well with their digestive system. -- 'Til next time, John H I'd ask Sam but he's snoring at the moment. RCE |
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"Reggie Smithers" wrote in message . .. Doug Kanter wrote: "Reggie Smithers" wrote in message ... Doug Kanter wrote: "RCE" wrote in message ... "Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message ... The problem is that you have to connect the discipline with the activity - just like a two year old. He's used to getting a reward for coming in, but at the same time, it's not connected to the unwanted barking activity. In his mind, he barks, you holler, he gets to come in and chow down. It's much to complicated for him to understand at this point. Later on, he might make the connection, but not at this age. You have to be with him to get him to stop or use a mechanical device. Not to be difficult, but I've tried. I have spent an hour at a time with him out there several times. If I am with him, he doesn't bark because he's too busy trying to get me to play. (which he is mostly successful at). I went down to the PetMart or whatever it is this morning and found a spray collar. It was in a locked case so the store manager was called to open it. As he handed it to me he asked what kind of dog I had. I told him he was a 10 and a half month old, 94lb Lab. The guy laughed at me and took the spray collar package back. He said it wouldn't faze him at all. So, I asked what he recommended and he produced a collar that looks like it came from the dark caverns of the Inquisition. It's a shock type with two metal prongs and an adjustable shock level. Couldn't do it. Handed it back to him and said thanks, anyway. RCE I think it was Gary Larson (Far Side) who once did a cartoon about labs. 4 frames showing various dog moods. Happy, sad, bored, sad. In all four, the lab is sorta smiling with its tongue hanging out, and drooling. Great cartoon, but it was about the only dog dumber than a lab, an Irish Setter, the blond of the dog world. -- Reggie I think that's what my neighbor had. When the wind blew, the dog's skull made a sound like a conch shell. Yes, but the dog always had a smile on his face. -- Reggie ************************************************** ************* That's my story and I am sticking to it. ************************************************** ************* No, absolutely dumbest dog. . . Afghan. |
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thunder wrote:
On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 15:04:49 -0500, RCE wrote: If you don't understand, you never will, either. Here, the dogs are far more valuable than the furniture. Nothing wrong with not liking dogs, but you are missing out on a very special commitment of friendship. And the joy. My folks, both in their mid-eighties, have a dog. I've noticed their house is a far happier place with the dog, than without it. It has been proven that pet owners are healthier and happier than non pet owners. http://smh.com.au/news/childrens-hea...890803141.html -- Reggie ************************************************** ************* That's my story and I am sticking to it. ************************************************** ************* |
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On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 08:34:05 -0500, Reggie Smithers
wrote: thunder wrote: On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 15:04:49 -0500, RCE wrote: If you don't understand, you never will, either. Here, the dogs are far more valuable than the furniture. Nothing wrong with not liking dogs, but you are missing out on a very special commitment of friendship. And the joy. My folks, both in their mid-eighties, have a dog. I've noticed their house is a far happier place with the dog, than without it. It has been proven that pet owners are healthier and happier than non pet owners. http://smh.com.au/news/childrens-hea...890803141.html Which came first, the disposition to become a pet owner (and the health that came with it), or the ownership of the pet and resultant health changes? -- 'Til next time, John H ****************************************** ***** Have a Spectacular Day! ***** ****************************************** |
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JohnH wrote:
On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 08:34:05 -0500, Reggie Smithers wrote: thunder wrote: On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 15:04:49 -0500, RCE wrote: If you don't understand, you never will, either. Here, the dogs are far more valuable than the furniture. Nothing wrong with not liking dogs, but you are missing out on a very special commitment of friendship. And the joy. My folks, both in their mid-eighties, have a dog. I've noticed their house is a far happier place with the dog, than without it. It has been proven that pet owners are healthier and happier than non pet owners. http://smh.com.au/news/childrens-hea...890803141.html Which came first, the disposition to become a pet owner (and the health that came with it), or the ownership of the pet and resultant health changes? -- 'Til next time, John H ****************************************** ***** Have a Spectacular Day! ***** ****************************************** They have done studies of people with poor health and then compared the individuals health after having a pet. The pet ownership seems to be the reason for the improved health, not that those who are inclined to like or want pets are healthier. -- Reggie ************************************************** ************* That's my story and I am sticking to it. ************************************************** ************* |
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"Harry Krause" wrote in message ... Doug Kanter wrote: "RCE" wrote in message ... "Doug Kanter" wrote in message ... A friend's two dogs chewed a wiring harness out from under his Jaguar. He was not amused. He had to have his invisible fence system completely rearranged so he's able to park in his own driveway. That's friggin nuts. Hafa admit. *That* would be a real test of my patience. RCE It would be a test of my ability to build a silencer for my handgun, to be used just twice. Just twice? Why waste more than one round per dog? |
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"Don White" wrote in message ... Doug Kanter wrote: "JohnH" wrote in message ... On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 13:29:35 -0500, "RCE" wrote: "Don White" wrote in message ... Doug Kanter wrote: Do you ever use shock collars, like those I see in hunting catalogs? My sister bought one of those for her Corgi. That dumb dog was so stubborn, he'd bark anyway. Reminded me of that 'Simpsons' episode where the whole family was hooked up to electrodes at a research clinic and kept shocking each other. The store manager at the PetMart also told me that although Labs are super people friendly and affectionate, they aren't exactly the sharpest tack in the drawer, as dogs go. I like him though. He's just a big goofus. RCE My daughter used a shock collar on their new bulldog. They used it to keep it from jumping on visitors, and it worked well. I don't see how it could be useful to keep a dog from barking only at certain times and places. I would want the dog to bark if someone were walking in my yard, for example. The collar didn't help a bit when it came to the dog's chewing of furniture! I can't imagine how anyone even entertains the idea of having a dog, if there's a chance of it ruining nice furniture. Maybe it helps to own crappy furniture. Our 14 year old cat is always sharpening her claws on our living room furniture. We're constantly after her. I might have to find one of the boys old water pistols. That should make her think twice. White pepper, red pepper, black pepper. These are your friends. And, wrap a 1x10 board with sisal rope & sprinkle with catnip. Teach her how to claw it. |
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"Reggie Smithers" wrote in message
... They have done studies of people with poor health and then compared the individuals health after having a pet. The pet ownership seems to be the reason for the improved health, not that those who are inclined to like or want pets are healthier. Pets tend to have a positive attitude, although with cats, I think it depends on the pet's age when it comes into the home, especially with cats. Some people say their cats are boring and just sit around all day, and these are usually people who adopted older cats. Get a kitten and romp with it daily, and it's a different story. Mine's 8 months old, and as far as she's concerned, it's play time 24x7xAMillion. :-) Impossible not to smile more when that's going on. Hard to explain to my customers, though, when they're giving me orders for truckloads of food, and I'm laughing. |
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Doug Kanter wrote:
"Reggie Smithers" wrote in message ... They have done studies of people with poor health and then compared the individuals health after having a pet. The pet ownership seems to be the reason for the improved health, not that those who are inclined to like or want pets are healthier. Pets tend to have a positive attitude, although with cats, I think it depends on the pet's age when it comes into the home, especially with cats. Some people say their cats are boring and just sit around all day, and these are usually people who adopted older cats. Get a kitten and romp with it daily, and it's a different story. Mine's 8 months old, and as far as she's concerned, it's play time 24x7xAMillion. :-) Impossible not to smile more when that's going on. Hard to explain to my customers, though, when they're giving me orders for truckloads of food, and I'm laughing. If you continue to show your cat love and affection, even older cats will want to sit on your lap (at their discretion of course) and get petted and provide a nice contented purr. -- Reggie ************************************************** ************* That's my story and I am sticking to it. ************************************************** ************* |
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"Reggie Smithers" wrote in message . .. Doug Kanter wrote: "Reggie Smithers" wrote in message ... They have done studies of people with poor health and then compared the individuals health after having a pet. The pet ownership seems to be the reason for the improved health, not that those who are inclined to like or want pets are healthier. Pets tend to have a positive attitude, although with cats, I think it depends on the pet's age when it comes into the home, especially with cats. Some people say their cats are boring and just sit around all day, and these are usually people who adopted older cats. Get a kitten and romp with it daily, and it's a different story. Mine's 8 months old, and as far as she's concerned, it's play time 24x7xAMillion. :-) Impossible not to smile more when that's going on. Hard to explain to my customers, though, when they're giving me orders for truckloads of food, and I'm laughing. If you continue to show your cat love and affection, even older cats will want to sit on your lap (at their discretion of course) and get petted and provide a nice contented purr. When I'm at the desk, mine thinks it's a good idea to leap 4 feet onto the back of the chair (which she can do without clawing it), and than lay on my neck like a fur collar. I just wish I knew when she was planning on doing it. I could turn the heat down a couple of degrees. |
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On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 15:58:16 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote: "Reggie Smithers" wrote in message ... They have done studies of people with poor health and then compared the individuals health after having a pet. The pet ownership seems to be the reason for the improved health, not that those who are inclined to like or want pets are healthier. Pets tend to have a positive attitude, although with cats, I think it depends on the pet's age when it comes into the home, especially with cats. Some people say their cats are boring and just sit around all day, and these are usually people who adopted older cats. Get a kitten and romp with it daily, and it's a different story. Mine's 8 months old, and as far as she's concerned, it's play time 24x7xAMillion. :-) Impossible not to smile more when that's going on. Hard to explain to my customers, though, when they're giving me orders for truckloads of food, and I'm laughing. Our two cats (see "Tired of Dogs" in abpso) were both adopted as adults. The orange one, Toby, was about a year old when we got him, and he's full of energy. He'll chase a laser beam spot forever! The other one, Huey, was, according to the animal shelter, about a year and a half old and had been hit by a car. The vet, after a physical, said it was more likely seven to eight years old. He also said animal shelters tend to greatly underestimate the ages of the adoptive animals. But, the older one is the one that keeps my lap warm when watching the tube or reading (or conversing with you folks). -- 'Til next time, John H ****************************************** ***** Have a Spectacular Day! ***** ****************************************** |
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"RCE" wrote:
How do you teach a juvenile delinquent dog not to bark at everything he sees in the back yard? Shortwave Sportfishing wrote: The first and best way is to train the dog not to bark. That often requires your presence with the dog and normal behavior training. Agreed. It helps to understand why dogs bark in the first place, and encourage them to fit their barking into their home & family life in a way that is acceptable to you. Dogs are intensely social animals, their social group means more to them than their life as an individual. You just have to communicate with them consistently so that they know what is good & what is not. Most people assume that dogs 'think like humans' and also don't spend enough time with them. .... The following is what I tell people to do and it often works. One is that you personally invest time with the dog - probably for a couple of weeks using positive reinforcement to train your dog to bark on command; this will help him learn how to be quieted on command as well. That definitely works. Another action to take in this regard is to use the dogs instinctive 'alarm bark' to condition him to accept *your* decision about what to bark at. One of the main reasons dogs bark is to alert their pack to approaching danger. Obviously if the 'alpha' of the pack is alerted, and makes clear that there is no danger, then the barking should cease. The problem here is that most people just yell at the dog to shut up, and don't signal to the dog that they have seen the possible danger and that it's OK... a double whammy since they miss the chance to reinforce their alpha status and also failing to condition the dog to it's proper & acceptable social interaction with it's 'pack.' Dogs bark for other reasons, but once you get a handle on teaching them to bark on command (and they enjoy it, like kids enjoy yelling & stomping) and accepting their 'alert' barks, they will bark far less just to be annoying. Our old dog would bark at the approach of strangers, and he would not stop (in fact he'd get louder & more aggressive) if I did not pay attention to what he perceived as approaching danger. OTOH if (for example) if he was barking at a strange car or delivery truck parked in front of the house, once I went & looked and said to him "It's OK, you can be quiet now" he settled right down. Then there's the issue of barking at stray cats & squirrels, which is more difficult to solve. The other way is to invest in a citronella no-bark collar, which is effective and not cruel; if your dog barks, the collar sprays a small amount of citronella, which dogs dislike. It works well, but doesn't help you become a command presence for the dog and actually is a negative type of training. It doesn't allow for command presence. If your dog needs to bark at something he is afraid of, for instance, the citronella collar doesn't work as well. If you go this route, get one that can be turned off while the dog wears it. Otherwise he will learn *very* quickly that he cannot bark while wearing the collar, and bark even more when he's not wearing it. My sister reports that she bought a collar like this, and her other dog enjoys setting it off just to harrass the younger 'problem barking' dog. Regards Doug King |
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