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Don White February 17th 06 11:48 PM

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.

Don White February 17th 06 11:53 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
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?

Don White February 17th 06 11:56 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
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.

Reggie Smithers February 17th 06 11:59 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
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.

************************************************** *************

RCE February 18th 06 12:16 AM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"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



JohnH February 18th 06 12:26 AM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
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! *****
******************************************

JohnH February 18th 06 12:28 AM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
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! *****
******************************************

thunder February 18th 06 12:50 AM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
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.

RCE February 18th 06 01:19 AM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"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



Calif Bill February 18th 06 01:53 AM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"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.



Reggie Smithers February 18th 06 01:34 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
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.

************************************************** *************

JohnH February 18th 06 01:38 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
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! *****
******************************************

Reggie Smithers February 18th 06 01:56 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
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.

************************************************** *************

Doug Kanter February 18th 06 03:43 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"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?



Doug Kanter February 18th 06 03:48 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"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.



Doug Kanter February 18th 06 03:58 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
"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.



Reggie Smithers February 18th 06 04:01 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
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.

************************************************** *************

Doug Kanter February 18th 06 04:17 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 

"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.



JohnH February 18th 06 05:51 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
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! *****
******************************************

DSK February 19th 06 03:15 PM

Ping: Tom the trainer ...
 
"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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