November 05, 2006

What to do?



It has been discovered that cute little Red, the recently acquired companion of our friends Rose and Jeff, barks from the moment they leave the house to the moment they return. Does anyone have experience with this problem? If so, please share your wisdom. The crate has helped with his destructiveness, but what humane methods are there to discourage anxiety-related barking?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's me again!
My girlfriend had the same problem and she was able to find a collar that gave a squirt of citron (lemon?) when her dog barked. It was very effective, he just hated the stuff.
It was harmless, except for the smell, no shocks or anything like that.

panda said...

What my trainer recommends is something positive for the dog to do, to focus on inside the crate, rather than what's going on outside the crate.

He recommended the kong, filled with meat-based baby food, or extra yummy dog food and then frozen. Because it's frozen, it takes a couple of hours to melt enough to finish. They only get the kong when they're in the crate. But you've got to make sure it's a kind of treat they don't always get. It won't work if it's just their regular food.

Also talk radio on really low can help, if you get the dog used to it first when you're home. That way they're not always listening for voices or noises outside, and feeling like they have to defend the place if they hear anything.