Citronella spray no-bark collar??? sigh...

[Tuss]

i think the citronella collar might make him worse. I have a remote control one for my labradoodle and i wouldn't even use that on my havanese (she's really senstive and negative punishment isn't a good idea). one little spritz of that stuff and my big goofy doodle totally freaks out. I only use it when she won't stop barking even when i ask her to stop and she gets a warning beep (which means she knows that the spritz is coming). I think negative punishment on top of stress barking would be a bad bad thing, more barking, more spray, more barking, more spray... you get the idea.

I hope you find a better solution to the barking problem. A filled kong might work in the short term.

[TilliesMom]

ya, I have found that if I leave Tillie OUT of her crate she is very nervous, pacing, drooling, barking, even if I'm only gone for 5 minutes!! I tried leaving her free roam for a 1/2 an hour once and she was a wreck for almost 2 hours after I got home!!
She ALWAYS goes into her crate (door locked) with a kong when I have to leave her, which is everyday for 3-4 hours...
If Cey is content in the crate just do that!!

[marlowe'sgirl]

Another thing to consider what is your daughter's routine when she gets home vs yours with regards to Cey? It could be part of Cey's routine is getting messed up and that's upsetting her - such as you walk Cey for 20 mins when you get home and your daughter just lets Cey out to pee or you leave without fuss and your daughter makes a big display of saying goodbye to Cey or any number of little things that's making Cey anxious . .

[davetgabby]

hi Heather. I would be very leery of spray collars. They can work but have many risks. They incorporate the two least favorable methods of operant conditioning . Positive punishment adding something aversive to decrease the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated example spraying the dog to decrease the likelihood that it will bark. And it also uses Negative Reinforcement by removing something aversive to increase the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated example ...ending the spray when the dog stops barking to increase the likelihood that it will remain quiet.

I have an article on the research behind this stuff , if you want to email me privately. It was done by a friend . And she is much against the use of this because of the potential risks.

[The Laughing Magpie]

Barking is a very difficult habit to deal with as it is very reinforcing, bringing in another dog at this point, the new dog is likely to pick up the howling/barking habit reinforcing each other's habit. The suggestions of the others that you should check your daughters routine. Our children go through phases in their lives, and their personalities are in flux as they are growing, our Hav's are a sensitive breed and some are needy. You and your daughter might sit down and talk about what might be different...is she really excited before scoccer, or busy getting ready, does she make it a big deal, let her have an active part in solving the barking. In the mean time if your dog is in a crate move it to a room that is not close to your neighbor, also if you have an inside room away from the windows that is better still. Try to get your pup into a room that will mask any howling or barking. Sometimes you can ask your neighbors to let you have time to solve this, but some neighbors are not reasonable. I know personally how hard it is when neighbors complain, my Lhasa years ago was a barker and I lived in a hilly area so any barking bounced and ecoed, the police can out twice. I managed to train him not to bark...today he does not bark like a normal Lhasa, he barks seldom. I regret that I had to stop the barking quickly...he did not bark while I was gone he would alert at all sounds at night, so I spent two weeks with a spray bottle and no sleep. A year latter I found out it was another dog down in the canyon that was causing all the problems...so I do undersand desperation. Hope you can get this solved without too much stress.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by heatherk

I don't think it's necessarily true SA with Cey. As I said, he has typically been fine for the last 2 years - or pretty much all of his life!

One thing that occurs to me is that he will howl at certain noises, especially any sort of siren. He could be getting 'set off' by a siren and then continuing to howl without anybody there to interrupt him. I should also set up my laptop and webcam to be able to watch him again (I did this when he was little) to see if that's the case. Also, if I do that maybe I can manage to shush him; i.e., if he hears my voice through the laptop if and when he howls, maybe he will stop...

If it is a noise that scares him and sets him off, perhaps a Thundershirt would help him. I ran into an elderly couple whose small dog was very fearful and "barky" in public places (loud noises bothered him) and since they started using the Thundershirt he is quiet and much more calm. I was surprised to see that Bed Bath and Beyond carries the Thundershirt - and they have those 20% off coupons too!