Posts Tagged ‘bark collar’
Rescue pit pup behavioral questions?
May 1st, 2010 | 
Author: I have a pit pup, 4 months old, that was a rescue along with his little mutt sidekick (pug/dachshund) of about the same age, both male, I’ve had them for about a month. The pit is a wonderful dog, highly intelligent, but has some behaviors that drive me crazy. ;~) The mutt is doing great, other than the occasional issue of going to the bathroom in the house when he’s mad at me.
Background on the dogs ~ They were purchased about a week apart by a young couple who wanted a bully breed for the status and a little dog to spoil rotten. Neither dog was house trained (or actually trained at all). The pit was taken from his mother at only 5 weeks by a BYB who told the couple it would lead to better bonding with the owners.
The issues I’m having with the pit ~
~MAJOR separation anxiety.
~Constant "talking" when outside in the form of yipping, whining and screaming. The previous owners thought this was cute and reinforced the behavior.
~Being sneaky with incorrect behaviors (cat box grazing, garbage rummaging). He knows better but will wait til I am not paying attention and go check out the cat box and trash. I bought a covered cat box to try and remedy this but the pup will flip it over til the litter and feces fall out on the floor. The garbage he simply pushes the flip-lid up with his nose, grabs whatever is on top and stashes it under my desk with his pile of toys.
This dog is not at all aggressive (passed the SMARTER tests with flying colors), is a sweet natured incredibly loving animal who is so happy to be loved. It took me only 48 hours of constant work and positive reinforcement to get him house trained, he knows it’s ok to chew all his toys up but nothing else.
A few people I’ve talked to suggested a bark collar to stop the "talking" but I’m not sure of this would be a good idea with an abused dog. There were reports of the previous owner using a shock collar dialed up to 10 to get the pup to "twitch" and lose bladder control.
I expected the separation anxiety, but his is the worst I’ve ever seen.
The cat box and garbage issues are a real annoyance to me because I don’t want his breath reeking of his little "cat treats", and the garbage issue seems as if the dog is hoarding(???) and I’m getting tired of cleaning up his stash. ;~)
We are working on socializing and are enrolled in obedience classes that begin in two weeks. I am also exploring agility training for him due to his high energy level, it would give him a "job" and a positive focus for his energy.
By the way, I am a 38 yr old college student taking my classes online through the closest college (an hour commute) so am home most of the day and take breaks to give the dogs attention.
Have tried elevating the cat box, the pup can jump about 4 feet up. ~sigh~ love him madly though. Am thinking about investing in one of those cat boxes that does the sifting a minute or so after the cat finishes her business.
I have tried crating/kenneling, but the dog freaks out if he knows I’m in the house and he’s kenneled, to the point I’m afraid he will hurt himself further trying to get out (already had a bloody mouth from him trying to chew through the wire a week or so ago when I was testing for a SOC class and didn’t want to be interrupted by the dogs). He does fine if I kennel him and then leave the house though. The pup is seriously attached and is afraid of being abandoned.
His behaviors are great except for these few issues.
Thank you ms manners!! Will go buy a spray bottle and look for the trash can you described this afternoon.
Good point about the exercise. I didn’t think to put that in. I get up every morning around 5 and take the dogs down to the river and back for their morning exercise (about 1 1/2 mile walk). I have just under an acre for a back yard and after breakfast the dogs get to go outside for bathroom duties and playtime. I built a spring pole this weekend for the pit (the mutt likes it so much I need to build a smaller version for him!! lol). I take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes early afternoon to take the dogs out in the yard for more playtime to wear them out so I can concentrate on my PSYC class lecture via webcam mid-afternoon. In the evenings we either take another walk after dinner or play in the backyard til they are worn out and ready to settle in for the night. Also when I get frustrated or am going cross-eyed from my school work I take breaks throughout the day and take the dogs out back for a game of fetch or something while I clear my head.
Dog Obedience Training Related Blogs
How can I get my dog to stop barking?
If I have him tied up outside, he barks. If I’m on the phone when I get home from work, he barks. If I have people over and I’m not paying attention to him, he barks. If I don’t throw his ball, he barks.
I bought a bark collar with remote so I can control when he gets vibrated or shocked that works great when it’s on, but I’ve had it for a month and thought he would be trained by now, but I thought wrong.
What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions?
Dog Obedience Training Related Blogs
Out Neighbor’s Dog Won’t Stop Barking!!!?
Our neighbor’s dogs will not stop barking and since we live in a rural area we can’t just shut the windows and ignore it. Regardless of whether they are home or not, the dogs bark essentially non-stop all day, very early in the morning and sometimes at night. (They are pit bulls so it is a terrible, shrieking sound.) We have spoken to them about it several times and they constantly say that they will "take care of it," but clearly they are either unable or unwilling to do so. We live in a nice, essentially no-crime area and they are making most people in the neighborhood extremely stressed out and several different neighbors have called the police and animal control. Animal control told us that they have been fined, but this doesn’t appear to have done anything.
We are so stressed out at this point that any time we hear a dog anywhere we cringe and we are unable to focus on homework or anything because of the sound and our fear of it starting up again. Like I said, we have already contacted both the police and animal control, what is our next step to have this dealt with? Someone once suggested buying a "no-bark collar," but this is not an option because they are expensive and we are not going to spend our hard-earned money on them when they are the ones who should be taking care of the problem. (Our neighbors clearly will not invest in dog training so they are certainly not going to buy anything either.) We would like to know who we should speak to next, such as a specific person in the police department or perhaps something specific we could request of animal control, who come out to the house very often.
Thanks for the suggestions, but I can’t feed the dog because it is in a fenced in pen. Also, we think that our neighbors know we have called the police and will be very angry if we try to feed their dog anything.
P.S. We are in the U.S., any suggestions about who to call or write here?
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- Brockton-area animal control officers are not just dog catchers anymore – Enterprise News | Dogs And Only Dogs
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- Should Burien Have Its Own Animal Control Program? Take Our Poll | The B-Town (Burien) Blog | Burien News, Events, Entertainment & More, Updated Daily.
Posted in Stop Dog Barking | 
Tags: bark collar, control animal, dog training, dogs, fear, homework, neighbor, neighbors, pit bulls, police department, rural area, several times | 
7 Comments »
How can I keep my dog from barking in a humane way?
I have a 7-month old male pit bull. He is the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, but after my recent move he’s begun barking constantly when I’m gone. I give him enough exercise, attention, etc. My neighbors are total neurotics and scream at me even if he just barks once. I did have a dog sitter, but now that’s not possible for awhile.
Anyway, I’ve enrolled him in obedience traning but we don’t start still Saturday. What are some humane ways I can control his barking? I bought an electric bark collar, but I tried it on myself (I know, I’m nuts) and it hurt SO BAD. Not an option. I’ve heard that the sound and citronella collars don’t work well. So, I’m thinking about a muzzle, but how can I tell when I buy it if he will be able to drink with it on? What are some opinions on effectiveness, side effects, etc?
To reiterate, if I am at home he does not bark, I might have to prompt him once, then he stops. When I leave or he is on a leash, he’s a holy terror. HELP!