We have two dogs. One of which barks all the time. We had a neighbor stop by and tell us that our dogs bark to much. (I thought it was rude, we don't have the only barking dog in the area.) Any way, I don't want to have the sheriff called. I am in the process of making a large cake, my son is very sick and I can't have two dirty dogs in the house right now. Plus, if I left they would have to get chained. Yes, I know chaining a dog is not PC, but we rent, I can't leave the dogs in the house while I am gone. Been there done that cleaned it up. I refuse to build a kennel, when we won't live here forever. I tired the letting them run free thing. One dog chased a car and almost got ran over. The other one chases the neighbors horse and bothers their kenneled dogs. Both dogs got into a dog fight with some other dogs in the area that are not the nicest dogs. One of our dogs can get angry pretty fast. Our dogs do get attention and are off the chain when we are in the yard. They come up on the deck quite a bit. And are in the house when they can be.
Does anyone have any suggestions for me on what to do with a barking dog?
Aside from getting him a bark collar, you need to train them to stop.
I am currently doing this with my dog.
***I just deleted the advice here...look at the advice below... 
***
p.s. There is no shame in needing to tie your dogs. I have an outdoor dog..Samson, who is in the process of learning to stick around. If I untie him he takes off.
You definitely don't want your dogs freaking out & injuring horses or other animals.
As long as they get plenty of attention and walks...you are doing an alright thing.
Of course...don't forget to show lots of love in between. Normally a barking dog is a bored dog. ..perhaps chew toys...or bones..something to entertain them as well. This is just my opinion though, I am not a dog trainer...but have had enough of them to know what works the majority of the time.
Of course you have to tie up your dog when he goes outside!!!! If you don't have a fence, dogs can not be trusted to stay put. It is for everyone's safety, especially theirs, that they be restrained in some way. This is NOT to mean that you tie them up outside 24/7 or leave them unattended. But when they need to go out to potty, yes!
Why can you not leave the dogs in the house when you are gone? If they are destructive, then you need to get a crate. Leaving them tied up outside when you are not home can only lead to trouble. They could get stolen or break out of their collar/tie out and run away. Another dog could come into your yard and attack them. Crate training is the one way to guarantee that a dog can't get into trouble when you're not home, and I know if you're renting that is a major concern. If they learn how to open their crate, you can get cheap carabiner clips at Wal-Mart to keep the door shut.
As for the barking - definitely a barking dog is a bored dog, the exception being when the dog barks at someone approaching the house. Nylabones, big marrow bones, and Kong toys are great for keeping them occupied, especially if you stuff them with something like peanut butter. Please don't hit your dog for any reason. That only teaches them to be afraid of you, and you need to remember that their jaws can crush every bone in your hand. If you hit them, they are justified in returning the favor. Try getting a squirt bottle and fill it with water mixed with a little vinager or lemon juice. When he barks for no reason squirt him in the face immediately and say "quiet" (or whatever you want to be the command). Then when he quiets, praise him imediately. Initially you may want to give him a small piece of a treat so he gets the idea more quickly. Then lots of petting & praise in your high pitched doggie voice.
-Lisa
I have to agree with Lisa....i wouldn't hit a dog no matter how lighty. I'm not attacking..to each his own...just for others reading that are in the same situation there are alternatives.
I've had the same problem with my St. Bernard...she got into the habit of barking all the time and I have to say that me and my husband were reinforcing this behavior without realizing it. When she barked i would yell at her...i realized she equated this with me barking back 
Now what i do when she barks at me...i turn my back cross my arms and tell her very firmly be quiet. Then when she stops I pat her on the head and tell her good girl....its actually starting to work. She would sit outside the door and bark to be let in ...i used to open it and let her in, but now i only let her in when she stops.
This also worked for the jumping on people when they would visit...she weighs 130lbs so she would do some damage when she got excited 
I make everyone ignore her when they come in & i make her sit & then they can pet her and pay attention to her....it worked wonders.
I hope you find a good solution for your doggies...good luck 
Crates are lifesavers, literally sometimes. We have to use ours overnight (sleep time), and our husky is tied outside the big picture window during the day on a looong tether. She gets attention and walks, but for her safety she is tied as she is a runner! and doesn't like to stay inside.
I agree to ignore the barking. You may have to bring the dog in more with you to do this, but it will break it easier. Ours only barks now when left with others (ie during vacation when she stayed at gramma's). She is quiet with us, just don't let her see her Daddy leave or she begins the inscessent whining.
Wow...great advice ge978.
I am gonna try that with the arms crossed...back towards Samson.
He is a big dog too...Great Pyr/Akbash mix.
He gets into these barking fits...even after me playing with him...and showing him lots of attention..and walks.
I never associated me yelling.."Be Quiet" with me "barking" back! (lightbulb moment)
I am going to give that a go...though he has improved greatly...I can improve on my methods as well.
No problem Ducky.... my dog is getting much better after i tried some of these techniques...its taking a little while, but we are starting to see steady improvement.
I had that lightbulb moment when I read that when you yell at them you are actually barking...I just bursted out laughing and imagined what my dog was thinking when I did it. I was just worried because I thought if you used the stick and the dog felt threatened by you that it might hurt you eventually.
I found some of this advice on petco.com and some other sites that I googled.
Ya...I just hated giving him a whack...even if it was working.
This sounds like a better way. Samson is a sweet gentle giant...I just want him to remain that way.
I picture the Charlie Brown cartoons on TV...when the teacher is talking, it sounds like a "wah wah" sound...unintelligible noise...it's probably what the dog is hearing too.
.I picture the Charlie Brown cartoons on TV...when the teacher is talking, it sounds like a "wah wah" sound...unintelligible noise...it's probably what the dog is hearing too.
LOL! I think it's a Far Side cartoon that's like that. The man is talking to his dog and all the dog hears is her name. I swear mine only hear the word "cookie."
-Lisa
hahahha the wah wah sound...your probably right
Just because we are on the subject of our dogs...if anyone would like to take a peek at my "puppy"...heres the link
http://s139.photobucket.com/albums/q317/ge978_album/?action=view¤t=chloesittingpretty.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1
ge978...is Chloe a big drooler? (she is very pretty by the way...what a face!!!)
Just curious..Samson is. I have another dog as well...he isn't a problem though.
Here he is Samson...
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v306/DuckyChickenLady/?action=view¤t=Greatfacepic.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1
hahahha the wah wah sound...your probably right
Just because we are on the subject of our dogs...if anyone would like to take a peek at my "puppy"...heres the link
http://s139.photobucket.com/albums/q317/ge978_album/?action=view¤t=chloesittingpretty.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1
what'd you call her ge?? CUJO? 
hahahha the wah wah sound...your probably right
Just because we are on the subject of our dogs...if anyone would like to take a peek at my "puppy"...heres the link
http://s139.photobucket.com/albums/q317/ge978_album/?action=view¤t=chloesittingpretty.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1
what'd you call her ge?? CUJO?
hahhahahahhah...yep she is cujo-like sometimes!! I never realize how big she is until I see other peoples dogs...they all look like poodles now 
Those dogs are adorable!!!!!!!
Hope they don't sleep in the bed with you at night. Mine do but they are about 1/3 the size!!!!!!!!!!
omg...ge cujo...same bed....
Thanks Spotty! we think she's cute. No she does not even sleep on the same floor as me She is a loud sleeper...she snores like you wouldn't believe...and rolls and scratches the walls...she's just way too big!! We actually let her sleep upstairs with us a few times on the floor, but i woke up to her big old face in mine...um..she sleeps downstairs on her bed now
um...twinsy you are making me crack up today!!!
Thanks for the tips. I will try some. We tried grating and one of our dogs got very angery with my son and myself. My DH was the one who put him in th box. He wants to be outside all time. I feel bad, but he hates being in the house. I never thought of him being bored. I will see if I can find him toys for outside. The other one is just easy going, until he sees a cat. Hey, he's a dog.
I never thought of yelling at them as barking back at them, I'll have tell DH that one. lol.
She is a loud sleeper...she snores like you wouldn't believe...and rolls and scratches the walls...she's just way too big!! We actually let her sleep upstairs with us a few times on the floor, but i woke up to her big old face in mine...um..she sleeps downstairs on her bed now
!!!
you know first...I about peed my pants at Cujo's 130lb rear end charging at you at your door.....but Im not sure whether to cry or laugh hysterically at Cujo watching you sleep ge!!!!!!!
It freaks me out enough when my husband does it...but a big ass dog!! Id hhave a heart attack!!!
pinknlee...hahah sorry...we kind of went off on our own little ramblings.. Yep, definitely try to get them some toys for the yard...and have enough water, etc.
Twinsy...um..yeah...how do you think I felt. She greets us like Dino from the Flinstones and then was watching me in my sleep....hahahahhaha.
ROFL at you guys!
When I got our husky, she was "cute and playful." We (read I) took her everywhere, let her on the furniture, etc, etc. Now we have a lap cow who turned into a daddy's girl and glared at me if I try to sit next to him. Worse than the kids! But, hey, we all love her.
Oh, and if anyone was thinking a crate is mean, think of it as a crib for dogs. We leave hers open when we're awake, and she still loves to lay in it. Even huskies get overwhelmed and need their own space. Dog house, on the other hand, was a waste of money! She hates to be in ANYTHING outside.
I had a barking dog also. Now he's more calm, he barks only when there's a knock on the door, just to warn me someone's here! After that he stops. Except if my mom is showing up. I swear you can almost hear him yelling: grandma, grandma!! He acts just like my kids: he'll stop just if she pick him up and tell him she loves him.
BTW my dog is A WHOLE LOT smaller that your dogs!!! He's a Maltese, and weighs only 9 pounds!! But he still manage to push us out of the bed at nights 
it's amazing how much space those little dogs need to get their beauty sleep 
Thanks about Samson!..I think he's pretty cute.
He is an outdoor LGD...I don't bring him inside..he sleeps with the animals in the barn at night.
It's in the daytime outside when he gets to barking at everything & anything...I caught him one day barking at pigeons flying overhead! 
LOL...anyhow..I just got home from a meeting and he was barking up a storm...and so ya know what I did...I just said "Samson"...and he stopped a moment, looked at me and barked again...and with my back towards him I said "Samson!" He stopped...and I turned around and rewarded him with a "Good Boy!!" (in that cutesy voice...lol)
Hahah Ducky,....barking at pigeons is normal compared to mine...she actually barked at the political signs in the yard....the trash cans...and a desk the neighbors put on the curb....she's a bit odd
I'm glad that worked for you...keep working with him ....you will definitely see an improvement.
Last night my dad came over and Chloe loves him to death....she usually jumps on him and won't calm, but last night he ignored her, walked in the door and she sat and waited for him to pet her....then she laid down at his feet....it took a few weeks, but she's finally learning!
I started talking to the dogs and ignoring them. I have not been able to get to the store for outdoor toys, I will. One of our big problems is when we are not home. Since we are no there we don't know they are barking, but I guess the neighbor does. It really bothers me that he comes over and tells us our dogs are barking. I want to know how he knows it is our dog. We can't see his house and he can't see ours. We live in the sticks.
The only way he would know it was our dog would be to walk by, of course the dogs would bark. Okay, I will stop ranting. He just got a bee in my bun. Any way, do you know if these ideas will help with when we are not home?
We have two dogs, Angel, she is 3 years old and is an American Bulldog and then there is Archie, he is 2 years old and is an Old English Bulldog. For the most part, they are good. We have a doggy door and our backdoor is always open for them come and go as they please. Angel is my hubby's baby and she doesn't want anyone in the living room when he is in there, she will literally run my step-son upstairs. Archie just goes with the flow. Archie will go outside and bark if he hears another dog, but other than that, it is just the norm. Our dogs are like 90 lbs each and yes, they both sleep with us. They are like our children. We talk to our dogs all the time and when Archie starts barking, I just make him come in and he sits by the door and tell him, no that he is not going back outside.
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