Things I Wouldn't Do to Stop My Dog Barking

Barking dogs can be a nuisance to pet owners, and people who are subjected to the constant barking of your dog. I own a Shetland Sheepdog, he barks far more than is necessary. It's a natural attribute in most breeds. Barking is a good characteristic when used to alert the owner to danger. However, I find there is such a thing as too much barking.

My dog has been barking at cars, people, barking when he goes out, while he's in the car he'll bark, and generally he barks at the slightest little sound while indoors, or outside. Ever since he was a puppy I have tried to teach him to only bark when it seems necessary. My methods have not worked, as a result, he is now 4 year's old and still barks too much. He is a herding dog so it is probably in his genes to bark with excitement. He also tries to chase cars, which is particularly dangerous for him and the unsuspecting driver. I obviously keep him on a lead to avoid the car chasing, but the barking is another story.

It is said that it's best to train dogs when they are puppies, and that is what I tried to do. First of all I tried a cheap and easy method, which consisted of an empty plastic bottle with a spray nozzle at the top. I took the bottle everywhere I took my dog. Whenever he would start barking excessively I would give him a spray with the water bottle. While this startled him for a few seconds it did not stop him barking for more than a few seconds. I then purchased a special collar for him that I felt sure would do the trick. When the collar was placed on my dog it would detect the sound of the barking, the collar then made a really high pitched sound supposedly to deter the dog from barking. I put the collar on him, but he just barked louder drowning out the high pitched buzzing sound of the collar. Then I tried getting a metal can, and filling the can with coins. When he barked I shook the can telling him no while I was shaking the can. As you can imagine, a can of coins makes a lot of noise when you shake it. Still, this did not stop the barking for too long. It had much the same effect as the water spraying, it shocked him into stopping for a few seconds, then he continued to bark again.