[drea]

Has anyone had any luck with these?

Or more to the point, does anyone have some tips on how to help me control Tucker's barking? He barks whenever our older dog is in Tucker's way (meaning Max is old and lays down a lot, mostly in doorways or pathways). He barks at the neighbor's dogs, he barks at people on the other side of the fence, he barks at our neighbor's llamas, you get the picture. Sometimes I let him out to run around the yard unsupervised and that's usually when he starts the barking.

He also barks in the house (at Max) or whenever Max barks. It's a fine line because I want him to be able to bark, but I also want him not to bark all the time.

You guys (and gals) are great on this forum; so very helpful.

 

[TooneyDogs]

There are many different kinds of barking...ALERT/TERRITORY:A possible intruder, BOREDOM:Chained in the backyard all day/nothing to do, DEMAND/FRUSTRATION: I want my food now! EXCITEMENT: What you hear at Agility and Flyball events, SPOOKY: Strange sounds/thunder, FEAR: Back off! I'm very, very afraid!
Using a bark collar often stops all barking...they might not bark for a real intruder and with fear barking they stop giving that warning and just attack/bite.
Your dog is Alert barking. He's letting you know of possible intruders and as a good member of the pack, he's doing a great job. The problem is he hasn't been taught what is normal (doesn't need all that alert barking) and what is abnormal.
Your part of the deal as the Pack Leader is to respond to that Alert. (In the wild, only the pack leader takes on the intruder...much to the relief of the rest of the pack).
Let him know that you are handling the problem...his job is done and he doesn't have to bark anymore.
So, how to teach him what is normal and doesn't need the Alerts? YAWN, yes, Yawn....dogs understand that....boring/nothing to be concerned about. Once he catches on, the barking will diminish greatly.

 

[drea]

Your part of the deal as the Pack Leader is to respond to that Alert. (In the wild, only the pack leader takes on the intruder...much to the relief of the rest of the pack).
Let him know that you are handling the problem...his job is done and he doesn't have to bark anymore.
So, how to teach him what is normal and doesn't need the Alerts? YAWN, yes, Yawn....dogs understand that....boring/nothing to be concerned about. Once he catches on, the barking will diminish greatly.

Oh, I hope so. Thanks for the tip about yawning; I'll try that.