Which one is better?

[jenfer]

Ok, Gigi likes to bark. We live in a condo building. There are other people living in the same building. There is no need to bark every time when she heard a tiny tiny sound or it could be people going into their OWN unit! I keep telling her it's their home, they can go in or out of their home. But Miss Gigi does not care. ;) Otherwise, she is pretty good... oh if I need to take the trash out, she barks too. If I tell her to quiet she may or may not stop... sometimes she stops, but still have the "rumbling" in her throat. (know what I am talking about?)

Anyway, I am thinking should I get her one of those collars? Sonic OR Citronella collar. Price-wise, I know the Citronella is more expensive... but is one more effective than the other? Any thoughts?

[Anatresia]

I think the best thing is pretty cheap- fill a spray bottle with water and spray her when she barks. That's how we trained Rigby. She's still pretty bad about it, but not when that squirt bottle comes out! As soon as she sees the bottle, I don't even have to spray her, she stops and runs away!

Try that first, before you spend a lot of money on those collars. The other thing I know from my friend's experience, is that the collar only works when it's on. They know not to bark when it's on and then when it's off, you still have problems.

[jenfer]

Yes, I have a squirt bottle... that works. I actually have a watergun in my room and she is terrifies with either one. You should see me putting the gun at her little temple. (bad mama)

And you are right, they are smart, probably she will bark her head off when she knows she is not wearing the collar. haha. :duh:

[Patt]

I would try the squirt bottle or coins in the can first before the collars. You need to do a few other things besides squirting the water or coins, kind of back to training 101, I found a great link that might help you and Gigi stop the barking. Good luck and I hope it helps.

http://www.placervillevet.com/training_your_dog_to_stop_barking.htm

[jenfer]

Thanks Patt. Gi is not that bad all the time :crossfin: , just need some fine tuning and I need to be consistant. Sometimes when I am extremely tired I just let her bark her head off... other times I will tell her quiet and the squirt bottle is usually the last thing I use.

[Patt]

Your right consistant is the secret word here!! I know that's hard but they must stay in the routine or all will be lost.

[Jen]

Tasha is like Gigi in that any sound in the apt hallway, from us on the 5th floor down to the 1st floor, can be cause to bark. The spray bottle sometimes works, other times we just have a really wet dog. I'm saving the pennies in a can trick for once we move to a ground floor apt (:crossfin: ) in March as I have a hunch she'll bark even more. Then again dogs do bark, and it doesn't bother me when some of the dogs on the first floor bark at us when we take out the trash. The little Chihuahua that runs free and barks for 10 min all thru the hall, that's another story. Tasha likes to "talk back" to that one....

But yes, consistancy is key, as with all training!

[isobelsmom]

All very well said. That article is right on the money. One thing I do with ALL my dogs when they misbehave is to not say a word to them and "turn my back" to them as that is an insult. The behavior stops immediately. This does go hand-in-hand with Training 101, so a little of both would go a long way for Diva Miss Gigi.

Watch Gigi for signs of her using calming signals. They are VERY easy to miss, but two main ones are a quick nose lick (repetitive) and turing her profile to whatever she is barking at/about or you. These two are signs of emotional distress and should be recongnized for what they are. But, please, do not call attention to them...just watch and learn. Do not coddle her or say "It's alright" as that is tracked as praise to a dog. Ignore her and walk away or turn your profile to her. This signals to her that you need calm. It works here and I've taught it to others....give it a try and let me know what you think.

As for the collars....both the citronella or sonic have to be worn as Tracey noted. They do make a "kennel" sonic bark controller so that if Gigi were anywhere in the house it would emit a warning signal. The problem with that is that there is no follow through...no human on the other end to show her the right and wrong of it when she is alone.

Training 101.....and turn your back or use a calming signal.

[lotsadox]

I have to agree with Mary about the calming signals. Mine start every once in a while to raise Holy H#*l when I came home. The racket is deafening. When they do that I just ignore them. Since they are confined to the bedroom when I'm gone I just don't go in there. If they keep it up and go back outside. It's amazing! Within a week they will quiet down. Now when I come in, they bark a little (excitement I think) and then it instantly gets completely quiet. I don't rush to let them out either. I hang up my coat sometimes listen to phone messages. I let them out when I'm ready. It works for me! :banana: