I have a 5 yr old Collie/Chow mix named Brady. We moved in with family back in March this year and ever since the barking has become out of control. We have tried everything from:
cage in other room to help distraction
Kong toys
Shock Collars
Citronella Collar
Those high pitch noise-sensors
and the classic squirt bottle.
It seems like every little noise causes him to bark for 30sec-2min each time if lucky.
Its stressing everyone in the house and becoming a liability to my aunt and grandma who both babysit on both stories of the house. Anyone walking up the stairs, outside, car door, other dogs downstairs, you came it causes Brady to bark. Hes very protective of my Grandmother and little children. He now even barks if we DONT give him a treat or food scraps (we taught him to speak when a puppy to sit>paw>speak>treat) and no its backfiring on us =)
Any idea would help. We looked into a dog trainer, but she was asking for $600 for 2-4 sessions..
It sounds like Brady is very reactive, and possibly stressed. Very stressed. Does he get enough exercise? Giving him an outlet like a long walk will allow him to burn energy and enjoy all the scents of the adventure, but if he is reactive, he might not get a lot out of it (do it anyway!) All of the methods you listed are pretty brutal in attempting to settle the boy, except for the Kong toy (I'm assuming you didn't throw it at him.) Do you fill the Kong with a treat? One of those toys with a treat inside could keep him busy for a while, but nothing will replace exercise. I don't know if you could look into a positive reinforcement daycare that can work with a dog like that while providing him a social environment, but that might be good once a week or so.
If this started right when you moved in, and not before, then you know it's related to the move. So everyone in the house is stressed out? Dogs are very sensitive to people's emotions you know! If the family has resentment toward him, he could be responding to that now in addition to anything that might have set him off. Could you explain to me how a cage in the other room is used to help distract a barking dog? How often does he get love? This kinda sounds like it could be a stale mate where you yell at him, he yells back, and no one is the wiser.
You mentioned he barks if you don't give him a treat, so I must ask: Are you giving in to his demand barking?!?! If he barks to get things (demanding) and you give in, you are training him to bark when he wants something. I'm not too familiar with Chows, but I know that Collies need to do stuff, they aren't lap dogs by any means. Can you play some fetch? That would be a perfect time to train him to be patient and quiet before he gets what he wants. For this: have the ball in hand and easy to see, if he barks for it, put it behind your back and ignore him (no eye contact, don't talk to him.) When he settles, however long it takes at first, show him the ball and try again. Once he is quiet enough for just a second or two, throw the ball. It's OK if he barks after you throw it, in time he will understand what you are asking for, and dogs will bark now and then Keep playing fetch like this, throwing the ball once he's quiet and extending the time he must be quiet before he gets the ball again (keep it easy, SET BRADLY UP FOR SUCCESS!)
Overall, you must understand that things have gotten pretty bad, and they won't be fixed quickly. If 9 months of insane barking for up to two minutes is what's happening, you need to be more patient and calm with him in making progress and seeing results than you have ever been before! It's like trying to slam on the brakes doing 110mph, not a chance buddy!
I imagine Bradly is a pretty smart dog, have him learn some new tricks, use them as a distraction to bad behavior. There are lots of books on how to train a dog to do a ton of tricks, find a good one and incorporate it into his training. I wonder now, what does he do for fun?
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Keep playing fetch like this, throwing the ball once he's quiet and extending the time he must be quiet before he gets the ball again (keep it easy, SET BRADLY UP FOR SUCCESS!)
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