Ziggy and His Barks

[Roast]

Hey! :) it is Roast here asking if anyone knows a method of preventing barking of dogs, in a non harmful way. This is becuse my dog likes to bark for long periods of time when someone new comes to the house, sometimes he will even nip at them:(
-Roast

[yolanda]

I have a squirt bottle with a "straight line of water", when my dogs do something they are not suposed to do, I pick up the squirt bottle and squirt. I make sure it gets them on the face, NOT the eyes or ears. Once they learn I just have to pick the bottle up and they know to stop what they are doing wrong.

Dachsies are smart dogs and know how to learn and listen very fast.

[Otto'sMom]

I always feel a little mean when I do that to Dolly when she barks excessively. Her little ears just droop and she moans her little "oohhh" worried moan and then barks the second I step away from the squirt bottle.

[MARTHA]

I even slept with it under my pillow for awhile - Sadie finally got the message and all I had to do was show her the gun and she would quieten down.

Good Luck\

Martha

[dutchman]

Barking is one thing nipping is another issue althogher. The water bottle is a good suggestion for barking. Nipping should be considered an agressive dog act since if left un corrected it could develop int bitting. Personally for a nip I would suggest a chin bop. Mark does a better job of explaining the chin bop technique than I do but if you are interested and hi is unable to comment I'll try my best to explain it. I know the behavorist I have seen would consider a nip agression and recommend the chin bop correction.

How old is Ziggy I'm trying to remember. I might modify the above comments a little if he is very young. But still remember behavorial patterns that are developed young can be difficult to correct latter in life.

Good luck,

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[dutchman]

I'm going to add a second reply rather than edit my first but this may be a shy dog issue. Is the barking and nipping only with strangers? IF so can you arrange to have some people he doesn't know work with him using favorite treats as bribes. We can go into more details on this technique if you feel that is the cause of the problem. But also be aware a shy agressive dog can be difficult to work with if things are allowed to progress too far.

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[Roast]

...Wow, there have been alot of suggestions :) Ziggy is 2 years old.

[dutchman]

Ziggy is old enought to get chin bops if he shows signs of being agressive. I would try the food bribes to see if you can get him to make friends faster. Have people hold a treat on their open hand palm up fingers and thumb kept together not spead so there is less to grab at if he is scared and tries to nip or bite. At first they can toss the treats part way to him if he is too scared to take them fom his hand. He sounds to me like a shy potentially agressive boy. Work with him now before this becomes a biger problem. If he does nit or makes an attempt to bite while working with people an immedate chin bop would be apporprate.

Mark can explain this better but her goes. The chin bop. Make a fist with your hand bring the thumb across the other fingers so you end up with a big flat fleshy area that ou will want to point up and use as the striking surfae. Get your hand under his chin shout a loud NO which should be a word reserved for agression and bring your hand up strikin the lower jaw hard enough to clack the eet but not hard nough to injure the dog. I know it sounds harsh but if it can help correct bad behavior before it escullates into a bitting problem it will be worth it. MAny triners recommend this apporach. While positive rewards is the way general training should take place aression can call for extrem measures. I've seen the behavorist who teaches this technique locally take an adult german shepard in full attack mode and have them in a sit stay in a matter of seconds. OF course she has many years of experience.

IF Dexter my fear bitter growles at me (rare now) he gets a light chin bop much less thatn I would use for a dog in full agression. Not really enouch to clack his jaws together but enough to get his attention. He pops bac to reality from the no where world he had sliped into and will kiss may hand in a matter of seconds.

For now like I said I would work on socialization and watrch for agression. Once he builds some confidence and learns to trust strangers the barking may take care of itself. I suspect the barking is not the root problems that needs the most attention right now.

IF he hasn't already been to a basic obedience class I would strongly suggest you consider enrolling him in one. Be sure to tell the trainer what you have told us. They will be able to observe him around others and may have other good suggestions.

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

P.S. That liast little bit about nipping is what started my thinking about the shyness fear factor.

[Roast]

By the way, Ziggy NEVER bites or nips at our family members, the ones he knows. But he does bark at my brother alot.