slinkyjinky Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 hi all im having a big problem with my kelpie x coolie he is 1 year old and not desexed. he barks all day at the neighbours, noises, birds, planes and anything! as soon as it gets dark he is off to bed and its all over until another day. he used to jump and bark nonstop at the back fence so we blocked it off now he barks at the side fence. when he barks i go outside and call him over. it takes a while to come over he knows he is in trouble. when he comes i hold his collar and say no barking loud and forcefully. i make him sit and stay meanwhile i have to hold his collar so he stays the whole time. i really dont like to smack him. he now has an ultrasonic collar he has only had it one day but he seems to be barking more. he has another dog (my partners dog) in the yard a shepherd x border collie and he isnt too bad he only barks when he needs to mind you he is about 3 years old had training and is desexed, they always have water available and get fed everyday let alone the mass amount of toys in the backyard.. i really dont know what to do from here on so please any suggestions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkeyre Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 does he get excercised. this mix needs a lot of attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VJB Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Aside from the toys, water and food, is your dog getting sufficient exercise? Maybe needs to burn off some excess energy and this often makes them quieter and less reactive to outside noises. They need to get out for a good run and sniff. It's essential that dogs get some mental stimulation as this also tires them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkyjinky Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 i exercise him as much as i can, with walking he is a bit of a pain with the lead but getting better but he gets alot of attention in the backyard with his toys being thrown and teaching him to stay and drop it would be easier if i could walk both dogs at the same time, is it better to get him used to the lead and walking properly and then take both dogs? our other dog is a saint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkeyre Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 any attention is good for him. can he be taken to a dog park/beach/school oval? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fainty_girl Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 Hi, Here are some links and info below for you Is your dog getting plenty of daily exercise? I have a 14 month old Kelpie X Coolie and she needs a really good amount of exercise everyday so she can relax when she's home (eg. playing fetch non-stop for about an hour at the dog park daily). If he's not getting enough exercise, then maybe he is bored and is not feeling challenged enough. Does he spend anytime in the house with you too? Or is he always out in the yard? Hope you find a solution soon. Oh and you should post some photos of your dog, would love to see what another Kelpie X Coolie looks like http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/tips/issues_...ng_nuisance.php http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/tips/issues_barking.php "Dogs bark as a form of communication. If your dog barks, there is a reason why. It may be simply a response to a stimulus, like a jogger running by the house—or it may be your dog's way of asking for help. Ongoing, Excessive Barking – This is your dog’s way of sending you a distress signal. Somewhere his needs as an animal are not being met. Is his world anchored by a pack leader who projects calm-assertive energy? Are you walking with him every day, which exercises his body and his mind? Is he living a balanced life? If nuisance barking is a problem, consider these issues to find a solution. It’s the best way to show real love for your dog". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fainty_girl Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 (edited) i exercise him as much as i can, with walking he is a bit of a pain with the lead but getting better but he gets alot of attention in the backyard with his toys being thrown and teaching him to stay and drop it would be easier if i could walk both dogs at the same time, is it better to get him used to the lead and walking properly and then take both dogs? our other dog is a saint. I bet he needs exercise and attention outside of the backyard too...something to challenge him (they are very intelligent)... Playing fetch at the dog park is a great way to burn off that Kelpie X Coolie energy too, and gives them something to focus on. Tilly also loves playing with a soccer ball at the park too. Edited April 28, 2009 by fainty_girl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkyjinky Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 he is outside because suprise suprise he runs a muck in the house. there is a dog park i used to take him too but i moved from there and i have no idea where anymore close are. he gets alot of attention and is very spoilt loves hugs. he is the exact shape/height/size of a kelpie and has a white with blue spotted chest and front left foot. his fur is chocolate in colour and he has a bushy tail with a thin coat all over except his neck collar and longer mane from the neck to tail quite cute i think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkyjinky Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 he wont play fetch he doesnt like balls wont play with them no matter how much i try. our other dog fetches and Will just chases his and comes back when Cougar does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VJB Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I'm unsure about walking 2 dogs together, but I can almost guarantee your barking issue will lessen with some outside stimulation. Maybe start another thread about how to walk 2 dogs at once as I'm sure there are plenty of owners who do. I would also try not to reprimand your dog when he comes to you after being called. He isn't going to understand that he is being punished for the barking,,,, I'm sure he'd think he was being punished for coming over to you. This can cause some recall problems, and he may end up ignoring you when you call him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkyjinky Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 i thought the same thing why disapline him when he comes. if im staning up straight he will stand about 2 metres away until i squat and put my hand down lower then he will come over. he is slowly getting better with the word "come" and sit he is good stay takes a little i think he loses his patience he doesnt like to sit still for long unless i hug him if you havent guessed he is the biggest sook. when training a dog is it good to have treat rewards? will he expect these everytime he does something good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fainty_girl Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 he is outside because suprise suprise he runs a muck in the house. there is a dog park i used to take him too but i moved from there and i have no idea where anymore close are. he gets alot of attention and is very spoilt loves hugs.he is the exact shape/height/size of a kelpie and has a white with blue spotted chest and front left foot. his fur is chocolate in colour and he has a bushy tail with a thin coat all over except his neck collar and longer mane from the neck to tail quite cute i think Firstly, go to your local council's website and look up where dog parks are located in your area. Or post a question on this board about dog parks and the suburb you are in, and someone will surely be able to tell you where to find a dog park. He probably just behaves poorly in the house because he is not getting enough daily exercise. My dog Tilly was a rescue dog and when we brought her home she was totally clueless about being inside a home (so she had probably just been left outside all of the time, given no boundaries, etc). She has been an inside dog ever since, and the only time she chooses to go outside into the yard is to lay on the deck in the sun or do her business. On the rare occasion that she has missed out on her daily exercise at the park due to rainy weather, then she does not behave nearly as well as normal. Tilly is generally very relaxed at home, because I really make an effort to tire her out everyday outside of the home. When you brought your kelpie X coolie home, you pretty much just committed yourself to spending at least about an hour a day exercising your dog. She always has some human company around the house too and she has access to a lot of toys (I tend to put them away in the evening though, because she'd happily play with squeaky toys 24/7 . he wont play fetch he doesnt like balls wont play with them no matter how much i try. our other dog fetches and Will just chases his and comes back when Cougar does. Tilly loves playing fetch, but when she sees another dog enthusiastically playing fetch, then she will join in with them, running along the entire time with her own ball in her mouth, while she "herds" the other dog that is fetching the ball. So even if Will just chases your other dog Cougar, that is still great because he is getting some decent exercise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VJB Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 I think treat rewards are essential and while in the initial training phase, it sends the message very clear to your dog that they are doing the right thing. After all, they all like to please. I have continued with food treats until my dog has "mastered" something fairly consistently. Eg; recall training outside of home. Up until the last month or so, I gave a food treat every single time she came back to me when called. I'm only just starting to lessen this. The reason I did it for so long is because I never wanted her to be off somewhere and toss up with herself NOT to come back to me because she may of may not be rewarded. I wanted her to return every time, so I had to make it "worth it" for her each time... with a nice piece of barbecue chicken, or cheese. Now that she has reached a pretty high response rate, I can call her back from most places and she doesn't always run back and sit in front of me waiting for something... so I've not had to rely on having treats all the time now. My high pitched happy voice is reward enough usually. It's certainly worth it for a few weeks at least, to have a couple of treats on you at all times so that you can try an reinforce some of the behaviours you are wanting. Just make sure you reward as soon as the behaviour had taken place...... and the same goes with reprimanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fainty_girl Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 (edited) when he barks i go outside and call him over. it takes a while to come over he knows he is in trouble. when he comes i hold his collar and say no barking loud and forcefully. i make him sit and stay meanwhile i have to hold his collar so he stays the whole time. i really dont like to smack him. he now has an ultrasonic collar he has only had it one day but he seems to be barking more. Tilly does not respond well to a harsher tone of voice or anything loud and forceful when she has done something naughty...it scares her, so I don't use harsh methods with her. i thought the same thing why disapline him when he comes. if im staning up straight he will stand about 2 metres away until i squat and put my hand down lower then he will come over. he is slowly getting better with the word "come" and sit he is good stay takes a little i think he loses his patience he doesnt like to sit still for long unless i hug him if you havent guessed he is the biggest sook. when training a dog is it good to have treat rewards? will he expect these everytime he does something good? That's interesting, because sometimes Tilly will do the same thing outside of the home...she prefers it if I crouch down to her level when calling her name or if I have called her over to me if she's done something naughty (again, not using a harsh voice). Edited April 28, 2009 by fainty_girl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 when he barks i go outside and call him over. it takes a while to come over he knows he is in trouble. Dogs can only associate one action with one thing at one time. When you call him over, and then tell him off. He doesn't understand that your telling him off for barking, what he thinks is that your telling him off for Coming. You The reason he'll slink, look nervous, not want to come to you. Is because A. You probably look very angry, and B. Whenever you call him over, you tell him off! So he doesn't want to come. Everyone else seems to have answered your other questions,and vjb also mentioned what I have said, but I thought I would expand on that. So heres my little bit of information, hope it helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxx'sBuddy Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 when my dog barks for "no" reason ...well none that i can see!!! i go to the back door and yell "Oi!!!!" and she stops barking. that way i am not telling her off but she gets the message that i don't want her to bark. now it only takes one "Oi!!!" to have a quiet dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VJB Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 when my dog barks for "no" reason ...well none that i can see!!! i go to the back door and yell "Oi!!!!" and she stops barking.that way i am not telling her off but she gets the message that i don't want her to bark. now it only takes one "Oi!!!" to have a quiet dog. I regularly do the "Oi" thing too. I think that it is only diverting her attention though. Luckily I've not yet had to deal with "nuisance barking" as such, and I actually want her to warn bark, so I use the diversion method rather than a reprimand one, when necessary. My dog will bark..cry howl (sounds like she's tortured) when I'm across the road babysitting. She's fine initially when I go, but if she catches sight of me a few hours later, and I don't come back up our driveway...... OMG.. she carries on. Sounds awful, but over the last few weeks it has lessened in intensity, and thankfully only lasts a few minutes. It's really just her having a tantrum, and I've got good neighbours who understand that I can't come back when she's making all this noise. I have to wait till she is quiet, or else she'd think she can get me back anytime by being so vocal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 You have a young dog who's a cross between two very active breeds which were bred to work all day. I would say that your dog lacks appropriate mental and physical stimulation and the barking is a way of easing his boredom and frustration. He needs much more exercise and some training to occupy his brain, keeping him confined in a yard with a few toys and another dog for company just isn't enough. I suggest that you join an obedience club, learn how to teach him to walk properly on a lead and take him for a really long walk every day. If you can find somewhere safe to let him have a good run this will be even better. Many clubs offer agility and your dog would probably be an excellent agility prospect once he's had some basic training. You really need to put a lot more work into this dog, get him out, train him, give him something to do, a tired dog is a good dog and at the moment your dog has lots of energy with no outlet hence the barking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Your young fellow does sound as if he does not have enough to occupy him..and as barking is a reward in itself- it has become habit. using a no bark collar may work- but it will not address the CAUSE of his barking. I agree- he does need walks at least once a day- preferably twice....on lead. he needs training and tricks to occupy his brain, too. he is bred to WORK- for hours at a time... not to sit idly in a backyard, unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinkyjinky Posted April 29, 2009 Author Share Posted April 29, 2009 well today he has been pretty good still barking a bit but its no where near what it was hopefully the collar is working and its not just a good day! i brought some lamb cutoffs and cut them into small pieces and did some training with him. he went well maybe it was just because he got food?! fingers crossed he continues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now