Kaffy Magee Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 My dobie(some of you may have read about how much of a PITA he is) wears a bark collar, yet he barks through it. Ive had it for some time and he has always barked while wearing it. Ive been thinking its dodgy and not working properly so I wanted to know for sure. I changed the battery, tested it, then put it on him and watched. The first couple of barks you know he felt it but he just keeps on going and you wouldnt even know he had a bark collar on. The red light flashes when he barks and stops when he is quiet so i know it is working. I am ready to murder him. It doesnt matter during the day when i am at work as we have no neighbours but it drives me nuts when i am home and he is in his run(crate/dog trailer). He has always barked since he joined us at 6 months, just quietly I think he has separation anxiety(as he has other issues other than barking) though I havent seen anyone about it, do plan to though. So is it a common thing to have dogs continue barking, do you think if he does have sep. anxiety it could be why he continues to bark. And im talking literally all day and night,this dog does not stop, maybe for a minute, but thats it unless you let him out. Any ideas, anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Does he bark in the house, in a crate? What sort of bark collar is it? Do you set the levels yourself or does it adjust itself depending on whether the dog barks/how long? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffy Magee Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 (edited) He wont bark anywhere if im there,so if he was in a crate in the house and i was also in the house he wouldnt bark, if i left the house he would, infact he no longer owns a crate as he destroyed them both (a wire one and a soft one). The collar is an innotek BC-50, self adjusting levels, supposed to get stronger the longer he barks) Edited July 7, 2009 by Kaffy Magee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MolassesLass Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Not a dog I own but a dog I bred did learn to bark through the collar - you could see him steal himself for it and then bark. I think in his case it was due to poor training with the collar and thus an inconsistent message about when he was and wasn't allowed to bark. No ideas to help though sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Not sure what to suggest re bark collar as my dogs are very sensitive to them and Zoe in particular will get very 'down' if I put a bark collar on her, so they don't get used often. Maybe K9 Force will come in and help there. While this is not a quick fix, but may help long term, what about Crate Games? Was suggested also to Ruthless whose Staffy hurt himself trying to get out of wire crate and who screams the house down when the other dogs are taken out. Builds value for the crate so that it is a positive and helps with self control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 whack it up on the highest level it has, that worked for my Malinois. conversely a friend of mine did this with a nuscience Malinois she had at her kennels. She has an ultrasonic bark stopper (makes a noise when a dog barks) and she put a nice strong E collar on the Mal. Every time the light went off she gave him a BIG correction. 2 days later silent dog. Not fearful or traumatised at all (she would never hurt a dog) but that dog was a barker and a half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Willow Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 If you suspect he is barking because he is anxious, then the collar is going to make his anxiety worse, I would suspect "I bark because I'm stressed, and get zapped which makes me more stressed, so I bark some more, and the zapping gets worse"....and so on). It might be a good idea to see a behaviourist sooner rather that later, as you may inadvertently be doing more harm than good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffy Magee Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 Kavik, i will have a look at that video a bit later on, OH is watching tv and computer is all linked up to it. He is happy in his crate provided he isnt left on his own, its the being on his own he doesnt like and so destroys anything and everything within his path. Everything i have ever given him he has wrecked(when on his own) so now he gets nothing, which i hate because i like my dogs to be comfortable but i am not made of money. Nekhbet I cant set the levels on this collar, its automatic. I wish i could, however he must have hit the strongest levels on his collar(6-7 levels) as it gets stronger the longer he barks, yet has made no difference. Ive looked for a collar i can set myself but they seem hard to find, I can usually only find automatic ones. Willow, you know, that kind of makes sense, however I doubt very much there are any behaviourists in my area Im guessing the closest would be in Melbourne which is 3 hours away but I will have a bit more of a look and see what i can find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 you sure its going off properly? The thing I have found with Innotek is you have to watch for the red light to flash and the collar to be very tight and not around from the voice box. My Malinois was an extreme barker but the innotek one fixed her after a few highest level zappies in the right pos. Rottie used to give his head a good shake and shook it to the side and no effect at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Willow Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Which area are you in??? I know a few people in Vic, I will help you if I can. PM me your suburb if you like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffy Magee Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 Nekhbet its definitely going off and in the correct position and tight. Ive tested it and retested and changed the battery all the time and Ive been watching him, he barks the light flashes, when hes quiet it doesnt flash, so its definitely working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Are you working on the anxiety itself in conjunction with the collar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruthless Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Chopper's learnt that he can whine and scream while wearing the collar and it doesn't set it off. Even at the highest level. Mine is a Dogtra one that you set the level on yourself. I've read about other dogs doing the same. Is that what your dog is doing or is it a full on bark? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve K9Pro Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 K9: The BC50 & BC200 (both Innotek collars) are self adjusting, they also have built into their software to switch off if the dog doesn't respond to the corrections, some dogs learn this. The manual adjusted collars are better IMO. You can also adjust the BC50 levels sort of, you run the collar across your bench top & it will deliver corrections, when you keep rubbing it, the collar will auto adjust up levels, when you get it to a higher level, fit the collar to the dog. Using a higher level on an accomplished barker can stop the problem, but I too recommend more investigation into the cause. If you email me I have a few recommendations in Vic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffy Magee Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 Cosmolo I would have no iea on how to work on his anxiety(if thats what it is). Ruthless Luka is actually barking,not just whining and screaming K9 I had been looking for one that i can adjust myself, as Lukas breeder thinks they are better too, but they all seem to be the BC 50 and BC 200. However I only ever searched for innotek as I didnt know what other brands were out there and if they were any good. But I see on your website the "dogtra" YS500. Will send you an email. Just on a side note, I have today off work, Luka barked intermittantly through the night,but really started up about 6 am.At about 7 he went quiet. OH was up and told me had got out. I apparently hadnt latched the gate properly on his run last night in the dark, so I got up and went and put him back, then when back to bed for a sleep in. OH drove of to work. I have barely heard him since, as I have been sleeping in and not making any noise I think he didnt realise I am home. However when I made it known I was home he started up relentlessy again.So maybe he is only doing it when he knows I am around??? Cheers, KM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve K9Pro Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Cosmolo I would have no iea on how to work on his anxiety(if thats what it is).Ruthless Luka is actually barking,not just whining and screaming K9 I had been looking for one that i can adjust myself, as Lukas breeder thinks they are better too, but they all seem to be the BC 50 and BC 200. However I only ever searched for innotek as I didnt know what other brands were out there and if they were any good. But I see on your website the "dogtra" YS500. Will send you an email. Just on a side note, I have today off work, Luka barked intermittantly through the night,but really started up about 6 am.At about 7 he went quiet. OH was up and told me had got out. I apparently hadnt latched the gate properly on his run last night in the dark, so I got up and went and put him back, then when back to bed for a sleep in. OH drove of to work. I have barely heard him since, as I have been sleeping in and not making any noise I think he didnt realise I am home. However when I made it known I was home he started up relentlessy again.So maybe he is only doing it when he knows I am around??? Cheers, KM K9: First step is to get an accurate diagnosis, then a strategy or program can be written to reduce focus on triggers if the problem is SA. If not a regime will be created to teach the dog that whining or barking will not solve the problem. Yes the 500 is fully adjustable. In some cases we trade old collars for upgrades also. Him behaving this way when he thinks your at home suggests to me that it is not SA, rather him controlling the situation or trying to, but, there are a thousand more questions & tests I would carry out before ticking any boxes & beginning in any direction. My behavioural work always starts with getting the diagnosis 100% correct, then when I write up a program we retain the best results. Shoot me an email & will be able to help you hopefully. [email protected] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffy Magee Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 (edited) I just sent you a brief email to [email protected] Its only today I have noticed him being quiet and can only put it down to that he thought i wasnt here and having said that, now thinking back I have had him in 2 different kennels a couple of times and both owners said he was pretty good, and I thought they were just saying that. So maybe its not separation anxiety, I just thought the way he destroys everything /barks and paces around when he is on his own and yet perfect angel when with me all added up, but I am no behaviourist. I just hope I can get to the bottom of this to save my sanity. Oh and just going back to my last post about him not barking this morning until he heard me, he had seen and heard the kids all morning but it wasnt until he realised I was there that he started up again. Edited July 8, 2009 by Kaffy Magee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonElite Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I dont know what you do or dont do with him but I met Luka when he was in Sydney when he was a puppy and I have spend significant amount of time with him. To me he is a typical, perfectly normal dobermann, maybe a bit more drive then average (and average dont have much) so I put your problems down to the fact that he is not mentally stimulated enough. That perhaps resulted in developement of those unwated behaviours. What is his typical day like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaffy Magee Posted July 8, 2009 Author Share Posted July 8, 2009 (edited) Monelite, Luka joined me at 6 months in april 08 so he was still a baby when you met him while he was still with his breeder and really I wouldnt call the time you spent with him significant in his nearly 2 years of life. And as i have said he is perfectly fine with company, its when he is on his own. In his run at home, in his trailer at a show whilst im packing up, in his crate at home overnight( which he no longer has due to wrecking them). He behaves beautifully if i take him anywhere. It doesnt seem to matter how much stimulation and work i give him he will still bark when on his own. His litter sister who resides with the breeder is also a barker. My main issue with him is his barking, I can put up with anything else but the barking gets very tiring. I go to work at 7am and come home at 3. I let all my dogs out, I go out in the paddocks with them, they run, I do obedience stuff with him and throw/kick his ball as a reward. He loves this and he often gets worn out and lies down to rest at the end of it, panting heavily and If I go out in the car I often take him with me. He then will usually come in and hop on his bed inside and stay there until i go to bed about 11pm, sometimes he stays out in the yard to do his own thing. IT gets dark at 5.30 here so unfortunately the time i spend with him in daylight is limited until daylight savings, I also have the other dogs and 2 kids to consider, oh and the husband,lol. I do love this dog, he is a lot of work but its not that that really bothers me, I just want the barking to stop. Edited July 8, 2009 by Kaffy Magee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonElite Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 (edited) What I wanted to say is that in the little time during his life that I have spend with him he seemed like a typical dobermanm, he was not over the top in anyway. Have you tried teaching him to track, that seems to tire them a lot. Mentally that it. When I get home its dark as well now, I know what you mean, my dogs dont get any dalight time with me at all. I played tug with the puppy last night for nearly 2 hours on and off, seems she never has enough of it, I was eating dinner and put a tug toy around the chair and she was tugging on it . Edited July 8, 2009 by MonElite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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