Mollyrulz Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 My dog has started barkin about 2 mths ago after 5 men got into my neighbour's house through their side gate - this side borders my house and as my dog is outside during the day while I am at work, he was "territory- guarding" and barked non-stop. Apparently the robbery went on for quite a substantial time as the neighbours lost their Land Cruiser, jewellery from a safe, TV's, Laprops etc, etc... including a smashed up sliding door. To cut a long story short, since that day, he has been spooked.... each time a Tradesmen came (which they did as my neighbours put in some security camera around the parameter of their house) he would bark & bark... one day (extreme case) he barked for 3 1/2 hrs... and he barked when a cubby house was erected on an adjacent neighbour's house which was a 2 storey cubby house! My neighbours at the back who complain about everything has complained to council.. Can someone tell me (other than using a Barking Collar) whether The Husher works?.. He does not bark everyday....BUT when there is a reason eg on Wed this week he barked for 10 mins and that was bcos the Tradesmen were up on the roof of my neighbour's 2 storey house and they were relacing roof tiles until 2pm... he barked for 10 mins and my (good) neighbour rang to say he has been brought to her house and he is playing with her dogs! Any thoughts on this product (good/bad) pls let me know. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 If the husher is one of those muzzle things .. then there is no way that can be left on a dog for more than a short time, IMO. It restricts opening the mouth . Bark collars - yes, they may work ...however ... treating a dog like this is a bit like locking a crying baby in a cupboard .. or poking it every time it cries It is usually best to find out why baby cries, and help work through it ... My advice is to ask on here for recommendations for a GOOD and TRUSTWORTHY behaviour professional ... who you can talk to - who will observe your dog,and advise on treatment /management .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollyrulz Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 I understand what you're saying ... but he only barks when I am not home AND when there is something distressing him... he is 20 mths old now and has never barked like that until the day of the robbery.. Since then it has been when the tradesmen come to run the cables by the side of the neighbour's house (after the robbery), the cubby house being built AND the tradesmen on the roof - a few isolated incidents and my neighbour has been taking him over on these occasions. I work Mon - Fri and leave the house at 8.30 and return at 5.30pm. I have thought of a Behaviourist - the thing is since that robbery (end Jul) there has been 3 barking incidents. I just thought it wa seasier IF my neighbour puts the "Husher" on him when he has been barking continuously for 10 - 15 mins and then remove it after an hour or so.. I just want an opinion on whether this thing works. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 I don't think it is a good idea to leave anything on a dog unattended that goes around its muzzle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 It may well work .... however, your dog is stressed, anxious, protective ...muzzling him may only make this distress/frustration worse ......he wants to yell & scream, but he can't ..he wants to puff & huff - he can't .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertie Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Can he have access to a room of the house when you are out? Like a kitchen or laundry that can be locked off from the rest of the house? And try leaving a radio on for him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollyrulz Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Only the neighbours... I am away from 8.30 till 5.30pm ... long time to leave him in the house and he is a medium sized dog... he only does it when there is something to "stress" him and as I have said, the robbery occurred 2 months ago and since then 3 barking incidents ... one for 1 hour and the rest for 10-15 mins before my neighbour took him as she has my Garage Remote. Cannot leave him inside for too long and he is only 20mths old and chews everything ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 It may well work .... however, your dog is stressed, anxious, protective ...muzzling him may only make this distress/frustration worse ......he wants to yell & scream, but he can't ..he wants to puff & huff - he can't .... I completely agree with this - it's much better to actually address his underlying fear of strangers/sounds/whatever rather than punishing his response to it. If he's scared, punishing the fear is not going to do you or him any favours. A muzzle or bark collar or something like that is just a bandaid solution. So whether it works shouldn't really be the question in my opinion - I'd recommend a behaviourist to get some tips on reassuring him and desensitising him to the things that scare him. Not just making him be quiet; that's like the symptom, not the actual root issue. What you need is to address the root issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertie Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 No, not leave him inside, just access to a room inside, like a laundry where you could remove stuff you didn't want chewed. So he can choose to be inside or outside. So let's say your laundry could be locked off from the rest of the house, then have a dog door leading out of the laundry, so he can go inside to his cave,away from scary stuff, if he's feeling stressed. Radio may help him to feel calm & mask outside noises that are worrying him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollyrulz Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 It may well work .... however, your dog is stressed, anxious, protective ...muzzling him may only make this distress/frustration worse ......he wants to yell & scream, but he can't ..he wants to puff & huff - he can't .... I completely agree with this - it's much better to actually address his underlying fear of strangers/sounds/whatever rather than punishing his response to it. If he's scared, punishing the fear is not going to do you or him any favours. A muzzle or bark collar or something like that is just a bandaid solution. So whether it works shouldn't really be the question in my opinion - I'd recommend a behaviourist to get some tips on reassuring him and desensitising him to the things that scare him. Not just making him be quiet; that's like the symptom, not the actual root issue. What you need is to address the root issue. How do I de-sensitise him when he is fine if I am home BUT not when i go to work from Mon to Fri as I don't know when Workmen comes around as my neighbours are not obliged to tell me what they do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cointreau Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Hushers come with a warning not to leave on an unattended dog. Not sure about the best way to desensitise him, maybe contact a behaviourist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 How do I de-sensitise him when he is fine if I am home BUT not when i go to work :) That's why a professional opinion is worth every cent ! When we can't think of ideas .. they usually can work with us to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 How do I de-sensitise him when he is fine if I am home BUT not when i go to work :) That's why a professional opinion is worth every cent ! When we can't think of ideas .. they usually can work with us to help. Yep - and you basically work to desensitise him to workmen PERIOD. Once you've done that effectively, you being there or not will be irrelevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 (edited) I would definitely not recommend the husher to be left on any dog unattended. Given the issue occurs when you are not there, you may need to block/ restrict/ change access. Desensitisation to recorded similar noises can also be helpful- although it may seem useless because he only does the behaviour when you're not there, changing the way he feels about hearing noises, seeing people etc when you are there is likely to have SOME carry over to when you're not. Unfortunately it's impossible to know whether the carry over will be enough to curb the problem hence why you may need to consider changing access. If aversives are to be used it's very important that the aversive is only applied when the dog barks- the husher still has an element of restriction for the dog even when they are quiet which can be confusing. Citronella collars can have the same issue with a lingering smell when the dog is quiet. Hang on- i just read your post again. There have been 3 barking incidents only when someone has been on the roof, the robbery was occurring and someone was running cabling along the house? If the barking is this isolated and specific is it really a problem? Edited September 27, 2013 by Cosmolo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkhe Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 I would definitely not recommend the husher to be left on any dog unattended. Given the issue occurs when you are not there, you may need to block/ restrict/ change access. Desensitisation to recorded similar noises can also be helpful- although it may seem useless because he only does the behaviour when you're not there, changing the way he feels about hearing noises, seeing people etc when you are there is likely to have SOME carry over to when you're not. Unfortunately it's impossible to know whether the carry over will be enough to curb the problem hence why you may need to consider changing access. If aversives are to be used it's very important that the aversive is only applied when the dog barks- the husher still has an element of restriction for the dog even when they are quiet which can be confusing. Citronella collars can have the same issue with a lingering smell when the dog is quiet. Hang on- i just read your post again. There have been 3 barking incidents only when someone has been on the roof, the robbery was occurring and someone was running cabling along the house? If the barking is this isolated and specific is it really a problem? Ah, I just digested that part too.. god, if my dogs had only ever had 3 incidents like this I'd be over the moon!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 cos, council have been contacted by a neighbour ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollyrulz Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 I would definitely not recommend the husher to be left on any dog unattended. Given the issue occurs when you are not there, you may need to block/ restrict/ change access. Desensitisation to recorded similar noises can also be helpful- although it may seem useless because he only does the behaviour when you're not there, changing the way he feels about hearing noises, seeing people etc when you are there is likely to have SOME carry over to when you're not. Unfortunately it's impossible to know whether the carry over will be enough to curb the problem hence why you may need to consider changing access. If aversives are to be used it's very important that the aversive is only applied when the dog barks- the husher still has an element of restriction for the dog even when they are quiet which can be confusing. Citronella collars can have the same issue with a lingering smell when the dog is quiet. Hang on- i just read your post again. There have been 3 barking incidents only when someone has been on the roof, the robbery was occurring and someone was running cabling along the house? If the barking is this isolated and specific is it really a problem? YES - bcos my RUDE neighbours at the back have threatened to "ring Council to take the f***** dog away".... to teach me a lesson! They are too gutless to see me face to face but just shout abuse and hit on my fence when he barks... Now when they stand and talk at the back of their house, my dog barks & growls at them ...which they don't like!... they tell my "good" neighbour that he is a nuisance even though he has not been barking daily! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Can you block his access to that fence then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 What have the council actually said to you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollyrulz Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 What have the council actually said to you? I have a letter from Council saying he is a nuisance.... i rang and advised Council that he is now 20mths old and was never a serial barker until that "robbery".. and he does not have separation anxiety as he would have had that issue from young not at 20mths old... and he is walked (rain OR shine) and he has his Kongs, etc to amuse him when I am at work. I have also had an extra layer of palings on my back fence so he cannot "see" the neighbours at all... It's just that these people are rude and IF he barks for 10-15 mins, they will SMS my good neighbour and say "WTF is that dog barking at"... and she has to then take him to her house... not fair on her bcos it's not her dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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