I have three shelties, and while thankfully they are not constant barkers, their barking is still getting out of hand! We are moving to a house with a bigger yard; I want to be able to allow them more outside time. However I can NOT allow them to be disturbing the neighbors. (It gets wild when they see a squirrel especially). There are many wonderful suggestions for training ONE dog not to bark. But when it comes to a small herd??? Please help.
HI there, it sounds like an interesting dilemma you have going on.
Dogs bark for a huge number of reasons with boredom, territorial aggression and alert barking being the most common causes. It is hard to stop a dog from barking at something like a squirrel unless you catch them in the act and reprimand them.
So first lets think of the triggers. Is it people passing by? to get your attention? or our of boredom.
I think the first major point to make is that exercise and toys can remove a lot of the problem. A tired dog will not be as much of a problem. So i think if you can walk all the dogs briskly (or run them) for 30 minutes a day this will help a lot. Make sure they have lots of chew toys and other things to keep them occupied.
If the barking is to get attention you need to tell them off without letting them see you, the best way is with a hose or a can of pebbles thrown near them. This will give them the fright without the reinforcement of seeing you.
If the problem is territorial or alert barking then the below method will help.
You should reprimand your dog for unacceptable behavior, such as barking. If you do not reprimand your dog's poor behavior then she will feel that she has the right to behave that way and it will take much longer to correct the behavior.
What I recommend you do, is the next time your dog acts poorly by barking, saturate your dog with the garden hose or a bucket of water, or if it is inside, throw a heavy blanket over your dog and be sure to reprimand it. DO NOT yell, as this has no effect on the dominant dog. Growl instead, use a guttural growl like " AAHHH!" instead of "No!", as this makes a sharper sound then "No" (If done correctly it may hurt your throat a little).
The 4 Step Anti-Barking Program (as per SitStayFetch)
Step 1
Remove all triggers for your dogs barking. This may not be easy to do, but perhaps by limiting your dogs access to the things that trigger the barking. This may take a bit of investigation on your part to determine the root cause of the problem if you are at all unsure of what may be causing it.
Step 2
Make sure that when your dog does start barking that EVERYONE ignores it. NO petting, talking, treats, etc. Besides barking, make sure that you do not respond to any vocalization (e.g. crying, whimpering, grunts, etc) that your dog may make. If you have limited success with a fortnight of this approach then go straight to Step 4.
Step 3
Notice and acknowledge good, quiet behavior. Praise your dog and pet it when your dog is quiet around the triggers to its barking. Remember to only give your dog attention when it is not seeking it.
Step 4
Catch your dog in the act and reprimand it straightaway. What I recommend you do, is the next time your dog acts poorly by barking, saturate your dog with the garden hose or a bucket of water, or if it is inside, throw a heavy blanket over your dog and be sure to reprimand it. DO NOT yell, as this will have limited effect on your dog. Growl instead, use a guttural growl like " AAHHH!" instead of "No!", as this makes a sharper sound then "No" (If done correctly it may hurt your throat a little).
It may be easier to put 2 dogs away and leave one out in the yard for a start. If you are leaving them out together make sure the reprimand is aimed at the right dog and doesn't affect the other dogs.
As another idea their are citronella collars as well as ultrasound collars that can work quite well in these cases. Only use them when you are around and can make sure there are no problems with them.
This problem will take time and some ingenuity to fix but we are here to help and if you have anymore questions don't hesitate to ask. Good luck.
