I have a 20 month old Kelpie who likes to bark at moving wheels, motor vehicles, rubbish trolley, washing trolley and even a wheel barrow that I am pushing, the moment the movement stops the barking ceases, so what can I do please?
Thanks for your post You are not the only Kelpie owner facing this problem. Since they are bred to herd stock, moving objects trigger responses that have been hard wired into the breed.
Getting your dog to stop the inappropriate barking will need two simultaneous approaches. The first is training her: Please have a look into the Secrets to Dog training ebooks and read through the obedience training programme in there. Also, have a look at the alpha training bonus book and incorporate some of the ideas in there into your daily routine. You could also train your dog to bark on command as you will then be able to give the quiet signal when you want her to stop barking.
The second part of the solution will involve punishing her for inappropriate barking. You could try having a squirt bottle at hand and give her a good squirt in the face the minute she starts barking. If water on her face doesn't deter her, try putting lemon juice in the gun and squirting her in the mouth, soon she will realize that barking has an unpleasant consequence and hopefully stop doing it soon enough.
I hope the above information is helpful to you. Do write back if you have any other queries and please do keep us posted on your progress.
