help with my dogs bad habits - Page 4

 OK, the proof is in the pudding, or the training.......we'll see. And I do hope you are correct Tess....

my two gsd's are very well trained, which we have done ourselfs, they walk off the lead next to my side and dont not move from that position useless told they can do so, (they very good dogs). have owned gsd's since being a child, all were well trained. my yorkie is good apart from his barking. he sits, gives you his paw, sits and waits for his dinner to be put down, the only problem is his mad barking, i dont even mind him barking that much in the house, its mainly when he is on a walk. we have been spraying him when he starts to bark and he already getting the message, still a bit way to go but he knows i mean business and i wont give in.

i am very gratfull to all those people who understand were i am coming from, that i needed tips to control his barking. as i have never come across this problem with my gsd's

Lauren

At least no one suggested an electric no bark collar, if they did I missed it.

It takes time to correct behavior and you begin at the first sign, once behavior becomes a habit it takes even more time.
You must first think things through.
The quick fixes can add new problems even if they cure an old one.

Each animal requires a certain amount of your time, and there are only so many hours in a day, I caution against spreading yourself too thin, things slip through the cracks when you do.

Not all dogs are the same, what works for one doesn't always work for all.

Not all people are the same either, what comes naturally to one, eludes others.

I do not believe spraying the dog in the face with water is productive, you might as well use a fly swatter as I think it would produce the same response.

I do think with more knowledge a person can do a better job.
And I think it's better to start out on the right foot than to have to go back and start over again after problems become habits.

Tips are a dime a dozen, but one good tip is pay attention and let nothing slip through those cracks.
Invest the time it takes to do it right.

A new puppy is an empty bucket, be sure it doesn't fill up on it's own.

Good luck then.

KitKat, if I were you I'd invest in one of those sonic sound thingies. I used it to "train" a nasty little pom in the yard behind mine, a dog which was left outside to bark 24/7. You can leave it on an automatic setting so that when you are gone, they still don't get to yap. True, you don't have neighbors, but still...might be a learning experience for the dogs. You say shut up, they don't, they have to listen to an obnoxious whine. Doesn't take long.  I wonder if there is a hand-held version that the OP could walk around with?

OOOOPS HIT SEND TOO FAST, IT IS ABOUT $12.OO YUP ONLY 12 DOLLARS...

In my opinion, it sounds to me like he is quite an exciteable boy and that he is attention seeking and the barking is to say "look at me" and a way of him getting his own way and feeling top dog.

It also says to me that you are probably taking him out when he is in an exciteable frame of mind and it just escalates from there.

What I would probably do if I were in your position would be to make sure he is nice and calm before you go out through the front door. It may take a long time for you to get out of the house. But if when you put his lead on he starts barking, I would say "enough" or "no" very firmly. If he doesn't stop after you have said this once, then drop the lead and walk away and sit down. When he has calmed down, pick the lead back up, if he starts barking again, say "enough" or "no", if he doesn't stop, drop the lead and sit back down again. He will soon come to realise that if he barks he doesn't go out and that he has to be calm before you step through the door. You are then starting the walk on your terms.

On your walk, I would suggest walking so far, then asking him to sit, then walking a little way again and asking him to stay, still with his lead on and you still holding his lead, walk a few steps in front, then ask him to come to you. Repeat this on your walk frequently so you are getting his focus on you. I would also suggest taking a choke chain on your walk to carry in your hand or your pocket. If he starts to bark, say "enough" or "no", if he doesnt stop on your command, drop the chain at your feet. The noise will distract him and should be enough to stop him barking.  If he starts barking again, repeat by dropping the chain on the floor again.

I hope the suggestions help a little. Good luck with the obedience classes. Let us all know how you get on.

Best regards x