[ShelleyNelson]

I have a 2 year old Czech/West German GSD. This dog is the loudest dog I've ever had. I have kennels outside and Otto spends a 3 days a week in his kennel (about 8 hours each) when I go to work and a few hours here and there during the week etc.. otherwise he's with me in the house, going places, training etc.. you get the idea.

When he's outside he barks at EVERYTHING. The wind, the dogs he hears a block away, the car that drives by, the odd person that walks past the house... list goes on, and on, and on. He wears a Dogtra500 bark collar and will bark/scream from the correction and this goes on. He just takes the correction and screams & barks through it. He is NOT in a stimulating environment, it's calm, quiet and nothing goes on here except the odd dog walker or person walking by the house... He hears them and goes bananas along with anything else he feels the need to yell at.
This is what I've tried:
-make sure he has a good run and training session before going in his kennel to make sure he's mentally and physically tired
-Bark Collar (2 different kinds)
-Ecollar - has the same effect as the bark collar
-scolding him for barking, ignores me
-squirting him firmly with the hose, he likes that, thinks that's a fun game

My neighbors have been patient with this, but they'll run out eventually... any tips? Thanks.

 

[workingdawgs]

Have you tried leaving him in a crate inside the house? It sounds like he is barking out of boredom. The 8 hours in his crate 3 times a week won't hurt him... you just have to make sure to walk him before and after work. If the bark collars aren't working, then don't use them. Out of curiosity, what level do you have the Dogtra on?

 

[AbbyK9]

How long have you used the collar?
How is the collar fitted on the dog?
What level is the collar on?

Those might be stupid questions, but I've noticed that in a lot of cases where people complained the collar wasn't working, their dog was either new to the collar and didn't understand that the collar caused the correction, or the collar is wrongly fitted (ie, hanging loose around the dog's neck when it should be fitted snugly so the contacts touch the dog's neck).

 

[ShelleyNelson]

The collar is snug. I've tried the collar on every level for at least a few days at a time and the result has always been the same. He's been on the collar for about a year, and once he started to trust that the stim isn't that bad - he barks through it. Bark, bark - scream... and over and over. He's really crate aggressive too. Either in the crate in the house, crate in the truck, or outside in his kennel at home, just goes bananas when any dog goes near so I'm thinking this is where it comes from now that I've put some serious thought into this all over the past few days. His mother was the same. Although, he's not dog aggressive at all.

The general consensus is that he needs to stay in side. So I guess that's what I'll do... the only problem is some days, I have to leave them in the kennels outside for up to 14 hours since I work long days but most days my husband is home long before me so usually, they're out there for about 8 hours. If they need poop or pee on the long days, they can do that. Their kennels are very nice, with dog houses, beds, Kongs, and bones. I truly don't think bordom is the problem.. they're well excercised each day before going in for the day.

I can leave him loose in the dog room and then put the radio on so he can't hear or see the stimulation that makes him bark like crazy.

Thanks guys..

 

[middleofnowhere]

I know from your last post that you've decided to do my #1 which is: Take the collar off the dog. 1. It is not working the way you want. It my be even encouraging barking. (Getting zapped may tell him that what he was barking at truly is a threat). 2. Never use one of these on an unattended dog. 3. The dog is not supposed to associate the correction/stimulous with the collar He is supposed to associate it with barking.

You're competing with a self enforcing behavior - barking. Bringing him inside is a wise move. Sometimes you have to figure out what works for the dog & use that.

 

[ShelleyNelson]

Yup, it wasn't my first choice, of course, but it's not getting better, just worse. I don't believe that he associates the collar with the barking, I think he associates it with the dog or stimulus around him that makes him think he should bark.... it is what it is. Thanks guys.

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

I agree with everyone else, take him in the house so you keep friendly neighbors. It's fairly normal for unattended and bored dogs to bark when left alone. So kind of fighting nature on this.