Does Anyone Use A Nylon Muzzle For Barking?

[Guest kkaiser104]

I know there is someone on here who has a picture in their signature of their grey in a nylon muzzle. Just wondering if anyone uses one to help teach quietness? Teddi is A TALKER. And normally, we love him for it. However, when we leave or the mailman knocks, it can get a little annoying

 

I'm pretty opposed to shock collars--I just think it should be an absolute last resort and I don't think I'm anywhere near that with Teddi. Frankly, if I lived alone and in a SFH I wouldn't even worry about it too much. But, I have roommates and will very likely end up in an apartment in the future, so I want to nip this problem as quickly as I can. I've tried a humane vibration collar, which he didn't like but it didn't stop him from barking, just deterred him from it a little. Someone suggested the citronella spray collar to me but I really don't like that either...just seems mean.

[Wonder]

I put this on Passion as a joke. It's a pop can koozie. She's a major talker and nothing stops her (although I don't try to get her to stop since that's just how she is)

Edited August 2, 2012 by Wonder

[Guest kkaiser104]

I put this on Passion as a joke. It's a pop can koozie. She's a major talker and nothing stops her (although I don't try to get her to stop since that's just how she is)

 

Haha, thanks for the clarification! I wish I could let Teddi just bark his heart out, but there are some times when it's too much. It's very frustrating to have someone complain that your dog is too loud when you know they're just talking

[Wonder]

I get a lot of comments about Passion's whining- people think she's in distress. If they do say anything to me, I explain that she's a talker.

When I lived in a townhouse, I got notes on my door.

 

Barking is one thing that I just can't stand. I'm lucky that none of mine are bad barkers unless someone walks past the house. In that case, I encourage them to bark

 

Have you tried a squirt bottle?

Edited August 2, 2012 by Wonder

[Guest kkaiser104]

I get a lot of comments about Passion's whining- people think she's in distress. If they do say anything to me, I explain that she's a talker.

When I lived in a townhouse, I got notes on my door.

 

Were you able to just kind of ignore it? Right now, we live in a detached duplex, so I've never gotten complaints from the neighbors (only 1 roommate, who is moving out). Next year I'll probably be in a SFH with one of my current roommates and her puppy, so again, it probably won't be a big deal. However, after that I might end up in an apartment or something similar (though I'd really love a SFH with a fenced in yard...swoon...) and I just don't want there to be issues with his noise. And maybe he'll get a little better about it as I leave him more often, too.

[Maddiesmom]

I have the QUEEN of barking living with me- Maddie. She barks when it is time to eat, if I am on the phone with someone she knows (Mimi or Papa (my mom and dad) or local friends in our greyhound group), when she has to go out, of I am not paying attention to her. I don't mind her barking to let me know when she has to go out to potty, but the other times, It drives me nuts. I live in a house so that is good. I use a spray bottle and spray her when she is barking at a time when I don't want her to bark. When she sees me get the spray bottle in hand, she runs as she hates to be squirted with water anyway on her. and I then tell her to go lie down and she does.

[Guest kkaiser104]

I have the QUEEN of barking living with me- Maddie. She barks when it is time to eat, if I am on the phone with someone she knows (Mimi or Papa (my mom and dad) or local friends in our greyhound group), when she has to go out, of I am not paying attention to her. I don't mind her barking to let me know when she has to go out to potty, but the other times, It drives me nuts. I live in a house so that is good. I use a spray bottle and spray her when she is barking at a time when I don't want her to bark. When she sees me get the spray bottle in hand, she runs as she hates to be squirted with water anyway on her. and I then tell her to go lie down and she does.

 

Do you think that works when you leave, too? I'm willing to try anything! If he barks at me in the house after we went potty (so I know that isn't it) I threaten him with the collar which is enough to get him to go lie down. But when I'm not here I obviously can't threaten him with the collar...

[GeorgeofNE]

Muzzles don't prevent barking.

 

Look for some video of the turnout pens at the track kennels and you will see I speak the truth.

 

Anything that physically prevented your dog from barking would be inhumanely tight.

 

Suggest you work on behavior modification instead.

[cleptogrey]

I have the QUEEN of barking living with me- Maddie. She barks when it is time to eat, if I am on the phone with someone she knows (Mimi or Papa (my mom and dad) or local friends in our greyhound group), when she has to go out, of I am not paying attention to her. I don't mind her barking to let me know when she has to go out to potty, but the other times, It drives me nuts. I live in a house so that is good. I use a spray bottle and spray her when she is barking at a time when I don't want her to bark. When she sees me get the spray bottle in hand, she runs as she hates to be squirted with water anyway on her. and I then tell her to go lie down and she does.

felix must be one of her royal relatives, ....same reaction to the squirt bottle. i haven't changed the water in over a year, i just point it and he shuts up.(but you do need to use the trigger initially).

 

usually his verbal days are days where he just didn't get enough exercise, then all night he's a talking to the stuffies, tv, us, you name it!

Edited August 2, 2012 by cleptogrey

[Guest kkaiser104]

Muzzles don't prevent barking.

 

Look for some video of the turnout pens at the track kennels and you will see I speak the truth.

 

Anything that physically prevented your dog from barking would be inhumanely tight.

 

Suggest you work on behavior modification instead.

 

Suggestions for behavior modification?

[Guest KennelMom]

If you don't like barking, get a cat. Seriously. Try some behavior mods, but I think shock collars and muzzles for barking are inappropriate. Barking is a normal, natural, innate dog behavior.

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

Teaching a "quiet" command would be one way. Rather than punishing barking/talking, teach the dog that being quiet is more rewarding. To start you'll need to wait for a time when he's being vocal. Get some treats, but only give them when he stops vocalizing and pair it with the word "quiet". Repeat until he stops talking on your command. You might also teach him to speak on command too. Let him be vocal, but make it a game you two play together.

 

My grey gets barky when she's bored. The best cure is to take her for a walk or chase her around the yard a couple times, but it's very handy to be able to get her to quiet down when she has to wait a bit longer.

[Guest kkaiser104]

Teaching a "quiet" command would be one way. Rather than punishing barking/talking, teach the dog that being quiet is more rewarding. To start you'll need to wait for a time when he's being vocal. Get some treats, but only give them when he stops vocalizing and pair it with the word "quiet". Repeat until he stops talking on your command. You might also teach him to speak on command too. Let him be vocal, but make it a game you two play together.

 

My grey gets barky when she's bored. The best cure is to take her for a walk or chase her around the yard a couple times, but it's very handy to be able to get her to quiet down when she has to wait a bit longer.

 

Thanks! You're always so helpful. I'm going to try the quiet command. The problem really is that he's a solitary barker mostly--he normally will respond to my requests at quieting down in the house. But maybe if I start rewarding the quiet behavior, he'll stop the barking some when I'm not home?

 

If you don't like barking, get a cat. Seriously. Try some behavior mods, but I think shock collars and muzzles for barking are inappropriate. Barking is a normal, natural, innate dog behavior.

 

The issue isn't me not liking the behavior. As I've stated in other posts, the issue is mostly seated in a nasty roommate and the potential for complaining neighbors in the future. Being able to keep him quiet would be nice for the future, as well as now. I suspect that once my roommate's puppy is trusted in the house when we leave Teddi's barking might diminish. I agree with you on shock collars--I'm not going there with him.

[Yamaha_gurl]

What Jayne's momma said.

 

Perhaps, if he barking, have a treat ready...and say quiet, while gently holding his mouth closed. When he stops, treat. OR something along those lines...I'm not a trainer.

[Wonder]

I get a lot of comments about Passion's whining- people think she's in distress. If they do say anything to me, I explain that she's a talker.

When I lived in a townhouse, I got notes on my door.

 

Were you able to just kind of ignore it? Right now, we live in a detached duplex, so I've never gotten complaints from the neighbors (only 1 roommate, who is moving out). Next year I'll probably be in a SFH with one of my current roommates and her puppy, so again, it probably won't be a big deal. However, after that I might end up in an apartment or something similar (though I'd really love a SFH with a fenced in yard...swoon...) and I just don't want there to be issues with his noise. And maybe he'll get a little better about it as I leave him more often, too.

When I first brought her home, she whined all the time. She yowled loudly when left alone (that's when I got the notes).

Fast forward 7 years and she pretty much only whines out in public

Last month she started phenobarbital and has started whining more. She's been whining off and on during the night. I have no idea what her problem is but I suspect she's hungry. I've started giving her a snack before bed.

Do I ignore it? Pretty much but it's really annoying

[Guest kkaiser104]

I get a lot of comments about Passion's whining- people think she's in distress. If they do say anything to me, I explain that she's a talker.

When I lived in a townhouse, I got notes on my door.

 

Were you able to just kind of ignore it? Right now, we live in a detached duplex, so I've never gotten complaints from the neighbors (only 1 roommate, who is moving out). Next year I'll probably be in a SFH with one of my current roommates and her puppy, so again, it probably won't be a big deal. However, after that I might end up in an apartment or something similar (though I'd really love a SFH with a fenced in yard...swoon...) and I just don't want there to be issues with his noise. And maybe he'll get a little better about it as I leave him more often, too.

When I first brought her home, she whined all the time. She yowled loudly when left alone (that's when I got the notes).

Fast forward 7 years and she pretty much only whines out in public

Last month she started phenobarbital and has started whining more. She's been whining off and on during the night. I have no idea what her problem is but I suspect she's hungry. I've started giving her a snack before bed.

Do I ignore it? Pretty much but it's really annoying

 

So there's hope that he'll stop as he grows up? Hahahahahaha! She sounds absolutely adorable. I think the roommate is just going to have to learn how to deal.

[Maddiesmom]

I get a lot of comments about Passion's whining- people think she's in distress. If they do say anything to me, I explain that she's a talker.

When I lived in a townhouse, I got notes on my door.

 

Were you able to just kind of ignore it? Right now, we live in a detached duplex, so I've never gotten complaints from the neighbors (only 1 roommate, who is moving out). Next year I'll probably be in a SFH with one of my current roommates and her puppy, so again, it probably won't be a big deal. However, after that I might end up in an apartment or something similar (though I'd really love a SFH with a fenced in yard...swoon...) and I just don't want there to be issues with his noise. And maybe he'll get a little better about it as I leave him more often, too.

When I first brought her home, she whined all the time. She yowled loudly when left alone (that's when I got the notes).

Fast forward 7 years and she pretty much only whines out in public

Last month she started phenobarbital and has started whining more. She's been whining off and on during the night. I have no idea what her problem is but I suspect she's hungry. I've started giving her a snack before bed.

Do I ignore it? Pretty much but it's really annoying

 

So there's hope that he'll stop as he grows up? Hahahahahaha! She sounds absolutely adorable. I think the roommate is just going to have to learn how to deal.

 

 

Yes there is hope. Maddie had Seperation Anxiety really bad when I got her almost 7 years ago. Now she is the most confident, outgoing, loving dog. The barking drives me nuts as she comes up from behind me and barks in my ear when I am laying on the couch. I learned the squirt bottle from here on GT. Maddie barks in public when she has to go potty. I would rather her tell me then not tell me - whether it be at home or when we are in public.

[Sambuca]

It sounds like separation anxiety is the root if your problem. Search the forum for ways to deal with it. Lots of exercise is the first step. Alone training is very important. Giving a kong when gone can help as well.

[Guest kkaiser104]

It sounds like separation anxiety is the root if your problem. Search the forum for ways to deal with it. Lots of exercise is the first step. Alone training is very important. Giving a kong when gone can help as well.

 

We've been working with Teddi's separation anxiety since I brought him home 6 weeks ago. He gets TONS of exercise and we've been working on alone training. I've been trying kongs, but he's really not interested. He's not very food motivated...

[Guest KennelMom]

Our schnauzer barks. a lot. it's a breed thing...but he barks *at* things (or at least at things he thinks we need to know about). He learned "kennel up" pretty fast so we just added "Thank you, Murray! Now kennel up!" and rewarded him with a treat. 5 months or so later, he barks twice, we say Thank you! and he heads to his crate. If he doesn't get a Thank You, he'll keep barking.

 

The greyhounds all just learned HUSH IT! with no special training.

[Guest 2dogs4cats]

Have you tried a can full of air? My Greyhounds never barked, but I taught a Maltese not to bark by using the can of air used to dust keyboards. For some reason they don't like the sound the air makes. When he barked, I would spray the can (into the air, not at the dog) and then would say "quiet". When he was quiet, I would give him a treat. It worked really well. They eventually associate the word quiet with the sound and then they know what the word means. The sound of the can really got him to quiet down fast.

 

I am definitely not a trainer, but it did work. I think the treat when they are quiet is really important too.

[greytlucy]

Our poodle likes to bark. He's a pretty good watch dog and likes to sound the alarm. I have low tolerance for excessive barking so we've worked on this. In most cases, he's sounding what he thinks is an alarm, so acknowledging to him that he's doing his job with a "thank you" and some sort of cursory investigation with an "it's all good, cosmo!" will quiet him. He barks at knocks and doorbells...we say thanks as we walk to the door, ask him to sit, and he'll be quiet while we open the door. Occasionally he'll hear something out front and is slower to settle, but once I open the door and show him "it's all OK" he quiets. we've used treats and a clicker to encourage him to quiet when we ask. We don't stifle his barking completely as I do like the warning barks he gives.

 

If for any reason he starts barking incessantly in the backyard (at a dog he might hear in the distance or some other environmental trigger) we make him come in and ask him to settle down.

 

He's 2 1/2 now. We've been working on this since he was young. It takes some time but it was definitely worth the patience and investment of energy and time.

 

Good luck!

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

Have you tried a can full of air? My Greyhounds never barked, but I taught a Maltese not to bark by using the can of air used to dust keyboards. For some reason they don't like the sound the air makes. When he barked, I would spray the can (into the air, not at the dog) and then would say "quiet". When he was quiet, I would give him a treat. It worked really well. They eventually associate the word quiet with the sound and then they know what the word means. The sound of the can really got him to quiet down fast.

 

I am definitely not a trainer, but it did work. I think the treat when they are quiet is really important too.

 

I wouldn't do this now! Because of idiots huffing the stuff a bittering agent is now added and it's terrible. DH and I bough a can a few months back to clean our electronics, but after the first spray we tossed it out the bittering was so strong that just using the product as intended was uncomfortable, I wouldn't spray it at a dog. (Unless you can find some without the bittering agent, I don't have a problem with the technique itself.)

[Guest iconsmum]

I get a lot of comments about Passion's whining- people think she's in distress. If they do say anything to me, I explain that she's a talker.

When I lived in a townhouse, I got notes on my door.

 

Were you able to just kind of ignore it? Right now, we live in a detached duplex, so I've never gotten complaints from the neighbors (only 1 roommate, who is moving out). Next year I'll probably be in a SFH with one of my current roommates and her puppy, so again, it probably won't be a big deal. However, after that I might end up in an apartment or something similar (though I'd really love a SFH with a fenced in yard...swoon...) and I just don't want there to be issues with his noise. And maybe he'll get a little better about it as I leave him more often, too.

When I first brought her home, she whined all the time. She yowled loudly when left alone (that's when I got the notes).

Fast forward 7 years and she pretty much only whines out in public

Last month she started phenobarbital and has started whining more. She's been whining off and on during the night. I have no idea what her problem is but I suspect she's hungry. I've started giving her a snack before bed.

Do I ignore it? Pretty much but it's really annoying

 

So there's hope that he'll stop as he grows up? Hahahahahaha! She sounds absolutely adorable. I think the roommate is just going to have to learn how to deal.

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe, but how much exercise does your dog get?

Whatever it is, up it to a full hour walk all at once every single day and I promise it will diminish if not stop..demand barking/all occasion barking is usually boredom - it's an activity. Tire him out so he's not focusing on you every time you move.