A couple of months ago my Dad and Step Mum took ownership of a female Labrador cross (approx 6 years old) from another family member who could no longer cope with the dog’s problematic barking.

The dog is well trained and has great manners in every respect; other than it barks persistently at every single audible noise from inside or outside the house. Lately is becoming increasingly worse and she barks incessantly at close family members she has known for years when they enter the house, even if they have been away for only a few seconds.

The dog has daily exercise, is free to roam the house and large garden, has constant company of several other dogs so it’s unlikely be barking due to boredom. It knows when it should not bark as it ‘skulks’ when told a strict ‘NO’ but this has an effect of about 3 seconds.

The dog has been to training classes, had had various anti-bark collars... all of which have been completely useless. The next step seems to be something a little more extreme, i.e. an electric anti-bark collar which stuns the dog when it barks persistently. From Internet reviews these devices may seem effective.

Does anybody have any experience of these and could provide feedback? Such a measure may seem extreme but my family are really at the end of their tether.

Many thanks

Oh my god, please do not go down the electric collar route That way you are only teaching your dog to not do something through fear

The poor dog has had a lot of upheaval so is bound to be out of sorts. Dogs have a natural instinct to guard what they believe is their territory. They consider it their duty to warn other pack members (which include you and your family) of intruders.

Try the following:

Train your dog to be quiet. When you see your dog barking excessively at visitors we often find ourselves disciplining them rather than praising quiet behaviour. We are also often inconsistent in when we apply this discipline. Consequently our dogs do not develop any learned behaviour around when and where barking is allowed. Here are a few tips on training your dog to be quiet:

Each time your dog barks at a passer-by, after several barks, praise your dog for informing you, then gently ask him or her to be QUIET. If they remain quiet for a few seconds, praise them. You may need to show them a very tasty titbit initially to help them concentrate on you and calm down. Give them the titbit the second they are quiet and slowly increase the amount of time they have to be quiet before giving them the titbit.
If they continue to bark, raise your voice or use body language to strengthen the command, but praise them as soon as they are quiet.
It will take a few sessions (depending on the number of visitors you get!) but, over time, build up the duration of time you expect them to be quiet. You might find it useful to count out the seconds as an added means to hold your dog's attention away from the passer-by.
Always be consistent- many attempts to train a dog to be quiet fail through inconsistency.
NEVER reprimand dog barking. Only reprimand them for disobeying your command to be quiet. But the second they obey, praise them warmly

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Tatally agree, stay away from the collors, i have been training my staffy and she was dog aggresive and barks at the door even when nobody there, i have got some training discs and if she pulls on the lead i jingle them and she comes back to the side of me, but remember loades of priases, if she barks i dont say anything just through them in front of her, when she chases the rabbits its only playing but they hate it i put them in front of her again i carnt belive the change in her i always carry a treat so when i use them and she is good i make a point of it with saying good girl and give her a treat good luck keep us updated.

NO NO NO NO stay away feom those electric collars, how would you like to wear one????????

Hehe well said there not nice things at all, i would love to put them on some of these people who miss treat there animals they would be good fro thats, but not for the pochy.

:d:d:d:d......................:d:d

Ok that was nasty of me, but there is a guy near me who uses one and is poor dog dose not no weather hes coming or going hes always using it, i have fallen out with him a few times, cos his dog is fine with other dogs he uses it to stop it going near the road, but it should be on lead when near busy road not getting zapped everytime.

You need to grab you neighbour and clamp two crocodile clips to his B*lls and then attach the other end to the mains and then say to him sit, then push the button watch him squirm and then say no i said sit.

Would love to, hes horrible i say somthing everytime i see him i might be a bit harder this time and tell him to stop using it.

Good on ya
But don't get yourself into a confrontation about it, we all know what a cruel person he is.