# excessive barkingpu



## redrunner (Mar 15, 2021)

I have an intact 8 month old V that barks at EVERYTHING! He has always been fairly vocal since I have had him, but chalked it up to him discovering himself and new things in combo with him being a very sensory dog. However as he has gotten older he never seemed to learn that barking at everything was futile. He has been especially bad for the past month. And when I say bark I don't mean just a few barks and then stop, he will bark at the top of his lungs continuously for what feels like a minute (but is probably closer to 7seconds if not more )and he may take a break but then will start up again. He will bark at car doors shutting, people talking, if he sees people walking outside the car or house, if other dogs walk past our door, if I sneeze or cough, if the ice machine in the fridge makes a sound, sometimes he will wake up from a nap and just start barking, and sometimes he will start barking and I can't figure out the reason. I live in a townhouse, so there can be a lot of movement around my house, so needless to say he is barking A LOT! He has grown up in this house and I would have expected him to become at least a little desensitized to all these noises that happen every day. I have tried ignoring him (but I will admit for the sake of my ears and my neighbors ears if it goes on too long I end up finding a way to distract him), I have tried teaching him quiet (he will stop for a second, look at me, and then continue and ignore the reward I had ready). He has a clean bill of health and spends the day at a daycare in addition to 2-3 half hour to an hour walks (depending on my schedule one of these walks is either off leash or involves swimming). I am not convinced lack of exercise or a health issue is the cause. I am concerned that the daycare is encouraging this behavior since so many other dogs are barking and no one is sitting there discouraging the behavior. But not using a daycare is not an option at the moment.

Does anyone have any resources or training tips/guidance for getting him to stop barking so much? I'm considering a bark collar but honestly don't know too much about them and their success with a moderately sensitive V. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

if you get the timing just right, a spray bottle can be a very effective tool, just a quick spray on the face on the mist setting when your dog gets the first stirrings of a bark, might not sit well with some, but it's not cruel and shows your dog acceptable boundaries


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

harrigab said:


> if you get the timing just right, a spray bottle can be a very effective tool, just a quick spray on the face on the mist setting when your dog gets the first stirrings of a bark, might not sit well with some, but it's not cruel and shows your dog acceptable boundaries


I like the adjustable spray bottles, so you can still catch them in the act across a room.
Hunter liked to bark nonstop at squirrels, and I didn’t want it to upset the neighbors. I shut him down by attaching a spray nozzle to the water hose. He learned very quickly, what the word quite meant.

Its funny that the same dog that loves to try and catch water from the hose, will stop barking when it’s used in a different manner.


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## redrunner (Mar 15, 2021)

Thanks, I will look into this! Y'all haven't seen any issues with them developing a generalized adverse reaction to water have you? Last thing I want is for him to become terrified of water!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Nope
Hunter and Shine make it hard to water the yard with a hose. They both try to leap, and catch the water. They also both like to swim.


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