Bark Collar? Which one?

"Beth In Alaska" wrote in
mmunications:

Its too late now (I hope never to have such a happy barker ever
again, its very embarassing on walks) but what would you do with a
happy-barker!?!


I taught Queenie to "speak" -- she's the only one of my 3 that will do it
on cue. She also, comically, hushes up when I put my hands over my ears
and make a pained expression.

And sometimes I just bark loudly back at her until we both get it out of
our systems. But I only do that in the house.

--
Catherine
& Zoe, Queenie, & Max, 3 black dogs of varying sizes
& Rosalie the calico cat
www.ourladyofperfection.blogspot.com

In article ,
ceb wrote:
I taught Queenie to "speak" -- she's the only one of my 3 that will do it
on cue. She also, comically, hushes up when I put my hands over my ears
and make a pained expression.

I put Saber's barking on cue but it hasn't helped stop his
off-cue barking.

And sometimes I just bark loudly back at her until we both get it out of
our systems. But I only do that in the house.

We do group rooroo sessions inside and I think I'm starting
to have some hearing loss. There's a bumper sticker that
says "Mushing: the loudest silent sport".

Lance Mackey talks about barking about halfway through this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKEpnegtNMM although it's
probably worth pointing out that his dogs are notorious for
being particularly boisterous.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

(Melinda Shore) wrote in news:g775t5$j7u$1
@panix2.panix.com:

We do group rooroo sessions inside and I think I'm starting
to have some hearing loss. There's a bumper sticker that
says "Mushing: the loudest silent sport".


I played your rooroo video for my dad last month when he was visiting and
having a bit of trouble with my "alarm system" -- I believe he had to lie
down immediately afterward.

I do love that video. And so does Queenie -- she gives it her best head
tilts.

--
Catherine
& Zoe, Queenie, & Max, 3 black dogs of varying sizes
& Rosalie the calico cat
www.ourladyofperfection.blogspot.com

In article ,
ceb wrote:
I played your rooroo video for my dad last month when he was visiting and
having a bit of trouble with my "alarm system" -- I believe he had to lie
down immediately afterward.

It's gotten a lot louder with the arrival of Jack, who
frankly can be a little shrieky. Since they feed on each
other it just gets louder and louder.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

(Melinda Shore) wrote in news:g775t5$j7u$1
@panix2.panix.com:

Lance Mackey talks about barking about halfway through this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKEpnegtNMM although it's
probably worth pointing out that his dogs are notorious for
being particularly boisterous.


Interesting! I like boisterous -- and I do think it's part of accepting
dogs for who they are. At the same time, there's a fine line between
boisterous and obstreperous, and I've certainly worked a lot with Q on
the latter...

--
Catherine
& Zoe, Queenie, & Max, 3 black dogs of varying sizes
& Rosalie the calico cat
www.ourladyofperfection.blogspot.com

In article ,
ceb wrote:
Interesting! I like boisterous -- and I do think it's part of accepting
dogs for who they are. At the same time, there's a fine line between
boisterous and obstreperous, and I've certainly worked a lot with Q on
the latter...

Well, there's a musher/journalist in Fairbanks who got a gig
running a few tours for a couple of weeks at a luxury resort
in the Brooks Range, and she and her dogs and a few dogs she
borrowed from Mackey flew in in a bush plane. She said the
flight was pretty unusual, and that Mackey's dogs were
trying to breed everything that moved and were kind of crazy
inside that little plane.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

(Melinda Shore) wrote in
:

She said the
flight was pretty unusual, and that Mackey's dogs were
trying to breed everything that moved and were kind of crazy
inside that little plane.


Just as with other humans, we do like dogs to have a bit of
training/civility. Although, just as with other humans, we sometimes make
exceptions for super-athletes and the exceptionally skilled.

--
Catherine
& Zoe, Queenie, & Max, 3 black dogs of varying sizes
& Rosalie the calico cat
www.ourladyofperfection.blogspot.com

(Melinda Shore) said in rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

I put Saber's barking on cue but it hasn't helped stop his
off-cue barking.

Friday's barking is on cue, I've said "thank you for telling
me", and I've given him time-outs. Nothing stops his alarm
barking every morning and every afternoon when someone drops
off/picks up their dog.

Alarm barking == Head splitting.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

Beth In Alaska wrote:
"ChrisJ" wrote in message
...


Collies don't tend to bark because of aggression (Lucy is an exception),
instead they bark at moving objects (BIKES!), to alert others about the
EVIL moving object, when playing, lonely or to express happiness. The
first two are the bad ones, the last three reasons are easily fixed or
managed.


Snipped very amusing collie chat post.

Chris, Kavik was a happy barker. I was never able to really "fix" it. We
battled over happy barking (demanding happy barking, actually, I'm happy,
and you aren't paying enough attention to me barking) just about every
morning. Its too late now (I hope never to have such a happy barker ever
again, its very embarassing on walks) but what would you do with a
happy-barker!?!



Hi Beth,
That is a very good question and a real dilemma. I do think for some
collies, Happy & Barking are so intertwined that trying to diminish
barking means one is constantly scolding or correcting a collie for
being happy. That sucks all around. This is especially a problem for a
older dog with an deeply ingrained happy barking problem. I wonder if
there is some sort of serotonin feedback loop going on because training
it out of them is darn near impossible (OK - yes a talented trainer
could do it but for the average joe adopter with crappy timing it is).
This is one of the biggest problems with some rescue collies - if they
have a serious barking problem, no one wants them. If started young, a
collie can be conditioned/trained, actually quite easily, to break the
connection between happy & barking and can learn to be quietly happy.

I know a lot of people are strongly opposed to debarking but in the case
of an older collie with a deeply ingrained happy-barking problem, I see
it as a good solution. Debarking doesn't prevent a dog from barking -
the barks are just not as loud or sharp (they tend to sound a bit
raspy). Dogs don't care what they sound like. The debarking is done by
the vet (via the mouth) nicking the vocal cords with a scalpel.

I knew one lady, Diane, who adopted a hard luck senior collie (Corky -
estimated age of 10) who had spent his entire life as an outside dog
tied to a dog house. Corky was absolutely thrilled with his new life
and wanted to tell everyone about it. Diane's neighbors, however, were
not happy about Corky's barking and frankly it was driving Diane a bit
nuts as well. She tried all the typical first step methods (spray
bottle, putting him away when he barked, startle/redirection), some
electronic methods (Bark Solver, citronella collar, shock bark collar).
She said she felt sick about it - poor Corky didn't understand that,
from his point of view, he was being punished for being happy. Diane had
been against debarking and thought it was cruel to take away a dog's
bark. Finally in desperation, Diane had Corky debarked and after she
saw how happy Corky was - finally being allowed to bark his happy fool
head off without being corrected & scolded all the time - she said she
wished she had done it earlier.

Sorry for going off on a tangent. Now what Kavik was doing - barking in
the morning, during walks or demand barking - I have to say I've been
able to shape my collies away from much of that kind of behavior.
Collies are not much into demand barking or barking on walks, thank goD.
I think it might help that I while I'm strict with barking, I do allow
the collies to talk. They can mutter, grumble, whine, woo-woo as long
as they do not bark. Trying to stop all noise making is like trying to
cork a volcano. Sooner or later - the collie & the volcano is going to
erupt (and in the collie's case - you'll get stealth barking).

Chris and the smoothies,
Lucy, Fawkes & Bree the spare

Melinda said in part...
We do group rooroo sessions inside and I think I am starting to have
some hearing loss. There's a bumper sticker that says "Mushing: the
loudest silent sport".
_____________________________
Melinda,
I don't think I ever thought of mushing as a silent sport but I guess
if you are in the middle of nowhere and all is going well and all the
dogs are working their very best it could be silent. I always think of
them getting all excited when getting harnessed but I guess once they
get into a rhythm it is quiet.
Which one of your dogs is the loudest?
I also have been wondering if you have heard anything about the dogs
that were injured during the races this year? I can't recall the names
of the dogs but I was wondering about the team that was hit while at
rest by a snow mobile and the dog that was injured while riding in the
sled. I believe it was the musher's lead dog? Also any news of any
charges in either of the incidents?


Be Free.....Judy