The Constant Backyard Barker
I've read most of the other discussions regarding barky corgis and there are many wonderful suggestions. I'm starting to try out a couple of the methods, but there is one situation that I seem lost on what to do. My (now) 2 yr old corgi, Penny, fits the category of barking at anything that moves- rain, leaves, squirrels! and people. We let her sleep indoors at night, so thankfully I don't have the problem of her barking at night. In the mornings I let her out to get water and do her business as I get ready for work. BUT, once I let her out into our large barkyard, within the first hour she is barking at whatever. She usually runs to the very furthest back corner of my yard to where we have taller trees. I'm sure it's because she hears squirrels or other animals up there. So my question is how do I control her barking when she is half a softball field away from me?
The spray bottle technique seems to work when she is indoors or close enough to me where the water can actually reach her. Someone recommended using a hose to spray her for a longer reach, but once I step outside to go for the hose, she's already stopped barking and running towards me because she hears the backdoor open. I like the idea of teaching her command of when to speak and when to be quiet, but once again these seem to work better when she is in a close proximity to me. My old grumpy neighbors are already complaining that she barks too much in the mornings and I don't want to resort to an electronic collar or anything. I'm keeping her indoors more when I'm gone, but I feel bad that we have such a large backyard for her to enjoy and she's stuck indoors.
Any suggestions will be glady and gratefully appreciated! Thanks!
- Penny's mom
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ross on
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Get a citronella spray collar. You can find a bunch on www.amazon.com, search for "citronella bark collar"
It's harmless, and if you are already spray training your dog, the transition should be easy.
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Permalink Reply by Penny <3 on
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Thanks! I think I'm going to give this a shot. I'm looking them up on Amazon and there are several brands. Do you know fit they are work the same? I was thinking of getting the Multivet brand one.
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Permalink Reply by Hilary C. on
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Honestly, I have no helpful advice for you....I'm just soooo relieved that other Corgis bark as much as mine!!
Boscoe and I are attending our first "Corgi Meet Up" this Saturday and I'm so nervous that everyone else will get annoyed with us! I don't want to be labeled "That darn barking dog that ruins all our fun"
I've tried water bottles, muzzles, bark collars...nothing works....and he's five years old so I don't think he'll ever stop barking at the blades of grass that start swaying in the breeze a mile away!!
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Permalink Reply by Julie on
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Oh no! Is there no help for barking corgis? lol Boomer barks at everything as well and will bark at me after giving the "quiet" command.. kind of like having to have the last word. Very frustrating!!
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Permalink Reply by Chris on
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Kirby and Cricket are big barkers too...mainly at anyone walking down the sidewalk across from "their" house. Even worse if they are walking dogs. Cricket is starting her training next week and that's the first question we'll have for our trainers. It's very embarrassing! I'll let you know if they have worthwhile suggestions.
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Permalink Reply by Lou Ann Lemaster on
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My chorgi is more of a barker than my corgi, but, once she starts, she gets him going. She barks at the squirrels and people walking down the street. Doesn't matter which side of the street, she barks. My corgi is more apt to bark at rustling leaves or anything strange. So, I can have constant barking. I'm lucky, I only have people on each side of my house, and they don't complain about it. In the summertime, when we are under the gazebo, I have a hard time controlling their barking sometimes. But, our senior neighbor actually like having them next door. There is just her and her mentally and phyically challanged son, and they make her feel safer. She says she can tell by their bark if it's noise, someone walking by or something they are actually agressive about. In fact, the chorgi will bark at anyone strange in her yard, and she only leans over and tells her, that it's okay (our key word to make her stop when it's a guard bark). Which deserves them a cookie from her occasionally..LOL!
So, I don't encourage the barking, but I check first to see if they are barking at something or someone to close to the house, which I usually tell them good doggies or just at nothing.
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Permalink Reply by bunni, stef & jason on
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apparently, bunni's job is to guard the backyard from birds and leaves being blown by the wind. It's not so bad during the day when most are at work. It's just at night for those late night bathroom sessions that you'll find me "whisper-shouting" nO! inSIDE! inSIDE! bUNNI!
i'll chase her down with a broom if i need to. She's deathly afraid of brooms or any long stick type thing. If the whisper-shouting doesn't work...all i have to do is show her the broom and she'll run in.
I'm afraid barking is their nature. It's super useful when unwanted guests and solicitors come knocking though.
i usually tell bunni "good girl" for guarding the house, she'll simmer down after that. if she continues, i'll tell her "enough" and if i need to....hold up the muzzle. then she knows i'm not playing around.
good luck, hope this helps.
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Permalink Reply by Debbie Landrie on
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Take a look at the "dog silencer". You would just hang it on the fence. I've heard that it works great.
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Thanks everyone for your wonderful suggestions and support!!
An update on Penny: we've been keeping her indoors more (waiting for the citronella collar to get mailed to us) and she's calmed down a lot just knowing where we are and our daily routine. I think this is part of their herding nature where they want to account for their "herd" or family. Just as long as whoever is in the house greets her, she's fine...I guess she just wanted to be acknowledged before we returned to our business. Corgi's are smart dogs! When we finally got the citronella collar and put it on her. She hasn't barked yet to set it off. The collar does seem to be a good idea for controlling the barking in a harmless way. Thanks again everyone :)
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Permalink Reply by MagnoliaFly on
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I highly recommend doing the Control Unleashed program that Leslie McDevitt created. Her book is marvelous. My corgi is in a class right now with two other corgis doing her techniques and all of them are reactive barkers to lots of different stimuli.
They work wonders and are not aversive techniques like ultrasonic devices, special citronella or shock collars or having to keep your dog inside. McDevitt is a certified animal behaviorist that has studied behavior, along with operant and classical conditioning so she completely understands triggers and how to fix them.
You can read the book which I highly recommend.
There is also a brand new DVD out showing the different exercises and techniques.
The solution takes lots of work and is not a quick fix that almost everyone is looking for. But it works and you don't have to use aversive techniques to see results.
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Permalink Reply by Frida on
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Hello all, i was reading the post because i have the same problem Penny's mom does. My 1 year old Frida will bark at everything especially at night. I have very unpleasant neighbors behind me so this became a problem we had to address immediately. Now we have the night barking under control by closing her doggy door by 8:30 PM on weekdays after she plays and uses the bathroom. We have been doing this for several months now and it works quite well. Frida knows that when her dog door goes down it is time for her to settle down, have a treat and watch TV with us before bed time. We let her out to use the bathroom one more time before we go to bed. She has done so well, her internal clock now tells her to automatically turn in, sometimes even before that time.She has adapted to our routine very well , I am very proud of her. Corgis are smart, smart, smart.
Now here is my problem. My neighbor appears to have gotten herself a puppy for Christmas which is kept outside in a caged pen often. When the puppy whimpers and barks Frida goes nuts, barking and running up and down the yard. I am now afraid that the incessant barking she used to do at night is now take place throughout the day while i am work.
I needed to find a way to train her to ignore the other dog during the day so that she can just enjoy herself as she always has and so that my neighbors dont come to tear my door down (or do her any harm which i always fear). I was told by a coworker (who fancies himself a dog whisperer) to make a loud piercing noise (like banging something metallic) so that Frida can associate that awful noise with the bad behavior and thus avoid it. When she started barking today I banged once on the grill top which of course made a loud scary noise. Poor Frida put her head down and looked at me as if i had done the most unthincable thing to her and crawled into the house. I have never felt so terrible. On the bright side, she did stop her barking for the day however, I don't ever want to do that to her again if its harmful to her. She was so offended by me and it broke my heart. I felt horrible all day.
Have you all ever heard of this technique? Is this wrong or harmful to pets?
Thank you all. Happy Holidays
Kay
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Permalink Reply by Tori on
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I don't believe this method is wrong or harmful. I think it is quite useful, but the part your coworker forgot (or didn't know) to tell you is that when you make the sound, you need to make sure that Frida does NOT know that you are responsible for it. You want Frida to think that the sound is related to the action, not that you are scolding her.
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