Barking Mad

Does anyone have any tips on training your Corgi not to bark? I have a 6 month old male Cardigan and he feels the need to bark at anything that moves or makes a sound when he is outside. He will do this day or night, but night time seems to be worse. When it's dark out he will often bark when there is nothing even there. He goes into this guard dog mode and once he begins the barking, nothing else matters. He's being a great guard dog but that's not the behavior we're looking for. We live in an apartment complex and we can't have him barking and growling like mad outside of people's windows early in the morning and late at night. He gets so caught up in barking that he won't go potty. He is usually still barking as I'm carrying him back upstairs and once he's back inside he will roll over on his back and stay there looking guilty. He obviously knows how mad this makes me, or maybe he's not making the connection between his barking and my rising blood pressure. We've tried leash corrections, a touch to snap him out of it, verbal corrections and a spray bottle and nothing works. I don't want to go the bark collar route because I don't want to hurt him but there has to be some way to teach him that it's not ok. When we're not in the apartment complex he doesn't react this way so he obviously thinks he's guarding the place. Any suggestions?

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Comment by Alice on March 23, 2009 at 3:28am: If I could find a word he didn't like i would use it but so far, nothing. The only thing he's scared of is the vacuum but he doesn't know the word. We'll have to work on that.

Comment by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on March 23, 2009 at 12:20am: Okay so its just not me that uses key words!! I came across this by accident one night as lance insists he barks and barks on and on. So I said do you want to take a bath? He went and laid under the table!! The next time same scenario, bark bark bark...etc. so again same question do you want to take a bath? He jumped in my lap and cuddled with me the rest of the night!! LOL He seems to incessantly bark when I sit on the couch not in the computer chair!!!! So that phrase works time and time again!!!!! Good Luck Hope you find something to work for you.

Comment by Spartan on February 28, 2009 at 7:31pm: I don't know if I have some great advice and i see you have tried alot of things like the verbal corrections and the water but maybe a favorite toy he plays with or treat you can give him right after he stops even for a second to give him when you give the verbal command might help if you haven't already tried this. I did alot of research before i got my Spartan because I live in a apartment complex also and most of what I found was giving them a reward once they stop what you command them to do. Lucky for me Spartan doesn't really bark much. I don't know if this is helpful at all. Good luck. btw He is gorgous.