Barking

Hi Does anyone have a problem with barking. We have pembroke corgi mixed with border collie. She is adorable and lovable but she barks incesently. She especially barks at balls, and anyone that runs, she really barks at the children and she barks when she sees anyone outside even if they are a block away.
We rescued her from the Humane Society about 1 year ago and were hoping that this would lighten up but it has not. My children are frustrated and I am at my wits ends as to what to do. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on June 19, 2009 at 7:42am

She is adorable :) Tell us what you and your family have done to control the barking so far?

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Permalink Reply by Diane Lesniak on June 19, 2009 at 5:51pm

Lets see, we have tried to just ignore it. We have tried all of the things our vet has suggested, distratctions,
moving her to another room when we know someone is approaching, I have a spray bottle with water in it and
all you have to do is show it to her and she will stop. The problem is that once she starts barking it is very
hard to get her to stop. I know that we should stay calm so that she will stop but honestly she just doesn't.
One thing we have noticed is that like I said once she gets it in her head to bark she can not stop. We have
also noticed since the day that we got her that she has a very big fear of anything that could be used as a
weapon, i.e. a belt ( the children were pretending to be Indiana Jones), guns (air soft) if they pretend to sword
fight with paper towel tubes. Not that my children love weapons, they don't but they are kids and they play
like kids, Maggie freaks out, they can't play they can't run they can't jump. I feel bad for Maggie, is this a
Corgi/Border Collie thing or could she have been subjected to something in the year before we got her. We
walk her daily to keep her busy and we let her have time to run and play in the yard with the other dog. Maggie
also tends to be a bit aggressive. If you try to get her to do something she dosen't want to do she will nip at
you. We are not going to give up on her I just need some advice to what we can do for her.

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Permalink Reply by Corgibyassociation on June 22, 2009 at 11:06am

Good luck with Maggie.

So far, we've had to use a spray bottle on Freya when she's in the house. Sometimes, she is annoying at night and we'll have to crate her just to keep her quiet. I understand that it is her job to watch over her "flock" but there are times it is excessive and just annoying. Sometimes on her walk, she will start barking and I try and use her martingale in the similar fashion that one uses a choke and do a quick snap and a sharp no--which seems to help sometimes.

Maybe it is a breed thing?

I'm almost to the point in trying a bark collar. I really don't want to do that but I know that when we travel and have to take the dogs with us, I would like to know that they aren't causing any problems while in a hotel.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on June 22, 2009 at 12:15pm

Obedience classes are a MUST with a combo of border collie and corgi! It is well worth the time and money. Those are two very bossy, high energy breeds. Interview the trainer and they should have some good suggestions. Your vet or the Humane Society can refer you to classes. Don't wait especially with the nipping around your children. We don't need more border collie mixes in the pound!

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Permalink Reply by Amanda & Tuck on June 22, 2009 at 12:37pm

How about some positive reinforcement - and teaching tihe quiet command? Keep some treats on hand and when she does start barking wait for her to stop for even a second and give a treat/say "quiet". Continue to treat and say "quiet" each time she is quiet. Maybe she will learn that barking gets her nothing while being quiet gets her treats. Then you can start treating and praising when the usual bark inducing situations occur and she stays calm. Good luck!