New dog is smart enough to direct her late night mistakes to the shower, but...

[Baitball Blogger]

she goes into a barking frenzy when she hears a doorbell ring on the t.v. Her hearing is so acute that the sound of the dog next door when he barks at 5:30 in the morning sends her into a flurry of yelping.

Do I need to send her to bed with a barking collar?

[femmocrat]

1. She is just doing her job.

I think those barking collars give them an electric shock. Please don't do that to your loyal girl. Maybe you could try some kind of calming supplements for her instead.

We have a crazy barker too. I always tell her "good girl" and give her a treat and she calms down. She is just sounding the alarm.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. That's good advice. Thank you.

Hopefully she will learn to ignore the next door neighbor's dog. They put up a fence in their backyard and let the dog out first thing in the a.m. We live along a golfcourse so there is always someone out there working on the fairway, so there is always a bark or two.

[underahedgerow]

15. Exactly, she's doing her job. Collars just aren't necessary with the right training. Cesar Milan

is the dog behavior GOD.

Have a look at this article https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-behavior/barking-and-howling/5-tips-for-handling-nuisance-barking and he offers loads of other advice on every dog-topic that exists.

The world is filled with much happier dogs thanks to Cesar. His techniques and guidance are absolute treasures and critical to understanding your doggie, and being a good pack leader!

My lil Kevin also used the shower to relieve himself when he was a pup, on the rare occasion when he was in desperation. I was always VERY grateful that he used that and not the kitchen floor or any rugs! I always told him what a good boy he was!

[MADem]

3. I don't like barking collars ...

I think they are torture, and a poor substitute for training.

What are you gonna do when a burglar breaks in and Fido sits quietly, not wanting to be shocked for speaking up?

If your dog sleeps by or in your bed, just tell her no (if she's barking because of the neighbor dog), it's ok, and lead by example by going back to sleep. She'll figure out what's a valid cause for alarm, and what's part of the scenery. Also, it could well be that she might be barking late at night or early in the a.m. because she has to go to the bathroom. Very young and very old dogs (like people) have less bladder control.

She must be a very alert dog if she's taking cues off the telly. Some dogs don't even acknowlege the tv, either the sound or the picture.

As for using the shower to go wee, that's a genius dog and that's not a "mistake." She just has to go and no one is awake to let her out. There is a point when expecting a dog to "hold it" is just unreasonable. I put a wee wee pad by the door for my dog--she knows that if everyone is sleeping, she's not going to wake us up. She checks first--she'll go around and try to find someone who is awake and do the low "woofwoof" (open the door, please) and she will only use the pad as a last resort.

You got a good dog, I think--cherish her. Don't shock her with one of those collars. I always say if I wouldn't do it to a kid, I won't do it to a dog. About the only exception I have to that rule is spaying/neutering!

[Baitball Blogger]

5. If there is a break in, dog no. 2 is better equipped to handle the situation.

Now that I think about it, my first dog had problems acclimating to the night noises too. But that leveled off over time.

The little one is, indeed, very smart. She will figure it out.

[MADem]

8. Dog Number 2 will grow old and that hearing will fade.

If this dog is a young 'un, she'll eventually be Lead Dog in terms of "protecting the house."

I try to put myself in the dog's shoes--they want to please you, they want to be a "good dog," but they're in a new environment, getting used to you as much as you are getting used to them, and forging that bond. If that bond is strong enough, you'll get to the point where you can just look at your little early morning barker, raise one eyebrow, and she'll 'get' what you want her to do. My dog communicates with me via varying 'eye rolls.' A short woof and an eye roll towards the door means "I need to go to the backyard." The same with an eye roll in the general direction of the food/water bowls means "I drank all the water" or "I'm feeling peckish and there's no dry food in the dish."

At night, especially late at night, if anyone is strolling along the sidewalk in front of my home, my dog will let us know--and that's fine. Our neighborhood isn't the sort of place where people do a lot of strolling in the wee, small hours, so she does her duty.

Most burglars will pass by a house that has barking dogs inside--it's just too much work.

I always tell repair people who come to my home and see my little "Beware of the Dog" sign not to worry, that "the dobermans are put away in a room upstairs" when they're greeted by my sweet and friendly short, squat dog(s). I have no dobermans, but people don't need to know that.

My next door neighbor had a tiny little terrier-type dog (I think it was a cross between a yorkie and something somewhat larger) that had the fiercest bark in the hood--that thing sounded like a pack of pissed off canines, and she would bark from the minute you hit the property line in front of my neighbor's house until you got "out of range." It was like she was saying "Yeah, you KEEP moving! You don't belong here!" After we got to know her, she wouldn't bark when we passed by--she was very discriminating, and smart.

Nothing like a good, protective dog.

[TexasBushwhacker]

4. Is she normally nervous or high strung?

You might try a Thundershirt. It's a snug vest that calms anxious dogs.

http://www.thundershirt.com

Personally, I'd start going to bed early and get up at 5:30 before I'd put a shock collar on my buddy. It's punishment for totally natural behavior. Kind of like giving an electric shock to a teenager for masturbating.

[Baitball Blogger]

6. I use to be a nightowl.

Changed my sleeping patterns as much as I can, but I generally cannot nod off before midnight, no matter what I do.

No problem with the barking collar. I won't apply it to her. I had my doubts because she is so little and didn't think she could physically handle it.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. How old is she and what breed (s) is she?

We are getting up in years and hesitate to get a replacement dog down the road because sleeping has become more important to us than before.

But, as you know, nothing replaces good training that new/young dogs require, but it does pay off in the long run.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. She is a rescue. Two years old.

Tibetan Terrier. I think her bathroom issues are due because I still don't have her diet down. We're trying a food sensitive diet to see if it irons out. I am already seeing improvement.

I also had problems with the first dog as well. Took nine months to iron it out, but she is now fully adjusted.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. Our old dog has taken to barking when the microwave timer sounds.

Actually pretty smart of him, cause he knows when I am in the den with headphones I may not hear it go off.
So he barks and comes into the den, leads me to the kitchen, then shuts up when I turn it off.

They figure out the schedule and pattern pretty quickly.

[lame54]

9. If you do - get a Citronella one

[shenmue]

12. Dr. Tinycat recommends moar hugs

[Baitball Blogger]

13. She did remarkably better last night.

We all slept better.

[TeamPooka]

14. Doorbells and other dogs are what they instinctively bark at. Skip the collar and let the dog

adjust.
Give it time.

[Baitball Blogger]

16. Yep. I suspect it's going to take a little more time.

Like I said before, golfcourses have to prepare the fairways early in the a.m. so there is always early morning sounds. Oddly, these noises do not bother the dogs, but it must bother the dog next door, probably because he's let out in the fence area first thing in the morning.

This morning the neighbor's dog barked at 6:10 and 7:10. They are muffled barks which my first dog managed to ignore after a short while. But the little one just leaps out of bed and goes into high alert, running up and down the hall. When the neighbor's dog barked at 7:10 and woke up my dog, I knew she was going to need a potty break so I left her out.

Wow. Never occurred to me but I don't get the impression that my dogs appreciate being awaken early either. They directed their barking at the neighbor's dog and only stopped barking when their dog stopped.