Can't Take The Barking!!!!! Losing our minds!

[Tricia Campbell]

I know we have spoke about barking before but this is out of control. We are losing our minds. Duffy wants to play ball 24/7, and if you don't throw & play ball with him he barks. We have hid the ball - last week in the kitchen drawer, well he barked & stratched at our new cabinit door which is now ruined. I kept opening the door to show him No Ball but what I didn't know was the ball was hidden in the drawer above the door. I removed the ball but he still thinks the ball is there & is still stratching at the door & BARKING, I have picked him up & showed him No Ball. I am at the point that I think I might have to get a barking collar, I don't want to but my family can't function, We can't get homework done, watch TV, eat dinner. I think you got the message. Please if you have any suggestions, we have tried to hide the ball outside in the shed & we have tried to ignore him nothing works. HELP!!!

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

Hi there, that does sound really annyoing!! Does Duffy get enough daily exercise and positive attention? If you really tire him out, and crate him after a long walk/ball play time session, maybe he'll learn to calm down. One of my dogs is ball obsessive also, but if we play with him intensively for an hour or so, he'll get tired and sleep afterwards, and be quiet for a long time. It sounds like Duffy knows that barking will eventually lead to playing ball, so you've got to break his way of thinking. If you like Cesar Millan, check out his approach to breaking obsessive behaviors, it may give you some more ideas.

[Tricia Campbell]

Duffy does get attention more would be better. He is crated 3 days a week from 9-3. Up to this week I would leave the door in the kitchen opened every morning & throw the ball outside while getting the kids ready for school but now its to cold to leave the door open.

[Tricia Campbell]

Amanda,
What is a citonella collar? I was thinking the electric collar but this sounds better.

[2hl9mp3c2fuam]

Yes...I want to know as well?? What is that - is that the one that sprays?

[GBK]

I use the cintronella collar on Kona and it has worked like a charm! I now only have to show her I am carrying it and she behaves. She had the awful habit of running up to people and barking after them as they walked, or after they gave her a nice petting. She sees that I am carrying the collar when we go to to the dog park now and she will run up to people and let them pet her and come back for a good girl treat!

If she starts to bark out the door from the house I ask her if she "wants her collar on?" and she shuts up immediately.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi, Tricia:
My Jack is ball obsessed also; no barking, but he would constantly drop a ball in everyone's lap or at their feet, and continue to nudge at you until you threw the ball for him. Here is what worked for us:
1. Get all the balls out of the house or out of his "smell zone".
2. Playing ball is no longer just a pastime for Duffy. It has become a valuable "resource", perhaps the highest value resource. YOU must be in control of all resources, and you must be the one who decides when they are given, NOT Duffy, just as you decide when he eats, gets a treat, etc.
3. Set up a routine where you throw the ball for him at a regular time(s) of day for a regular period of time. Try to keep the time consistent within your daily schedule, i.e. after school or work, after breakfast, etc. We do 2 sessions a day, outdoors if possible during the day, and indoors in the evening with a soft, stuffed ball. Duffy will quickly learn that there are times he can expect to play ball, and times when it is not going to happen. If playing ball is a random activity, it becomes an "intermittent reinforcement" , which is the most addictive and obsession-enhancing form of reinforcement there is, and is what is causing him to keep barking. He believs that if he keeps trying, he will eventually get the "reward."
4. The ball becomes a "high-value" reward, and must be "earned"...Jack goes potty on command, he gets to play ball. He does a reliable down-stay, he gets to play ball. By the same token, if he runs to the gate to bark at a passing dog, the game ends. Use Duffy's ball obsession to your advantage as a training tool as well as for exercise & amusement.
I would also suggest maybe just some basic training where Duffy will learn to obey commands such as "no bark". Good luck, hope this helps.

[Tricia Campbell]

I think you might be right, I will remove all the balls from the house & see if that helps. I hope it does but at this point I think he likes to bark as much as playing ball. I know already he will spend most of his time smelling & searching for them, this might make me sad for him but my families ears might be saved :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi Tricia:
Keep in mind that the goal is not simply to stop the barking, (various collars are only a quick fix) but also to get Duffy to understand that YOU are the one who decides when he will play, eat, etc. This will make him a happier dog in the long run, because it takes the pressure of controlling things off, and allows him to just be a dog. Make sure you still give him plenty of ball-playing time...but on YOUR terms. It's not easy, but the life-long rewards are worth it. Good luck!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, I use the spray bottle in the yard when Jack tramples through my flowers getting to the fence to bark at passers-by...it's harmless, and if he sees the bottle before he gets going, sometimes that's enough to stop him in his tracks.
I did have one once, though, who loved to try to 'drink' the water, LOL!

[Patty Barnes]

We also add a little vinegar to the water bottle. There is not enough to hurt them, but they hate the smell! Good luck.

[Karen & Lucy]

I haven't added vinegar, but I do add a few drops of dish liquid to the water in the bottle. Lucy hates it. She does very little barking now.

[Tricia Campbell]

Well All, I tried the water bottle & sprayed Duffy while saying no bark but he barked even more. I didn't know they didn't like vinegar I think Duffy is used to the vinegar smell because that is what I use to wash his beard. Oh what to do now!!!