Aim, shoot and water spray training

One of the things we used for Bilbo when he was around, was water deterrents. As he was a rescue and bit damage dog, there was a limit on the way you could put in place negative training. Using your voice didn’t really work and he was so strong pulling back on the lead was not always possible to keep in check. One thing that saved the day was water training. We used to take a water pistol out with him and it worked well. Yes, we did get some odd looks but you stop caring after a while if you have a mad dog.

Barley is a barker and big time guard dog (she probably has a badge and patrol area worked out), as a result Dillon is learning the same pattern (copying is something he can do too well). To try and prevent this being ingrained and stop the migraine inducing double dog barking along with restore some sense I run a professional business from my home and not a dog kennel, we’ve been for a while now using a plant sprayer with water. The sound and the water both have a place along with the object itself. Dillon knows now what that object means and often stops when it’s been reached for and not even sprayed. Barley is a little more determined but she’s older and takes more training than Dillon.

It’s best of course to add a word like ‘no’ or ‘quiet’ to the water spray - you never know when you won’t have one around. There are a lot of marketed ‘anti-barking’ sprays and so on. I’d say don’t waste your money and use a water pistol or plant sprayer. Works just the same and doesn’t cost the earth. It’s not going to stop them barking totally - dogs bark to warn it’s inbred (well it’s also learnt and some breeds do more than others for instance ‘guard breeds’). You can control this and make it far more desirable though. There is oddly something very satisfying squirting a dog to act as a ‘bad behavior’ sign.