Barking Dog - Altamonte Springs,FL

My MIL had dogs, she loved raising dogs and was pretty good at it. One of the best books she ever read was by some Monks that trained dogs. I googled the topic and got the Monks of New Skete. It may have been them. She passed away, so I can't go ask, and I only can remember some of what she said.

They, the monks, each take a particular puppy and it is their responsibilty until the dog goes to live elsewhere. If the dog wakes up they wake up. If the dog goes outside they go outside, etc....

One of the tricks they do is whent he dog is restless during the night and is barking they give it something sticky to occupy their mouths until they forget what they were barking about. Maybe peanut butter? The kind of rub it in the roof of their mouths so it has to be sucked off/worked hard to get it off. But it's not enough to choke them or anything.

But anyway, they have very desirable dogs when the training is finished. They have some very good methods of stopping dogs from jumping up on them too.

If it is the right monks then I hope you'll go to the local library and check the 2 books out.

Is he neutered yet? He's maturing and beginning that male dominance, my house, my territory thing. Fill an empty soda can 1/3 way with pennies so it's pretty annoying when you shake it. When he barks inappropriately, shake the can getting his attention and tell him " quiet" and then reward the " quiet". It is something that can take awhile to train, some dogs are more vocal, more dominant etc etc.

We use the spray collar. It has a canister & sprays citronella
when he barks. Dogs don't like the citrus so it's a learned deterrent
for them to stop, but not so unpleasant that they won't when needed (ie intruder) like a shocking collar would. Nice thing too is the spray just smells lemony, so not unpleasant to us if they set it off inside.

Do you take the dog on daily walks? A LOT to most of annoying barking, is due to pent up energy and anxiety from that. It makes them jumpy and they take their energy out by barking. If he's not getting a daily walk, his basic needs aren't being met. Backyards are not good enough, dogs need to get out on a walk and see the world. It's in their instinct to explore and need to roam. Take him on a walk every day and he will be a happier dog all around!

EDIT- It sounds like he is getting good exercise. What is his breed? Some dogs are naturally more vocal, by breed.

In answer to the previous poster... yes it is the Monks of New Skete. They breed and raise German Shepherds. We got their book(s) when we got our pup 7 years ago. :)

There is some truth in that some breeds tend to be more vocal than others. What breed(s) is your puppy? Our shepherd didn't make a SOUND for weeks. Then eventually she growled at the vacuum cleaner one day, lol... and then started barking at the broom when I swept the kitchen floor. (She still moves to another room when I vacuum, lol, and she is considered middle aged now). But, generally, she is and always has been VERY quiet. She whines when she is excited and wants to go with someone or she feels excluded from some activity. And she barks to alert us to "uninvited guests"... which could be anything from the weekly trash pick-up, to bicyclers in our cul-de-sac, to a cat peeping out of the trees at the woodline across the way, and most definitely includes anyone coming to our door.

If you have trained your pup to be quiet once he has sounded the alert, then really, that is the best thing you can do. Eventually, he should become accustomed to the "regular" sights/sounds that he is alerting you to and will begin to ignore them. Particularly if you shush him (give him the command to be quiet..."Thank you, now shhhh" or whatever) each time he alerts to it. Remember he is still very young. Depending on the breed he could be considered probably about 5 or 6 years old in people years... (yes that is also dependent to some degree on the breed).

Our german shepherd knows what is our property and where it ends. She alerts us to anyone/thing who approaches our property. She particularly does not like the trash men "taking our stuff", b/c they DO exactly that. Generally she ignores the squirrels, unless they come up near the porch. She watches out of the front dining room window most of the day. No one approaches our home unannounced. But she quiets right down in seconds when she perceives no threat from them or we tell her to. Really, what more can you ask for?