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Old August 15th, 2009, 03:45 AM
MyBirdIsEvil's Avatar
MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Missouri
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I have heard many success stories from them and most dogs don't have to continue wearing them, but as soon as the collar is taken off he doesn't stop barking.
The majority of dogs that wear bark collars will immediately begin barking again after the collar is removed. They're not dumb, they know where the shock is coming from. They know the shocking started when the collar was put on. I don't know where you heard these success stories about dogs not barking after the collar is gone because I haven't heard or seen them.

Also, you keep saying shock collar instead of bark collar. I really hope I'm misunderstanding you because you should NOT use plain old shock collars (the ones where you press a button to deliver a shock) for barking.
Bark collars are the ones that shock automatically when the dog barks, and while they're not the greatest device they're still better than a normal shock collar because they're timed to shock at the correct moment. Most dogs that wear bark collars won't bark enough to wear the battery out, they won't bark at all with the collar on unless it's fitted wrong. There are exceptions.

Really, you guys should be TEACHING him not to bark through positive reinforcement. Yelling at and hitting only makes barking worse because the dog is barking an alarm in the first place, if you overreact then he REALLY thinks there's a reason to worry.
You can teach not to bark by giving a command and then rewarding. Also teach him to speak on command. Dogs need to know appropriate times to bark. You will generally never get a dog to completely stop barking and some breeds are much worse than others.
Your moms frustrations and behavior are only making the barking worse.

Here's a short article on barking that explains why not to yell at them for it:
http://www.pets.ca/pettips/tips-32.htm

There are lots of articles on here if you use the search bar at the top of the home page to look for them.

I'd like to make a statement on training aids. Bark collars are not really a training aid (if someone led you to believe this they're mistaken - aids are devices that aid you in training and can be used less or abandoned completely once proper training has taken place - bark collars are not this). As I said, the majority of dogs will ONLY cease barking while wearing the collar, so there is no training going on other than their knowledge that the collar causes pain when they bark. Some very protective dogs or dogs with a high pain tolerance will still bark while being shocked, and for that matter a lot of bark collars have a shut off function where if the dog barks enough within a certain amount of time they stop shocking them. Some dogs will bark fast enough to override the collar.

As for other training aids, they are just that, an AID. They don't do the work for you, you're supposed to use them along with training. If you're not doing any training (which should largely consist of positive reinforcement (giving treats and praise for doing something GOOD), not negative reinforcement (hitting, yelling, punishment in general) then the aid is going to be useless or it's usefulness will fade as the dog learns to compensate for the device.

As far as professionals, you need to find a behaviorist and trainer that relies on positive reinforcement. The trainer should also be pleasant with you and other owners because the owners are where the training starts. If the trainer is extremely rude then take a pass because you and your mom will not learn anything from someone you don't like or respect. A good place to ask around is at dog shows and stuff if you can find any in your area. Make sure whoever you pick has references and if need be see if you can actually contact those people to see how the person worked with THEIR dog and if they were successful.
Questions you can ask are "What would you do with an aggressive dog?". An answer to something like that should be fairly detailed and they should have different methods depending on the situation. If they give you a very direct solution without knowing the details they probably don't know what they're talking about. I once asked a trainer how they would help me with my dominant dog and they answered that they'd "alpha roll that *** until it submitted". An answer like that is unacceptable. That's an extreme example (though you're more likely to hear something like that than you'd think) but as long as the trainer can give you a detailed response and lots of verifiable information on what they'd do in a certain situation they're probably worth a try. The trainer should also be asking you lots of questions for an assessment (please do not hand your dog over to someone that hasn't even made an attempt to fully understand the situation) before they ever meet your dog.

Another good place to look actually is through reputable breeders in your area. AKC (American Kennel Club) and UKC (United Kennel Club) should have a list of silky terrier breeders in your region and GOOD breeders are caring and will be happy to answer questions about finding a trainer or behaviorist for your dog. That doesn't mean don't do your research after they make a recommendation but it's a good place to start.
Rescue organizations are also a good place to ask for advice.

Well, that's about all I have to offer right now. If you have more questions don't be embarrassed or think it's stupid to ask because one of us will surely attempt to answer.

Last edited by MyBirdIsEvil; August 15th, 2009 at 03:50 AM.
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