[lovethatbabysmell]

My dog barks when she hears baby cries (she wants to help) and she barks when she sees dogs, cats, birds, really any animal on tv go by. She is 5 years old. She is a sweet dog, and would never harm a baby, but I don't want her to scare or make the baby cry more.

I don't know what I can do to train her. I wonder if they make a cd that is just baby cries so I can play it for her all day for the next two months so she doesn't care once the baby gets here.

Does anyone use that shock collar? I think it sounds kind of cruel, but can't you make it so they don't get shocked, they get a buzzer sound first to stop?

I just don't want her being all crazy every time the baby cries.

Advice?

[enchantingdragon]

One of my dog barks now and then but its easy for me to stop her. My best friend has a dog that barks a lot though and she just had her first in early March. In all honesty she says the baby never even noticed when the dog barked and over time the dog got more use to the baby and its sounds and barked less and less. I would say it'll probably happen with your dog in time and the noise will probably bother you a lot more then the baby but playing baby crying on a CD probably couldn't hurt. I'm not sure it will be the same as a real baby in the house with not only sounds but new smells and a physical prescence but I'm sure it can't hurt. Best of luck

[nuclearwife82]

Your dog will get used to the baby. My dog used to bark every time Keegan moved and she got over it in a week or so. Be sure to have someone bring a blanket with the baby's scent on it for the dog to get used to.

I only have one experience with using a shock collar. We used one on my pug - to stop his barking but the dog was so retarded he never got it. he would bark and then get buzzed (cause thats actually what ours did) so then he would bark because he got buzzed - and then again get buzzed - over and over. So then we switched it to manual so we had to push a button - so then he would bark and we would buzz him then he figured out we had something and would bark at us for buzzing him - needless to say he wore the batteries out of it very fast and never did learn not to bark.

[CandaceDianne]

We have a shock collar for Sebastian only because he doesn't listen very well outside. We have only shocked him like a handful of times before. Yes, there is a warning sound you can use. I dont think its worth $120-150 just to teach them to start barking. Just tell her 'No' or whatever your command for her is when you want her to stop whatever it is she is doing. Sebastian likes to play rough and sometimes sound rabied when he is playing with DH, so he has been working to ge Sebastian to play more easier and not make as much noise when they are playing.

[tanamom of 2]

sorry to but in but i am in the middle of obedience training with my Great Dane so i thought maybe i could help you.......try desensitizing you dog to a crying baby....record one on CD and first give dog a treat then play the CD and treat the dog...he will learn to associate a crying baby with a happy time...kwim?

[MommyPoky]

My parents used a shock collar on the family dog, and my dad still regrets it. The thing malfunctioned and shocked him constantly until it ran out of batteries. Granted, they're probaby better nowadays, but that's my only experience with a shock collar.

Honestly, your dog will get used to the baby, and your baby will get used to the dog. The first week or so will be full of barking/startled baby, but at the end the baby will sleep through the dog bark and the dog will be used to the crying baby.

Shock collars are generally harmless, but I don't really like punishing my dog for doing what comes naturally. To me personally, it's like punishing a baby for crying or a child for talking. It's how they communicate, and I hate the idea of stiffing that. That's just my personal feelings.. I'm not judging people who use the collars, or trying to make you feel guilty for it or anything. Personally, I would record a baby crying and play it for the dog, or just wait it out when you bring the baby home.

Here's a link to a product I found.. it's $14.50 and has 40 minutes of baby sounds. I haven't tried it, and have no idea how well it works. I just found it in a quick google search. Might be worth looking into.

Prepare Dog for Baby - Preparing Fido

[Voodoo Lady]

Please don't use the shock collars - I have a friend whose jack russell developed nasty burns - it really does hurt them.

If you do find you can't control the barking, use a "citronella spray" collar. They sell them at Petco.

I have a loud-mouthed, stubborn weiner dog, and if I just SHOW her the collar now, she shuts up.

It sprays a completely harmless mist of citronella essential oil in their face - they don't like it at all!

I found that after my weiner realized what the collar is for, I can just put the collar on her with it turned off (saves battery!) and she doesn't know it's not on, so she stays quiet.

Works like a charm.

Please don't use the shock collar!

Also, make sure to give the dog plenty of time when he IS allowed to bark, like when you're NOT trying to get the baby to sleep. For instance, we'll only enforce "no barking" with the collar if we're actively trying to get Tiberius to sleep. They have to have time to be dogs and bark too.

[PredonioussMom]

my doctor told me that the baby is most likely quite used to the dog barking as he/she will here the dog barking when still in utero!!! the first week will be hard, but we bought a super soaker for our Weiner cross jack russel or say CHHH when she barks at other dogs!!! as our back yard backs onto a green space!!!
Also bringing home the first blanket that the baby uses will help!!!

( my doctor just had to do this all for her dog and said it all worked!!!)

Originally Posted by Voodoo Lady

Please don't use the shock collars - I have a friend whose jack russell developed nasty burns - it really does hurt them.

If you do find you can't control the barking, use a "citronella spray" collar. They sell them at Petco.

I have a loud-mouthed, stubborn weiner dog, and if I just SHOW her the collar now, she shuts up.

It sprays a completely harmless mist of citronella essential oil in their face - they don't like it at all!

I found that after my weiner realized what the collar is for, I can just put the collar on her with it turned off (saves battery!) and she doesn't know it's not on, so she stays quiet.

Works like a charm.

Please don't use the shock collar!

Also, make sure to give the dog plenty of time when he IS allowed to bark, like when you're NOT trying to get the baby to sleep. For instance, we'll only enforce "no barking" with the collar if we're actively trying to get Tiberius to sleep. They have to have time to be dogs and bark too.

LOL - the Pug I had would have probably liked that - we tried spray bottles and the **** dog would stick his tongue out to get the water.

Citronella spray smells and tastes AWFUL.

[who_it_is]

Our Italian Greyhounds tend to be a little barky sometimes. They will even bark at a dog barking on TV. So in the last few months we have been telling then "TV Dog" when they start barking followed by "Quiet". They slowly got the hint to stop, and when we saw that they started to calm, we would give them a treat telling the "good quiet". So now they can be barking at practially anything and we tell them TV Dog and they stop. We also tell them "baby sleeping" in the early morning when they tend to be rough playing around the house and making lots of noise, and they are slowly learning that settling down will get them a treat.

But they also have plenty of outside time where they can rough house all they like. Barking at each other in play is generally alright, as long as no one gets too excited about things.