Anti-bark collars? Yes or No? Puppy Help!?

Question

I have an 8 week old boxer puppy that is just a great little guy. WHEN WE ARE HOME! I've been crate training him and even at night while he's in his crate all night he's fine. As soon as I leave for work (8:15am) and put him in his crate he begins to bark. My upstairs tenant said he barks almost ALL day. Any suggestions? I don't want to leave him out all day until I know he can hold it. He's usually only in the crate from 8:15am-about 2 when my husband gets home. Please help! I love my little Lex but he can't keep barking like this. Will it ever stop?

Answer 1

Unfortunately, he is too young for a bark collar.  However, I do find them to be perfectly acceptable and great training tools.

Is it possible for him to go to puppy daycare during the day for now so he doesn't make your neighbors crazy?  Or even to someone else's house for "daycare"?  I'm thinking that might be the best solution for him right now...at least till he gets a little older.

Answer 2

The little guy is missing the people he loves. He may never get over it unless you get him a playmate and leave the TV on low so he has different sounds around him. I have also left articles of clothing with them with myscent on them, that also helps.

Answer 3

No no no, he is much too young for an anti-bark collar and he's young enough to be trained out of this behavior. An anti-bark collar will just make your dog fearful and possibly aggressive. How long have you had him? If he's only 8 weeks I'm assuming you JUST got him (as they shouldn't be taken from their mother until 8 weeks). He needs to get used to his new environment and the crate. Just try and imagine how he feels for a minute... He's just been separated from his mother and siblings, and now he's all by himself in a strange place locked in a cage for 6+ hours with no attention. I am not saying you shouldn't leave him alone or not crate him, as crating can be a valuable training tool. However, you just need to give him plenty of attention when you are home, enforce the idea that the crate is a GOOD thing, give him a blanket or something with your scent on it, maybe a toy or something to chew on to keep him occupied (no rawhides though) and he will get better. He's still just a baby, don't give up on him yet.

Answer 4

hes just lonely maybe try putting on the tv or the radio or something. my dog use to hate the quiet she eventually grew out of it but we would have to put some kind of noise on for her

Answer 5

On your next day off, go through your departure routine, wait for puppy to begin barking, and walk back in to his crate. Do this intermittently until your normal return time. This teaches your pup that you're not abandoning him when  you leave.  So that pup doesn't think that his barking will summon you, when you enter his room, wait until he stops barking before you acknowledge him.

Answer 6

At 8 weeks old I would not use an anti bark collar.

If he is comfortable in the crate when you are home try a blanket or a towel with your scent on it. then cover the crate while he is in there. Also try a kong with puppy filler this will keep his attention on the kong while you are away.

You also might want to try leaving a tv or music on, so the puppy doesnt feel alone.

Answer 7

Not on an 8 week old puppy. You need to find a better way of controlling it. As to whether the dog is barking out of distress or not, the point is moot, you are still stressing out your neighbors and they will do something about it of you don't/

No, Electric collars are NOT the devil, ignorance is as you can see by most people's responses to them.

Answer 8

Puppy behavior is all natrual- You cant do anything about it when they are a puppy

But you MUST correct the problem or they will never grow out of it-

If he starts to jump tell him no and push him down[gently, and do it with no anger]

When he BARKS, clap your hands and tell him no.

He is not going to stop this behavior while he is a puppy, but make sure you disencourage it, so he doesnt do this as an adult.

Also give im some toys or something to do while you  are gone- he is very bored.  

Answer 9

I had the same problem with my puppy. Set up a situation where the puppy is left alone and he thinks you've gone out. Wait till he starts barking and open the door and bang a bottle of stones on the floor and walk out again.

Answer 10

...... is he ever NOT in the crate?

maybe if you spent more time with him he wouldnt bark.

NO anti bark collars are cruel and inhumane, and its cruel and dangerous to use on a baby dog.

add: the noise ones dont sound too bad, but no shock collars

Answer 11

Yes. We had a dog that was a problem barker even when we were home and he went into his kennel for the night. I used one of the collars that emits a high pitched sound when the dog would bark and it worked pretty quickly. The idea is not to injure or cause discomfort, but to take the dog's attention away from whatever is making it bark. You can adjust the unit for both sensitivity and output.

Answer 12

He is only 8-weeks-old, so he barks because he needs to be reassured, and he can only hold his potty for 3 hours at the most at this age.  Maybe your tenant can pet sit for you, or someone in your family or church, dog walker, pet sitter.  Until he is older.

I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it.  I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate.  Dogs don't potty where they eat and sleep.  When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on.  So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out.  I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time.  They have to graduate to more space.  If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them.  I take them out the same door each time.  I tie a dinner bell to the door handle.  Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it.  So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty.  When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty.  Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty.  Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn't.  So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her.  So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy.  If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst”  and take her out right away.  I never yell* or spank* my puppies.  Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go p**p until 10 minutes later, so wait for the p**p.  I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not.  Puppies train at their own pace.  While I may have a puppy that hasn't had an accident in several weeks, I don't let my guard down.  I don't expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old.  If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over.  I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them.  When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her.  All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl."  This is the time I train her how to behave in the house.  So we are practicing "no barking", 'no biting", "no jumping", and "don't eat the furniture."  I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn't knock over things.  You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble.   Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.



REVISIONS:



*I use a crate to train with.  It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried.  I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured.  The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. .  However, use the method that works best for you.....a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.



*Outside, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using.   When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty.  You can move it away as they get older.  The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty.  Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens.  The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.

*Bedrooms, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me.  Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty.  While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to.  They don't have to sleep in the bedroom forever.

*Treats.  While I use treats for training, you don't have to.  I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.



*Some puppies will go potty in the same spot each time.  Some puppies have to be told to go potty.  A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for p**p, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops.  This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs.  By using  

Answer 13

He doesnt bark at night becouse he knows you are home have you tried to leave the tv running or place items with your scent on it with him so he can calm down? Also if you let him get realy tired before puting him into the crate he wont have the energy to bark for a while. The bark collar will work but not recomended as it is painfull to him.

Answer 14

They do work.  You don't necessarily have to get a shock collar.  They have citronella collars that spray in their face every time they bark, or the ones that emit a high pitched sound.  I don't agree with everyone, it is NOT cruel to keep your dog from learning a very bad habit.  Nothing wrong with it.  

Answer 15

boxers are VERY vocal dogs, that are not meant for apartment life...he will not stop barking, they dont grow out of puppy mode till around 3, so I hope you are ready for it!!

Answer 16

Anti Bark Collars are inhumane.  

Answer 17

*why* would anyone want to punish (bark collar) their dog (let alone an 8 week old puppy) for doing something that comes so naturally?

find a good petsitter and consider it money well spent. your dog will be a much better dog for it.

your puppy is barking in distress, not to annoy you or your neighbors.

Answer 18

Sounds like he needs more stimulation, Boxers are very active dogs and need tons of exercise...Bark collars work, they are not cruel, however I would not use one on an 8 week old puppy, run him, walk him, take him new places around people and other dogs, when he is fully shotted.

Answer 19

idk i think you should find a vet or trainer so you can solve the problem. but i really think that your tenant is lying... oh well good luck~ :-)

Answer 20

yea it will. its a puppy phase. dont get an anti bark collar though. those are bad. just give him something to do during the day. give him toys. get like a king kong thing and stick a ton of peanut butter in it. that will keep him busy for a LONG time. and then if you have like an x pen or something then you can set that up so he can move a little without having the freedom of the whole house. he might be happier