Pet Peeves in RV Parks
At the risk of sounding like an old grouch, lets lay out our gripes about camping in RV Parks. I'm currently on Galvestion Texas for a month. Things were quiet until this truck and old camper pulled...
Forum Discussion
The need to be alpha has been disproven over and over again and was based on a study of wolves put together by man - not a true wolf pack - so was faulty from the very onset. In addition, dogs are not wolves. They have been purposely bred by us to do certain things- including to bark. Punishing a dog for doing what she was bred to do (by us) is cruel and unnecessary. And trying to eliminate a natural behavior completely is frustrating and uneffective.
Using a water sprayer is not always effective. It can be a good attention getter, but many dogs are not phased by it at all. You just end up with an empty sprayer and a wet barking dog. This is especially true for breeds bred to be independent (huskies, terriers, etc).
In addition, some dogs will react very poorly to being sprayed. They may come to fear the sprayer and even water.
Yes, you CAN teach a dog not to bark hysterically or non-stop. But you don't have to be Alpha to do it. Redirection and praise will get much better results long term. And honestly, it is much more fun than constantly punishing a dog for simply being a dog.
The use of the water sprayer should be limited to getting the dog's attention if necessary, once the dog looks at you, acknowledgment, redirection and praise will actually teach the dog a skill - how to change her focus. And that can be used for a lot more than just barking.
Using a water sprayer is not always effective. It can be a good attention getter, but many dogs are not phased by it at all. You just end up with an empty sprayer and a wet barking dog. This is especially true for breeds bred to be independent (huskies, terriers, etc).
In addition, some dogs will react very poorly to being sprayed. They may come to fear the sprayer and even water.
Yes, you CAN teach a dog not to bark hysterically or non-stop. But you don't have to be Alpha to do it. Redirection and praise will get much better results long term. And honestly, it is much more fun than constantly punishing a dog for simply being a dog.
The use of the water sprayer should be limited to getting the dog's attention if necessary, once the dog looks at you, acknowledgment, redirection and praise will actually teach the dog a skill - how to change her focus. And that can be used for a lot more than just barking.
