Is there any way to stop my dog from barking at the park?

Very interesting, very interesting.

Who are you, Arte Johnson? lol

Any advice for me, osso?

My Border Collie, Brady, (see avatar) barks when he hears the other strange dogs barking outside of my aprtment but he doesn't bark outside when they bark. So I can tell you with some certainty that this is about a challenge of territory with strange dogs. Outside my dog doesn't feel any challenge as he knows outside is NOT his territory. Inside at our place he's announcing to the other barking dog that this is his territory.

There is some dynamic to this as to what your own dog considers his/her Alpha status in question..or just some plain excitement. I'd keep a treat in my pocket..and say 'no bark' firmly to see if you can influence him/her to stop.

While at the park, he doesn't bark. He's notoriously (and peculiarly) skittish but runs and fetches a ball like the wind. He doesn't bark at the other dogs. In fact, he totally ignores them due to some oddity in his upbringing (rescue) before I got him. Because of his peculiar personality, he focuses intensely on fetching but will not challenge another dog. he will race them to the ball but if they get the ball, he will let them and the ball alone. Then I have to get the ball from the other dog. But if he wins the race, he runs the ball back to me with not one single bark. Go figure. He's a pacifist and so peculiar that way. There's never a dog fight.

Many Border Collies seem to express their territorial dynamics differently than does my dog. I knew 4 other Border Collies (his former pack) who behaved similarly to your dog. Once your dog gets more used to things or when you train him with rewards for not barking , perhaps your dog could respond differently and bark less. Sounds like he/she's excited.

Sorry, Mame, I have no advice for you, but I did want to make a wee comment.

I find it quite refreshing that you care if (and when) your dog barks.

I have a few neighbours living in my general area that it doesn't seem to bother them at all, as they let their dog(s) bark at unreasonable times, and for a long time.

I thank you!

Well, she knows these dogs. We've been going to the same dog park for nearly a year, two or three times a day, and we see the same people and dogs all the time, so they're not strangers, and she only barks when a dog is chasing a ball or roughhousing. I think she's excited and just wants to run and be bossy, but I would like her to stop this barking.

We don't do the treat thing. For training, we just say "Good <name>" to both of them and that seems to work. For example, Kennedy, the beagle, has finally learned to sit down in the back seat of the car this way (about 8 times in the car, total). We praise them a lot when they do well, and make them lie down and wait when they're not. Gracie still whines, though, while lying down, and barks...


Reyn: is there a more irritating sound when it goes on and on? Ack. And it's loud, so even more irritating.

Our dogs Frankie & Mac will bark at anyone that comes near their yard or house but not when we have them out in public.

Our other dog Paco is deaf. He somehow feels the vibration when the other two will bark in the house when someone knocks on the door, either that or he senses from them someone is around but he doesn’t bark.

Sweet little dog he is.

Dogdog, my present name for Katy, is now very calmo about the neighbor dogs - indeed, they bore her. She does romp after something (I'm wondering if crickets live in sand).

I haven't taken her to the park here yet, soon.

We take ours to the dog park every now and then so they can interact with the other dogs.

Speaking of crickets I don’t think we have them in Florida! Lizards probably ate them all up

Do the other dogs at the dog park let her herd them? if not, I wonder if she's barking to try and get them in line.

The sheep probably started to obey which allowed her to stop barking.

I find that the smarter the dog, the more training/discipline/jobs they need. Border collies are at the high end of the intellectual spectrum for dogs so they need a lot of work to do(esp. when compared to something like a beagle).

Have you trained her to do anything - not tricks - jobs?

A friend/neighbour has trained her German Shepherd to pick up everything she drops (all the way down to subway tokens) and hand them to her. The dog is also trained to pick up garbage on command and put it in the nearest garbage can.

The other dogs just ignore her And she doesn't chase all the way, either because she's too old and can't keep up (she's 11 or 12) or because they're not listening. And she barks at the owners to throw the ball again.

I usually take them out three times a day - mornings and afternoons for minimum 30 minutes up to 1.5 hours, and at night for 15 minutes (poop duty), so they get out, but aren't running the whole time.

I should look into the tricks thing now that I'm not working. Thanks for the idea, Beth.

I find my Border Collie quite a bit more cooperative with a few treats. I used to not give him treats but I learned and now get exceptional behavior when selectively rewarding (not every time.)

There are crickets here but for some reason not like the numbers up north, though. Maybe there are so many lizards here that they keep them scared and hiding. I never saw so many lizards as I do here.

Not sure if it is such a nuisance that you would want to bother with this - but you can buy an item that emits an unpleasant scent whenever the dog barks - it goes around their neck like a collar.

From what I've heard (from a vet - this was on a recent radio show) - that there isn't much you can do to train from barking as it is one of those instinctive type things.

My dog barks whenever so one comes to the door or he sees something outside. Once we know what it is we tell him - its ok, he will then whine and bark quieter, almost like talking - because he doesn't want us mad at him for barking, but its like he can't stop. I can tell that is why because his ears go down and he gets sad like he is disappointing us.

Katy barks at thunder; Mame's bark at parks. That is interesting, I suppose.

Yeah. It's that instinctive thing ... watchdog gene or something of the sort. In reality I've probably only gotten my dog to bark a bit less. He's not really annoying when inside my place when I'm home. I just tell him it's ok when he hears another dog barking.

However, I've discovered that he can get pretty barky when I'm not home and something is going 0n outside. I keep the blinds closed so he doesn't see the going-comings in the parking lot. He seems to know when the mail truck comes and he announces it - even though it's a distance from our door. I think where he once lived the mail truck meant the mailman would be ringing the doorbell. So he would send out the alarm because that was his conditioning.

He also has a thing about responding with barking to certain freq pitched beeps. I watch Cash Cab on TV and when the contestants get a right answer there are some bells and whistles at a certain freq, he'll bark until it stops. He's a funny dog but he never guesses the right answer unless it's about Dog Whisperer.

When outside, he really doesn't bark much unless there's something of concern or we're playing in the park and I'm not throwing the ball enough to suit his needs.

And my beagle takes off whenever she can. She always comes back but it's illegal for her to be loose. I have a fenced yard on three sides, the other has a shitload of lilac bushes/trees and no way to put a fence there. I have to come up with something to blockade that but for now I have tied a long rope to my fence that I hook her up to when we're outside or she needs to go. You just can't trust her to come when you tell her to. Little ****.

My dog also barks when other dogs bark - and he barks when the doorbell rings on TV or when a dog barks on TV. I guess he doesn't realize the difference.

Definately must be a beagle thing. My neighbor across the street has said the same of her beagle.

My dog, fortunately does listen to that - at least when either my husband or me calls him. With our new big backyard its great. We let him out and he stays in the yard. If he wanders too far to the side - all I have to do is call him back.