dog trials

Think I've finally made a breakthrough with Flo. Specifically - with her greatest flaw - her frenzied barking (sometimes with nipping) that occurs when we first step out into the street lasting a good 100 public metres and whenever we see another dog on our way to the park.
Nothing helped. Not kind whispering, food rewards, threatening with birch, tennis racquet, stopping and starting, shouting, being walked by a six foot something man, being pushed into walls and fences (to show dominance apparently), prayer, despair.
But last night for some reason I just happened to grab a small toy water pistol as I left the house, as you do. Bingo. She pauses. She barks. A squirt. She recoils. Suddenly subdued. I tote the toy with new found joy. She behaves.
It's too early to confirm, and too hot today to try again, but I'm hoping that this small plastic pistol is the answer, and a lot cheaper than $$$ dog training or behavioural sessions.

In the meantime, I can try to think border collie and round up the recalcitrant sheep in the addictive game Mouton's Park (via the ultimate insult) On y va

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Comments: dog trials

My mother trained our battalion of sheep dogs to stop their barking whenever a car came up the driveway near their 44 gallon drum kennels in the plantation.

She yelled through the kitchen window and banged milk billies or enamel soup-pots at them. Eventually they got the message. When a car, ute or combine harvester made its way up to the farmhouse the dogs (fine, highly trained kelpies bearing noble breeding names, "Eastleigh Barton 111", "Shoulden Maidment Barr-Smith 1V" and "Moyston Jallukar-Rhymney 11", but with paddock names of Bonnie, Teddy and Trixie) put their heads into the drums and barked furiously, well out of my mother's hearing range.

Pots ceased calling the dogs black and the dogs started down the inevitable path to industrial deafness ... which neatly retro-segues back to the hearing aids for dogs posting.

Posted by Sedgwick at March 4, 2004 01:27 PM

well I was feeling rather dull-ish today, Sedge, but your anecdote has delievered the goods.
LOL by the 'paddock names' and L IH (in head) later as I walked down the street, in 30 something heat, thinking of it.

Googling the water pistol training method, I did notice noise detterence methods involving cans.
Think I'll stick with the toy pistol for walks. A 44 gallon drum would be hard to carry in my FLO-free hand.
Posted by boynton at March 4, 2004 03:56 PM