If my dogs bark while I am away, I don't know it. I have several dogs and they don't usually get bored, I think, because there are the other dogs there with them. The way I train my dogs to not bark at something, I tell them in a rough voice, "Shut up!" or if you want to be not so mean sounding "Hush!" or "Quiet!" Whatever word you use, doesn't really matter....it is the intent. I don't use the word "No!" because that is for something else. When they jump up on me, I tell them, "Get back!" If they are barking at something...like, a raccoon...I will say, "Gertie! Shut up!" Or whatever the dog's name is....Tricia, Jan, Zelda. The main thing is to follow through when they do it. If they don't quit, I go to them and tell them again...which is better than shouting at them across the yard. You have to be consistent and do it every time. When a person comes up....I know they aren't going to bite....I let them run down the driveway and bark. Then I tell them after a moment or two to shut up and then I praise them. They quickly learn. They want to please.

Right now I am training six Jack Russell pups. I spend about 10 minutes a day with each of them. I use a clicker and a little treat. They all know their individual names and have learned to "sit". That is the first thing I taught them because they would jump all over me. Now they come up to me and sit. They are 11 weeks old.

I don't have any neighbors near where I live. I am at the end of a dead end road, so seldom does anyone come back here.

It's kind of funny though....a year or so ago, we had an intruder, who just walked into our house at about 5 a.m. one morning. I didn't have the door locked and all four dogs were asleep in the house. The bulldog was in our bedroom and the catahoula and the jack russell and other terrier were sleeping in the hall and mud room. The dogs were raising hell....but the guy walked in, telling them, to "be quiet." I thought it had to be someone that we knew....and didn't give it a thought....walked out to see him walking into the kitchen. I ran to the bedroom, told my husband to get his pistol and shoot him, and he said, "oh, no...don't do that" and took off through the door and jumped off the porch. Later was apprehended when he tried to hide under a neighbor's house (down the bayou). You wouldn't think anyone with half a brain would walk into a house with 4 dogs but he did. The sheriff deputy said they were on some kind of drugs. Yeah. No doubt about that.

I do know a program that can work. It's called Bark Busters. We used them for aggression issues. If I lived alone, my dog would be perfect! But, my DH and DD did not follow through and most of the behaviors are back. However, I did keep up some, so not a total loss.

A trainer comes to your house and there is a series of things that you do. One is that they don't want your dog to bark, not even when the doorbell rings. In a nutshell, you basically have to ignore your dog, become the one in charge. Ideas cannot come from your dog. Treats are not used except when training for the recall command. So, a series of homework for in-house, then outside of the home.

I asked the same question about losing the watchdog alert, and the trainer felt that instinct would kick in in the event that a burglar came into your home.

I am not sure if you can isolate just the barking, but maybe.

Another thing my dogs do is help me move the horses. I lead my riding horse to the pasture....whichever pasture....there are four. Then I lead the oldest mare. Meanwhile, another couple of mares will follow and then there is the mule. She knows where to go....with the other horses, but she won't do it. I tell the catahoula and bulldog to "Git 'er" and they will bark at her and make her move. When I say, "That's enough" they are supposed to stop. The bulldog gets a little caught up, or did a couple of times. When I tell her, "That's enough" and she doesn't stop, I put her in the horse trailer for a couple of hours. She doesn't seem to mind getting in there...gets in willingly, but she does seem to recognize that is a "punishment". The worst part is the next time I need help, I get the catahoula to do it and won't let her help. After a day or so of not being allowed to help, she really does behave better. They honestly live to do this, but I won't let them do it unless the mule is being very obstinate and they have to stop the moment I say "That's enough." Then they get to come inside for a treat while I tell them what good dogs they are. It is such a big help to me especially now when it is so muddy and I have to worry about slipping down. I tell them to go get her and they will go put her to wherever I throw my arm and point.

Our dog has never been a barker, but we also make sure she gets the attention she needs and that she is properly exercised. She's a Lab so we run her several times a day with a chuck it ball. We also put her in doggy day care a couple of times a week to keep her socialized. On the advise of our vet, we also have never made a big deal about leaving or coming home because she said it can cause separation anxiety. She will greet us at the door but mainly because she wants to go potty or play. To train her in other areas, like Marilyn, we use treats, usually banana chips or a little bit of her kibble. I read in several training books that usually excessive barking is a symptom of a problem, usually boredom or lack of exercise. Which seems to ring true in many cases.

Thank-you all for the responses! Especially to Marilyn for the detailed explanation. That makes sense. I wouldn't ever want to train to never bark, but I could do the circumstance one. Living in the city has issues, though. There's lots more to legitimately bark at. :)

I should say that the dog who whined when left alone was very rarely ever alone, and he was fine if there was another animal around. He could come in and out as he pleased. He just hated being alone. He also hated walking on dirt. He would walk all day on pavement, and was not averse to grass, but he hated dirt and would beg to be carried when faced with it.

Training in general isn't a problem, whether it's dogs, children or men. :) Be clear in your expectations. Be consistent. Be observant and correct or praise immediately. Use a firm voice when correcting. Use a sweet voice when praising. Never ever do like a friend of mine did, which is use a sweet voice while saying "no" or "off". She couldn't understand why her dog didn't jump on me. :)

Marilyn, good luck with the puppy show! If you can train them to ride the donkeys, so much the better! :)

We had neighbors once who had 2 dogs that went into a state of anxiety when left alone in the house. Those dogs did not disturb the neighborhood much, but did damage the interior of the house. On days when both husband and wife left the house during the day, these dogs, while watching for their owners to return, chewed the window sills. It was a new house, but after 3 years when it came time for them to sell and move on, they had to replace all window sills that were no more than 3 ft above the floor.

Citronella bark collar - I have seen it work

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