skitish corgi & barking

[travelers]

As those of you who have met my Fiona know, she is a barker!!
We have tried everything from the pennies in a can (made her bark more, at the sound), squirting (works a bit, at least if she is shown the squirter she calms down somewhat and if I show it to her before she goes outside at night into the yard, she is sometimes quieter, unless she detects a squirrel or bird or otter in the area)
Tried the one bark then "OK" and teaching her to speak then "shut off" she just panics.
We even tried a shock bark collar with disasterous results. Yes it made her bark less BUT it made her totally mental, she became an even more frightened skitish dog then she had been. Witness the famed "kite incident" during the Grayland corgi campout when she had a kite go up in the air near her and lost it, ran for the camper, through sand dunes, across a road, me trailing and calling her to no avail. (She'll NEVER be off leash with the rest of her buddies again).
Citronella collar stopped the barking but because it works with a mike instead of throat vibrations it sprays if there is a loud voice or noise or if Quiddi happens to bark and that sets her off. Quiddi doesn't bark alot but will woof a few times if someone comes to the door and barks, really barks at the phone.
We worked hard on overcoming Fiona's fear and skitishness, which she had even before we got her, agility training really helped build her confidence but we can only do that with her in the summer when we are in BC, although I am trying to find private classes somewhere close to Palm Springs. Very expensive and over an hour's drive each way is pretty hard on us.
Last night Richard took her out for a walk after the game and right in front of our driveway there were 2 people in the cul du sac, talking and smoking, she went ballistic, scared her to death and she could not be easily picked up or calmed down. Barked uncontrolably.
Oddly she doesn't bark any more then some of the others when she is in a group of dogs playing or on the beach and it isn't hostile barking, just excitment, she is not vicious or agressive.
I am at my wit's end, especially because we are going back to Nova Scotia this summer and my cousin's husband will not allow her out of the RV on their property because she barks and he is afraid it will upset their dog. Last time we were there we had to keep her inside the RV or play with her outside while their dog was inside and she was never allowed in the house. Quiddi and their dog are such buddies and over the years have loved to run and tussle together so it is hard on us all.
My stepmother, several years ago, insisted that we have a previous barky corgi (not barky by Fiona standards) de-barked before she would allow us in the house and we did it since my father was in his mid 90's and it was the only way we could drive 9 hours to see him and stay with them. Actually, the dog never seemed to know she was debarked and was totally the same but quieter. I don't think it would work with Fiona, she is such a nervous dog. But I do think about it. We are going to try Rescue Remedy and see if & when a she is calmer the barking can be controlled. Has anyone had any experience with doggie tranquilizers, if there are such things?
I know she came to us hard wired like this but we are still hopeful and would appreciate any advice.
Sorry this was soooo long,
Beth

[Dillydoodle]

Beth..
I really can only offer a hug and some moral support and hope someone comes along with some good advice for you.

You know reading about her reminded me a little of my Dillon. He can get a bit skittish and "freaked out" over strange things, for no apparent reason. He doesn't bark when freaked out, he just gets down very low and runs a wide circle around the scary object and usually will make a b-line right to his crate in the bedroom to hide. We have had a few times on walks where something scared him and he took a good 10 minutes to calm him down and get him walking normally ( without whipping around to see what ghostly monster was following him... or whatever) . He has been set off by people chewing gum/ blowing bubbles or snapping their gum, the sound of a plastic water bottle being crinkled... the sight of a cardboard papertowel tube, a bee buzzing too close to his head.. and I am glad you mentioned the shock collar... my husband and i have felt since shortly after we got him that he would not take well to one of these underground fences as the shock would probably just freak him out and make him more nervous and upset. Hearing about Fiona's experience firms that thought in my head. I have had dillon get surprised by people outside accross the street at night and scared him into reactive type barking. If he knows people are out there, he is fine, it is only if he didn't see them and they kind of surprise him that he gets upset.

It is a tough situation with the barking. Some corgis just seem like they are more barky than others.. Dillon can be quite the barker at times... barking at the phone, barking when we initially get up , barking if I call to my husband, barking at any new sounds or the TV when anyone knocks on a door or rings a doorbell, it gets annoying fast. Gus joins in when Dillon barks... but on his own is not a bad barker, just alerts to the normal things.

I have no experience with the tranquilizers with dogs, but have some experience with a cat that had to be on tranquilizers for a trip, and it was not an ideal situation. the drugs, in my opinion, were not optimal for her.. they almost made her a bit more neurotic acting. Again, this was a cat not a dog... but hopefully the rescue remedy will help fiona.

[thebeach.corgi]

Cooper is a bark-a-holic. Gets hyped up easily.

He and Fiona could have a bark off contest. We have him on Melatonin which helps him calm down some. Our vet calculated the amount for us based on weight. We give him 2 mg in the morning. He can have that amount 3 times a day, and when we anticipate a high stress situation, give him a 3 mg dose. Side effect... a sleepier dog, but not groggy and he calms down quicker. Cooper weights 36 lbs. Melatonin is over-the counter. I get it at a General Nutrition Store as the quality of their products is reliable.

There is a doggy Prozac medication.

[Kassie]

Oh Beth, what an awful situation to be in! Maeve is skittish and even hides from the printer when it shoots paper (she doesn't like inanimate objects that come to life.) Aine barks at unknown noises and Maeve joins in. This winter we put plastic on the windows and they both went ballistic over the "breathing windows!" It can make you nuts, but you can deal with things in your own home. To be in your situation would be awful. I would try rescue remedy first to see if it helps. It can never hurt! I'd never thought of melatonin, but it might be worth trying to talk to a vet about. I've never had a dog on tranquilizers. I did have a cat on "kitty prozac" for almost a year when she put herself into kidney failure over the stress of a move. It didn't seem to do much but calm her down, but that is a cat.

Has Fiona ever tried doggy day care? We started it with Maeve because of her shyness (also because a trainer said she was over attached to us) and it did wonders for her confidence. They go 2x a week.

I think it's just awful that he is being this way, but I suppose you can't change him. I sure hope you can figure something out!

[LaRogue]

I feel so bad for you and really hope you find something that works!

Didn't use it for barking, but my vet once prescribed Atarax for Jester, when he was chewing himself to pieces due to demodex. It's an anti-anxiety/antihistamine that also helps with itching. I know that's not your issue, but it might be worth asking your vet about to see if it might help, with Fiona's barkiness. It really calmed Jester down, but did not knock him out or make him groggy. He basically would lay around resting and napping, but was fine and normal energy level when I interacted with him or it was play/walking time. My vet said it just helped take the edge off. Again, not sure if it would appropriate Fiona, but it sure helped my situation, and is a people med that can be refilled at any pharmacy.

I hope you can find something that works for you!!

EDIT: The Atatrax was not a long term solution. It was only used to decrease his stress level, at the begining of his treatment.

[MrsBeez]

So sorry for your ears and anxiety. Poor Fiona too.

Luna Mae is an active barker announcing anything that stirs in the yard, to get her way, or when there's too much activity in the house for her to deal with. Like some others and you have said, some socialization and activities helped her overcome some of her shyness. However when we've had situations where she's bothering people other than us, we use Xanax, as recommended by our vet. Just a small dose takes the edge off and she's totally chill, unfazed, and still able to be active.

It isn't a long term solution, however if given to her on the first day or two we have house guests, she doesn't need it by the third day. We had a prescription at one time from the vet, but now I just share mine (minding the dosage of course).

[Jespah]

One thing I'd like to add is perhaps training her as if she were going to be a therapy dog. Getting her out in all kinds of situations and giving her positive reinforcement when she is fine with things.

Somewhat like you do when training not to be afraid of thunder. You find a cd with the sounds on it and play it over and over with positive reinforcement when they don't react.

I use a similar training technique with Rupe when strange dogs are going to pass on our walks. He goes through periods when he is all ramped up and is nuts. I make him sit, tell him he is a good boy and feed him Charlie Bears until the dog passes. It shows him that a dog can pass without something horrible happening - and in fact it might mean cookies.

There are some dogs that are just higher strung - and they will never mellow. We have to think of their quality of life and sometimes using drugs to calm them is the way to do it.

I know what it's like to have a dog that is hard to travel with or own. It isn't easy.

Good luck!

Deb

[sutulu]

I too feel your pain.

The lovely Miss Lulu never shuts up. If she's not barking she's talking. And Tucker may have been the strong silent type as a pup but he has become a barker. I pray my house sells before I have to move back to an apartment with these two.

[Bobbie]

Try clicker-training. Click when she is quiet. It works for Janine when I do it on a regular basis.

[Kassie]

Have you, or anyone ever tried one of these?

http://www.petexpertise.com/dog-calm...ap-collar.html

I was watching It's Me or the Dog yesterday and Victoria recommended one for training a reactive barker. I'm considering trying one for Aine. There are a bunch of brands around.