by Diane Burket
Does your dog bark every time someone comes to the door? That may be a good thing when you’re not home. But if you’re home and Fido has a barking fit whenever friends and delivery services come to the door, it can get pretty annoying. Dogs bark. Yes. But they shouldn’t bark without a good reason.
One way to stop a dog from barking is with water. Fill a cheap spray bottle with plain water. Spray your dog in the face if he/she barks inappropriately. Don’t spray from too close….don’t want to get in their eyes. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your dog will stop barking. My spray bottle is at the ready on the staircase. Now, I only have to pick up the bottle and my dog stops barking.
Want to stop a dog or cat fight? A little play fighting is fine—but sometimes they cross the line. Try spraying them with your water bottle. The fight will stop. (Watch out to not spray in their eyes).
This simple technique can also work for other unwanted behaviors. Dogs that constantly whine drive me crazy. Spray with water and they’ll change their behavior.
Dog jumping up to the kitchen counter? Spray with water. Begging? You get the picture. If you’ll consistently correct your pet’s bad behaviors, they’ll stop.
December 27, 2012 at 2:33 pm
I like it a lot. Does not harm the dog (or cat) but gets his attention.
June 10, 2014 at 3:15 pm
I have a Boston Terrier 2 years old named Tobby, this dog gave me many problems. It ate my shoes, urinated in the room, the furniture stank. A teach my dog to behave with some training videos I found online. Pay 1 dollar for a trial period of 3 days. And 37 monthly payment, but worth every penny. My dog is very well behaved, and does not make those deviltries and I have taught him many tricks. This is the location where I found the training: http://www.theonlinedogtrainers.com
July 13, 2014 at 3:34 pm
Vets Weston
I think that is a good idea instead of shouting at them or hitting them with a broom. Thanks for sharing your idea.
http://wellpets.co.uk/
March 5, 2015 at 11:59 pm
I don't recommend spraying water into the pet's face from a close distance because you could detach their Retina if you spray in their eyes. Don't use the stream setting on the water bottle. Use the spray setting where the water fans out. We use water on our younger dog who's in training. It works very well. All I have to do now is act like I'm going to reach for the bottle and he stops the misbehavior immediately.
April 11, 2016 at 6:58 pm
So far, this method is working for my 11 month old german shepherd. She's naturally protective of the house, which we love, and barks when she thinks there's an intruder but we wish she would stop when we tell her to.
In all other circumstances, her behaviour only improves with positive reinforcement and gets worse with punishment. Now when she barks, we acknowledge her and tell her to be "quiet", if she does then we reward her with a treat, but if she continues to bark or grumble under her breath, we spray the water once and she's silent immediately. It seems to be the only way to get her attention.
April 11, 2016 at 7:00 pm
I'm so glad the water method is working for you!
April 11, 2016 at 7:03 pm
I am a real advocate of positive training. The unfortunate truth is….sometimes you have to spray a pet with water to get their attention. ;-( I have a Jack Russell mix that loves to bark at just about anything or anyone. Very annoying. The water bottle gets used a lot with her. Another technique that works with her is…..when I see someone coming to the house, I say, "Who's that?" Then I give her a treat and use the clicker. Jill is still very excited, but would rather get a treat that go crazy at the front door.