silhouettestable Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 I'm looking for any suggestions on how to deal with a nuisance barking problem. The problem occurs when I have the dogs in the back yard when I'm teaching riding lessons. Noah (the collie) has always been a bit of a barker whenever my students are riding faster than a walk. But Lightning is by far the worst. Every time the horse & rider come around the side of the ring that's closest to the dog's yard he goes nuts. Last year as a pup he wasn't so bad, he was used to the situation. But, during the winter the lessons stop and he was glued to my side constantly whether I was in or out of the house. Now he just can't stand the fact that he has to be kept in the yard during lessons. He doesn't normally bark like that at the horses unless they're practically hanging their heads over the fence into the backyard, I think it has more to do with the fact that there are people out there in the field and riding, and he's can't be there too (for obvious safety and liability reasons - can't have a loose dog tearing around the field during the lessons). He is fine to leave in the house, there are no problems that way, so what I've been trying to do is separate the dogs during lessons and keep the 2 big dogs who are the barkers in the house, and keep the 2 puppies who are in their chewing and teething stage in the yard. I don't do lessons all day long, I book them with an hour off between each so it's not like the dogs are just shut away all the time. Between lessons they're all back together and with me where ever I am. It's just sometimes a bit hard to get everyone where they're supposed to be when they usually want to go in the opposite direction, and Lightning does love to be outside running around. So does anyone have any ideas? I've heard of a type of muzzle called the Husher (www.husher.com) that I've thought a bit about, it's supposed to be a very humane style that's veterinary and spca approved. I'm just not sure if it would be a good idea to muzzle some of the dogs while others are not. They like to get wrestling and playing and it wouldn't seem fair. Should I maybe just continue as I have been and keep the barkers in the house during lessons? One other concern I have is that I don't want the pups to pick up the habit from the other dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Crowder-BaaramuLuke Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 I keep a couple of crates in my tackroom/office and have a TV/DVD in there for the kids to watch training tapes and husband to watch his weather reports. I do 4H, have kids arounds all the time and I worry about the liability as well. When anyone but me is at the farm, I put up everybody, either in the house or in the tackroom, out of VISUAL sight of what we do with the horses for the dogs. What they don't see doesn't disturb them so much, as well as my training them to respect QUIET! (except for Jane, who is slow learning that one.) The TV helps to create doggy white-noise, and all is quiet and safe. I'd stay away from the muzzles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWQH Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 We've got kind of the same problem. Our 2 BC's go nuts when they are in the big back yard and the horses wander by. Oddly enough they ignore the horses unless they are in the fence. We have a tall wooden fence, which is all slats, I think maybe they can't see the horses whole body, and assume it is something that is not supposed to be there. The rehab BC, when someone comes up the drive and she is loose, she runs all the horses away from the front of the pastures. Other than that she leaves them alone. Except for this barking while in the backyard. I've thought about the herding the horses away, and I think that maybe she is protecting our livestock, whenever anyone drives in.? Dianne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWQH Posted May 31, 2006 Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 BTW..it's great to see another Catahoula dog. We have a 3 month old pup and no one seems to know what they are lol. Dianne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted May 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2006 Originally posted by AWQH:BTW..it's great to see another Catahoula dog. We have a 3 month old pup and no one seems to know what they are lol. Dianne They certainly aren't common around here. I'd never even heard of them before and I don't know for certain what the pups are, but many of the members on here have speculated that either one or both may have Catahoula in them. They were listed on petfinder.com as border collie/australian shepherd mix, but quite possibly the shelter workers here in Ontario aren't familiar with the Catahoula breed either. Do you have any pics of your pup? I'd love to see them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWQH Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 I sure do. A ton of them lol. Apparently Catahoulas aka Leopard dogs were bred in Lousiana. They are supposed to be incredible as family dogs, working livestock, and hunting. The joke with Catahoula owners is that ...You can take your dog out and work cattle, then later that night go hunting with them, and then they will curl up at your feet and protect. No one really knows what breeds were put together to make a Catahoula. It's all guess work. I'll download some photos off my camera and see if I can figure out how to post them lol. Dianne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustopherJones Posted June 1, 2006 Report Share Posted June 1, 2006 Have you tried a water pistol? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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