more on the dog who barks at the moon

[sblock]

Hi--it's me again, the owner of the dog who barks at the moon. On the advice of posters, I've been trying to redirect him so this doesn't become self-affirming behavior. At the suggestion of Patricia McConnell, I have been saying "enough" and then giving him a treat when he stops. This works worked pretty well when I catch the behavior early. But last night, he got out on the porch and started barking frantically (the moon was up) and at that point, I couldn't reach him; he was too agitated. I've read that some people shake a can of coins to distract a barking dog--any thoughts? Also, we've started him on Prozac, which we hope will help him deal with his fear of the outdoors, as well as the moon obsession. Thanks again for all your support!

[Root Beer]

I've read that some people shake a can of coins to distract a barking dog--any thoughts? Also, we've started him on Prozac, which we hope will help him deal with his fear of the outdoors, as well as the moon obsession. Thanks again for all your support!

 

Do you really want to risk that with a dog who is already afraid of the outdoors?

 

I'd give the meds a chance to work. Did the vet who prescribed them give you any training exercises to do in addition to the meds?

[PSmitty]

Personally, I would not try the shaker can. If he slips out (which you should work on avoiding) and starts the moon barking and gets so worked up that you can't redirect him, he's over his threshold. As you've noted, you need to work up to being able to redirect him when he's in full-on bark mode, and you're doing a great job of stopping it before it gets to that point. So, if he gets out and is past the point of redirection, I would go remove him from the situation. I would go leash him up and bring him inside. Quiet him down and then reward the quiet.

[Jack & Co.]

Ditto to what Root Beer said about the medicine. It took Jack several weeks (maybe even up to a month) on his medicine for us to start seeing positive changes.