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  #46  
Old 01-15-2018, 06:41 AM
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BrunoBlack BrunoBlack is offline
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I’ve never had this specific problem (pretty funny), but I think I’d try to make the dog associate the guitar with something it REALY likes, like food treats. Maybe you could leave a trail of goodies right up to and onto the guitar or case and turn it into a scent game. I’ve also had good luck using citronella dog collars to control & train dogs with unwanted barking.
https://www.caninejournal.com/citronella-dog-collar/
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  #47  
Old 01-15-2018, 07:13 AM
Guitarsan Guitarsan is offline
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Too much to get into in a post, but our dog barked incessantly at our vacuum, among other things. Brought in a trainer and within 5 minutes our dog never barked at it again. Not only that, but the trainer asked my wife to pick up the vacuum, step inside the exercise pen with our dog (small 10 sq ft area) with the vacuum and stand there. She just sniffed it and then ignored it. 5 minutes.

95% of the time when a dog barks, it's asking you "should I worry about that"? Your job is to tell it... no!

This can be fixed.
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  #48  
Old 01-15-2018, 07:28 AM
rmgjsps rmgjsps is offline
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Everyon's a critic.
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  #49  
Old 01-15-2018, 07:49 AM
cmd612 cmd612 is offline
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If the dog's owner is interested in working on this (or any other training issues that a six month old Westie puppy might have!), there's a lot of good training info here:

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/index.htm

including a couple of articles specifically addressing problem barking. Here's one:

http://www.clickersolutions.com/arti...nicbarking.htm
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  #50  
Old 01-15-2018, 07:59 AM
GBS GBS is offline
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Have to agree 100% with the posted squirt gun method. It works, and works very well most of the time!

If you have really tried and tried it, the next level is to bring along one of the fake squeeze lemons from the grocery store. Have the owner catch the dog while barking and squeeze a few drops of juice in their mouth. No commands, no anger. Just as calmly as they can, juice the dog when it barks at the guitar.
Try the squirt gun first, though. But the juice worked wonders on the dog I had that ignored the water....for years after three juicings, if the dog slipped, all I had to do was show him the lemon, and he stopped for a long time. Of course, he makes himself scarce when I make a batch of lemonade, too, now.....
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  #51  
Old 01-15-2018, 08:00 AM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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Take a banjo to your friends house. Be sure to say, "I'll give you something to bark about," as you uncase the banjo. A couple times of this and the dog will be happy to see the guitar.

My cat loves when I play and sing.
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  #52  
Old 01-15-2018, 09:24 AM
Truckjohn Truckjohn is offline
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As a long time dog owner - I have had to come to terms with reality.... Dogs are not nearly as smart as we wish them to be....

Sometimes - dogs are a bit nutty... The smaller the breed - the more compromises were made during breeding.... There is simply less room for brain inside a teeny little skull... And as such - small dogs do weird things when the cogs and gears inside their skulls don't mesh right...

I had a daschund who would run out into the yard snarling and gnashing teeth at fallen branches.... Full on Don Quixote.... Then she would arrive - ready to attack.... Finding only branches - she would look mystified and wonder where her prey got off to.... Cogs and gears...

And she was the sort of dog who would probably bark at a guitar... Cogs and. Gears...
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  #53  
Old 01-15-2018, 09:42 AM
Steadfastly Steadfastly is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TKT View Post
I board dogs and have tons of close neighbors. I can't have barkers. I've had to do a lot of bark training. My associates and I tried all the bark collars, shake cans etc, then we found out about squirt gun training for obsessive barkers. You get the little 3 pack of small Nerf Zip Fire super soaker pistols off Amazon. They even come up as an option for dog training if you just search for squirt gun. They're fun for moving squirrels along out of your trees too.

The key is to be as surreptitious as possible, so the dog doesn't really know where it's coming from. It doesn't hurt the dog at all, just gets them wet, but the point is they don't see it coming, you say "Quiet!" or whatever their word is, and fire immediately! Suddenly their face or ear etc is wet, and they are startled out of the bark reflex. Next bark, instant zap, until they generally stop out of pure puzzlement or disgruntlement from having a wet head and chest or shoulder area. They often just go lie down on their bed.

The owner should squirt, since the dog is looking at you and you are handling the guitar. Try to disguise that the squirter is holding anything, even if it's from under folded arms or from the hip. If they learn what you're doing, the really smart ones know they can bark their heads off until you get the gun and point.

I can have 5-6 puppers in my patio and yard (always supervised for their safety), all lounging on their rockers and outdoor couch, or laying out in the sun, and 2 or 3 pack piled on me all cuddled up, and someone walks by and even though they can't really see the pups well through our privacy screening, I say "SHH!" and can then have a conversation with my neighbor through the fence, and no pup does more than look at the passerby, and generally nary a peep. They can even hear other dogs barking next door in several other units, and they are the only ones who are quiet. They can't be bothered. They have become Stealth Doggos. It sometimes takes a few sessions, and even when outside I can get the new to the crew kiddos 20 -25 feet across the yard. None of my regulars bark. Barking is often a mindless reflex for dogs. Sometimes it's out of fear, but using a squirt gun is operant conditioning, so it usually works either way. Terriers are pretty fearless so I'd guess not in this case, and the training is a very specific situation here.

I want my own dog to alert bark, but not be obsessive. We don't worry about a few alert barks or barks when playing. It's the non stop or inappropriate stuff that isn't tolerated. Dogs are pretty smart, terriers are smart and extremely willful.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EAHXWPY...516004377&sr=3

https://www.amazon.com/Soaker-Zipfir...r+dog+training
Excellent!
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  #54  
Old 01-15-2018, 10:39 AM
Von Beerhofen Von Beerhofen is offline
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if dogs are doing this:



then here's the solution:



Ludwig
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  #55  
Old 01-15-2018, 10:52 AM
Jambi Jambi is offline
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semi-relevant.

Lately, when I take out my guitar my 3 year old son likes to get me to stop and play with him instead. He can be totally engaged in something else but as soon as I pluck out a few notes he drops whatever he's doing and runs over to me.

One time he walked up to me where I sat on the bed, placed his hands gently on the strings and said, "No Daddy."

Another time I sat in the living room and he said "GO!" pointing to the bed room. My wife and I laughed. Not to be bossed around by a toddler but just to humor him, I went to the bedroom and sat on my wife's side, near the door. He said "GO!" again and pointed to my side where I normally sit, pointing in to the room where I can only assume it is quieter. At that point there was no recourse except to tickle him until screamed and ran away laughing.

Everyone is a critic. smh
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  #56  
Old 01-15-2018, 11:41 AM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Guitarsan View Post
Too much to get into in a post, but our dog barked incessantly at our vacuum, among other things. Brought in a trainer and within 5 minutes our dog never barked at it again. Not only that, but the trainer asked my wife to pick up the vacuum, step inside the exercise pen with our dog (small 10 sq ft area) with the vacuum and stand there. She just sniffed it and then ignored it. 5 minutes.

95% of the time when a dog barks, it's asking you "should I worry about that"? Your job is to tell it... no!

This can be fixed.
Thank goodness some common sense.
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  #57  
Old 01-15-2018, 11:52 AM
TNO TNO is offline
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I guess I'm lucky- mine come and curl up near me when I play acoustic. They like "pretty" sounds I guess. If I rock out on electric my dog sometimes likes to join in with a good howl. Seems appropriate
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  #58  
Old 01-15-2018, 12:11 PM
rmsstrider rmsstrider is offline
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Original OP here. Thanks for all the suggestions. I think the squirt gun might be useful. It is a strange situation. The dog loves it when i come over. we play, go for walks and he lays down against my leg to take a nap. The guitar, not even played , drives him crazy with barking though. Maybe it could be the resonate sound of his bark at first, but he continues to bark at the guitar even after put back in the case. Will test a few suggestions from you all, thanks.
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  #59  
Old 01-15-2018, 12:12 PM
Mystery123 Mystery123 is offline
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Come on.
All that dog is trying to do is sing along.

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  #60  
Old 01-15-2018, 12:28 PM
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BrunoBlack BrunoBlack is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mystery123 View Post
Come on.
All that dog is trying to do is sing along.

That’s great!
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