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  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tanya View Post
    Shock collars ARE punishment. that is how they are used in training, positive punishment; addition of something aversive (that the dog does not like) to reduce an unwanted behaviour. there is zero need to use one for this type of situation (and really there are always alternatives). The dog would get punished while in her safe place, the crate. you have no way to ensure that she associates the punishment to the barking and not the crate or the room (ditto barking collars).
    Yes, she has certainly trained you because every time you give in and feed her you have reinforced the behavior. And the more reinforced it has been, the harder it will be to extinguish. While I agree that you should definitely try other methods first, I did successfully use citronella bark collars on my two youngest dogs when they were about that age. Not so much for barking in the middle of the night, although once they were used to it, I did use it that way on Sass a couple of times. It was mostly for needing them to be quiet in their crates while I was working their mother in class. Being there by myself and out on the floor with the older dog meant I couldn’t be right there to deal with them (either to correct the noise or reinforce the quiet), and letting them bark it out would have been disruptive to the rest of the class. Our training center offering limited class times and being 40 minutes away means that I had to take them on the same night and let them wait. It really only took a couple of times before they figured it out and quieted down. I was able to discontinue use entirely after a couple months.

    My point is just that if nothing else works, I don’t think they’re necessarily dangerous or will automatically make the puppy hate the crate. The citronella ones are in my opinion much better for a puppy than a shock collar - they don’t hurt, just spray an odor that most dogs seem to find offensive. My trainer is currently using one of our old ones on her border collie pup for exactly the same scenario .... she isn’t catching on as quickly as my Labs, though, so by the end of the night the place smells quite summery (it’s the same stuff in all-natural mosquito repellant candles).
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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  2. #12
    Senior Dog dxboon's Avatar
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    Not sure what the background is on your puppy, and I haven't read all the prior replies, but if your puppy came from a reputable breeder, one point of information they might be able to provide is roughly how much their 6-month old puppy that they kept from the litter is eating, or at least give you feedback on if what you are feeding seems in line with how their dogs grow. For example, is your dog's current weight reflective of how their lines grow or is the puppy too thin maybe?

    Young Lab puppies grow exponentially in these early months. Some lines blow through incredible amounts of calories as the dogs go through teething, etc. My youngest, a male, at the height of his growth was eating almost 7 cups of ProPlan 30/20 each day in order to maintain weight. Girls are smaller of course, so wouldn't be eating quite so much. Point being, some puppies need more food than we imagine. If your puppy is from a line that is heavy on bone, coat, she may need more food than she's getting currently.

    Having said all that, you'll still have the task of breaking her of bad habits she's developed because you've been rewarding her for waking up each night. If she's not crated near you, try maybe moving her crate into your sleeping quarters. Sometimes puppies go through periods of fear, anxiety, and they just need to hear you breathing or for you to gently shush them so they know you are there when they wake up scared.

  3. #13
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    So this is not my first option, but following my first post with preferred options, you could crate farther away from bedroom. It wouldn't be my first option but one I'd do before a bark collar. Basically just ignore her but placing her where her barking won't bug you too much.

    I'd ensure to exercise more (mentally) including about an hour before bed, giving a snack, ensuring the dog is getting enough food but yeah.

 



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